CDN3g

Are any of the replacement flexible steering couplers (aka Rag Joint) a good substitute for the discontinued (and unavailable) GM part 7818568? I've read a lot of the past posts that stated most of the reproduction joints (and rebuild kits) are inferior to the GM part. So, what brand / part number is considered a good replacement? I have a 1982 Corvette with tilt/telescoping column. thanks

Chuck

silvvette

I installed the fr1734 by flamingriver on an 80 corvette - best mod for steering. way better then the stock rag joint:

http://m.summitracing.com/parts/fla-fr1734

Torqued Off

I would be interested to hear what Jim Shea would say about this type coupling versus ragjoint i.e. pros / cons. If there is vibration dampening with a ragjoint, then this Flaming River unit would not provide any of that. But I like the simplicity of it.

silvvette

I'm more interested in quick response vs vibration. the fr is spot on with maneuvering around turns.

addballer696

bump. would love to get some insight on this. looked over the forums and online at several and have idea what I'm buying, since the GM replacements ran dry. Any recommendations?

molsen

Do a search, Jim had a nice paper on the subject. Over all I will be doing the flaming rivers setup on my '69

Jim Shea

I think that it is Long Island Corvette Supply that has several C2 Vette flex coupling assemblies for sale. I reviewed photographs of their parts several years ago and they were quite accurate. Now, I realize that C2 parts are not the same as the later (1968 thru 1982) C3 flex couplings. However, they are close enough that I don't understand why LICS doesn't make a further investment and produce the later flex couplng assemblies as well.
Jim

Buccaneer

This is an excellent thread since I'm having my steering box rebuilt by Gary Ramadei as I type this. I want to replace my rag joint which only has 8k miles on it (not GM) since I replaced it, but I'm replacing everything to get the steering as good as it's going to get on my 82.

Jim, do you know if the coupling presented here from Flaming River work OK with the 82 as far as vibration goes? I'd rather not cut off my nose to spite my face on this swap.

I was going to call Long Island as suggested by Gary and see if they were contemplating doing a C3 rag joint or know where there might be a good one to use. Not interested in Chinese junk.

buns

Lares Corporation makes them and Rock Auto sells them. P/N 200, $17.00. It appears that you need to buy 2 and bolt them together.

cottoneg

EBAY has NOS. Pricey, but if aftermarket quality isn't up to par that maybe a consideration.

redbarchetta74

bump - what is the latest consensus on this topic? The original GM part 7818568 is very hard to find now (EB only has 1 as of this point) and there is confusion as to which aftermarket part works the best. Based upon my research, I have found the following:

* OER 7818568 (looks legit but back-ordered via Summit)
* Lares 200 (some report this fits)
* Flaming River FR 1734 (seems like some have gone with this alternative)

Any updates/advice on this topic from those that have gone down this road recently?

sierra 43

I got mine from Autozone. It was pretty heavy duty and came assembled, I think it was $20.00 roughly. I was amazed at how many parts like that my local Autozone has in stock. They have had a new A/C compressor, heater core, u-joints, drive shaft and half shafts.

redbarchetta74

Thanks - I checked the local supply houses and only Advanced has the full assembly. I've done some more research and am thinking that this seems to be a legit one per the specs: http://www.oerparts.com/product/1971...s/7818568.html

I can't quite see the flat spot in the pic, but the description states "coarse spline w/ flat at bolt headside" which would be correct for the application.

Capt. Shark

I realize this is an older thread but I'd like to know if anybody has anything to add now? Gary R rebuilt my steering box and said that the rag joint is OK to reuse but that I would probably want to replace it at some point. I check Ebay periodically for NOS but no luck so far.
I'm not buying some Chinese made piece of crap from Auto Zone.
There was some talk of Willcox looking into making one but I haven't seen anything further on that.
Anybody found a good replacement rag joint?

redbarchetta74

I replaced mine in my 71 LT1 with a Lares 200 this past year. Quality seems to be decent and the bolt-head is on the correct side. Think it is made in the USA but could be wrong. Good enough for my needs.

JPinAZ

Call Pat he has rebuilt many GM rag joints for me.
http://benchworksteering.com/

Dusky

OER 7818568 comes up as a Couplers & Rag Joints,1965-76 Steering Coupler For 3/4" Shaft - 25 Spline
Is this correct for our cars? thought it was 1" 34 spline and 3/4 30 spline?

20mercury

Here are some on ebay at a fair price:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/69-82-Corve...53.m2749.l2649

Looks like a good deal and will be quite acceptable I think, bought one for my 69 project. You will need to reuse one side of your existing rag joint flange. Also check Jim Shea's paper, you will likely want to reuse your old bolts (small one and bigger one). I think the old bolts have a shoulder whereas the new bolts may be completely threaded which does not allow proper torqueing. Jim Shea outlines this problem.

Update: received today, looks good and has the correct shoulder bolts.

Hope this helps.

(also do not see the special 12 pt bolt for the clamp bolt, but no big deal I think)

gjjcvette

I believe it is a good idea as well. I have the Borgeson kit installed and would like to try the u-joint, since it is difficult to align 100% and to even know when it is 100% aligned. How is it holding up so far?

Robert_H

Is there a recommended rag joint manufacturer? My original rag-joint and hardware are gone and I need to purchase something soon.