The steering rag joint coupler on my '79 is a little frayed and shows some wiggle. Has anybody had any experience using a Flaming River needle bearing U-joint in place of the OEM-style rag joint? I've used these U-joints in the past on hot rod projects but never on a Vette.
DickJ

 

Reason ? curious ...........why not just return it to OEM ? mine lasted over 50 yrs NOT TOO SHABBY !!!

 

The bearing gives a little more solid road feedback. Not as cushioned.

 

You can use the u-joint. It is solid and will not fall apart and grounding is not an issue. The original rags were very rigid but allowed for alignment between the box and column. They offered very good road feedback and usually lasted a long time. The grounding was an issue until they were revised with the screen impregnated in the material. NOS rags run all over the place for price, most are over $300 now. The new ones today are not like the original, some are rubber pucks, some are laminated but not the same material. The D-Flat rags I have seen had the flat 180* off, the Chinese copied them wrong.

If it was my car I would look for the NOS rag for your car. If I couldn't find one I would use the joint. The alignment should be checked through the full range of motion. If the 79 box is untouched it probably needs attention as well.

 

U-joints as you know are almost a must on street rods where nothing lines up. LOL. I'm sure it would work ok, but the flexible couplers can last 50 years and are a quick and easy install. Just get a real good quality one. I forget who the 'go-to' company is ...someone will chime in I'm sure.

U-joints have multiple wear points...and the slightest amount in any point will result in wheel play. On my Hummer I need to replace my intermediate steering joint AGAIN! (this will be probably the 4th one the truck has had). The grease can get cooked and dry out in the u-joint caps if too close to the manifolds/headers ...and then the bearings inside can get rusty. Plus any moisture from engine washes, etc. Avoid u-joints that use set-screws, because you'll only be adding 2 more potential wear (slop) points. And I question their security. I see the attraction, but in a 'stock' C3 set-up, a good quality flexible coupler is an easy upgrade, quick to do, and should last a long time. But go your own way...for sure. Just providing some pro's and cons.


You can rebuild yours too with an inexpensive replacement flex piece...from Dorman. I rebuilt my 'classic' pickup truck coupler as there wasn't (at the time) a replacement flex coupler available. The Dorman coupler is actually thicker than OEM and the quality was/is great. I made my own 'pins' on a lathe to get it 'tighter'. It's been like 5 yrs and so far so good. It doesn't have the metal screen in it, but it's a good quality piece. But there are good couplers out there and honestly, I would look for a top notch replacement vs rebuilding yours..considering the time etc. Plus they press the pieces together which is hard to replicate.

Do a search. There's a lot written on this. It's a topic which has been beaten to death, right up there with "Which paint should I use?", "Leaking brake caliper" ....and "Sloppy Steering Box"?'. (which if yours hasn't been looked at...might be the thing to look at).

C3 steering boxes can definitely stand a rebuild. The top bearings get 'cooked' and go dry and rusty from moisture and dry grease. When that happens it can never hold good 'pre-load', and will be sloppy. And the lower bronze bushing eventually wears a bit on it's sides too. Granted...that's after many years. That's probably the number one thing to do if your car has loose steering (which most develop) and the steering box has NOT been looked at. Most guys notice an immediate and huge improvement in tightness & responsiveness. There's a guy here "Gary" (I believe) who is the rebuild guru...and a lot of guys have been happy with his service. A worthwhile thing to investigate on any older C3. Do a search on 'Steering boxes'. And they're easy to rebuild yourself too with an inexpensive kit and internet instructions. Last I checked Autozone in a town near here rents out an in/lbs torque wrench for free..

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U-joints do not allow for axial length changes, as the rag joint does. This might be a problem if you have a lot of movement between the body (where the steering column is mounted) and the chassis/frame (where the steering box is mounted).

That said, I have Flaming River U-joints in both of my cars, including my Borgeson-swapped 79.