FYI. Found a excellent rag joint at http://www.classicindustries.com/. Site. Less than $45.00 with shipping.

 

If it's Chinese made you don't want it.
Best one is the OLD stock GM which I believe has red paint on it.

Frank

 

What about just removing the rag joint in favour of Flaming River knuckle?

Dave

 

No luck finding a NOS. Unless you know where to get one.

 

Not too sure. Don't know anyone who ever used them.

 

I believe this is the GM Part # 7818568 number you should be looking for. I bought one from a Vette vendor and the flat and splines where on the wrong sides. I did find one of the GM joints about 90 bucks. They are still out there I you look hard enough.........

 

Another thing to look out for is the wire mesh embedded in the rubber disk for the horn. Some GM replacements don't have this. Someone posted about founding a perfectly correct GM replacement, with the wire mesh. I bought one.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...rrect-one.html

 

That was me, I'll repost because the web service I used to post those pictures is no longer available:

As some of you may know, GM steering coupler part # 7818568 is no longer being sold by GM. Many of the vendors are selling cheap replacements that do not meet the factory standard and won't supply a ground path for your horn.

Corvette America is selling a correctly machined steering coupler under part #30029, embedded in the rubber is the metal mesh which will provide connectivity for ground path through the gear box to the frame.

My old steering coupler and the one supplied by CA part #30029





I made that post in April, so I don't know if CA is still selling the factory correct part with the mesh. Someone will have to buy one and let us know.

Twinpack, post a picture of the rag joint you ordered please. Does it have the mesh and was it machined correctly? Some caused your steering wheel to be upside down.

Steve

 

Here is a picture of the incorrectly machined flex coupling assembly.

The flat should be located on the bolt head side not the threaded boss side.

I discovered this problem a couple years ago. Seems like it still haunts us today. The flat being machined on the incorrect side of the bowtie flange will result in your steering wheel ending upside down. You can fairly easily make this offshore manufactured part work by interchanging the 3/8 and 5/16 attaching bolts.

Let me make one more comment on horn grounding. The flexible coupling assembly should have a metal screen or a stamped brass ground strap to reliably carry horn grounding current from the steering shaft down into the steering gear and into the frame and back to the battery. However, steering columns in the 1960s through 1980 had metal die cast housings or stampings that may have carried the grounding current into the steering column jacket, into the column mounting, and eventually back to the battery. So the early columns may have had multiple ways for the horn current to reach the vehicle ground. Now when the steering column head was converted to plastic in 1981, that should have eliminated the alternate grounding paths.

You should always recheck your horn function when you replace your flexible coupling. I can just imagine someone who (months after replacing the flex coupling) tries to blow his horn and now is left with trying to figure out what went wrong!
Jim

 

I will post a picture of it when I receive it. I t should be here in about a week with the New Year holiday. My original has a copper or brass strap, but the web shows no evident of wire mess unless I just can't see it. The picture above looks like it's for a 69 ($109.00)? The CA site only shows a repair kit for the 68 ($49.00). I sent an e-mail asking for detail. I will post the response to clarify what is or is not. Does anyone know if the 69 will work on my 68.Thanks for the input.

 

Just so you know. Just installed one I bought from Corvette
Central. Came packaged with the bright Red HELP packaging that you find in the HELP isle at any chain of auto parts. I made it work but had to transfer all of the exterior hardware from the old rag joint. If you go this route buy it at the parts store and save your shipping dollar. If I had to do it again I would buy the whole unit complete from another vendor.

 

Twinpack,

I didn't realize you had a '68, the part number I mentioned won't work on a '68 because '68s didn't have the flat edge on the gear input or the coupler.

Best source of information on these are Jim Shea's papers:

http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?p=796

"Sometime during the 1969 model year, a milled flat was added to the manual gear input shaft. This design carried through the end of production of the C3 in 1982. The design of the flex cplg was changed at that time to also include a flange with a flat so that it would mate correctly with the new input shaft in only one position. "

CA part 30028 appears correct for the '68s and early '69s. I say appears because sometimes what you recieve from part vendors doesn't match the picture they posted.

CA part 30028 as it appears on their website:



No milled flat.

Steve

 

i thought i found an original on line but they sent me one milled wrong!
they advertised as oem.

 

I did go with this one. I sent a e-mail to CA and thier response was that this was correct. I will let everyone know if it is or not. I should have it next week.

 

Received the new CA rag joint today. It looks pretty good. This is my third attempt to get a usable unit. There is definitely wire mesh embedded. I think I will use this one. Here are a few pictures.
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I'm guessing this one didn't work?

Hopefully others will read this thread before buying a steering coupler.

Twinpack,

CA part 30028 as it appears on their website has extended bolts as they were from the factory, this was a safety feature. The one you received does not. If you have your original coupler, reuse the extended bolts.

Steve

 

Thanks Steve, didn't notice that. I will check.

 

OK, this makes me ask a question: (sorry, don't mean to side track this thread. I'll stare a new one if necessary). If this joint with the flat on the wrong side is installed on the car, would it cause a problem with the turn signal canceling? Seems like it would put the steerig wheel 180 degrees out. My wheel is straight and true. I rebuilt my 69 over 15 years ago and I can't remember if I replaced the joint then or not. I probably did. But I have never been able to find the cause for my turn signals not canceling like they should. Turning left they're ok (sometimes) but after turning right they don't click back to the off position. I remember replacing the complete switch inside the column but that didn't correct the issue. Any ideas guys?

 

'69 Coupster,

Early '69 or late '69? Does it have the flate edge machined on the coupler and gear input? If it does have the flat edge, then the bolt head should be on the same side as the flat edge.

This might help you also:

http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?p=935

 

Yeah, I noticed that too. Can you swap the bolts with the extended safety catch onto the new joint?

Mark G