I've got my new rag joint coming in today, and need to know how to remove my old one. I looked at it last night, but am unsure which bolts I need to remove. Do I take the ones off on the actual rubber disc part? The one with the 2 guide pins? Or other ones? See my incredibly crude drawing of it below. Those are the only 4 bolts that I see...i'm sure i have to take at least 2 off. Any help is *greatly* appreciated!



Thanks in advance,
Brian

 

did you get just the rubber peice or the hole assembly?

I replaced just the rubber last month and took the whole thing off so I could clean it up. Was difficult getting it out without removing the steering box or shifting the steering column. Ended up getting it out and rebuilding the "new" one in place not preassembled on the workbench. If you are only pulling the rubber you will need to loosen the splined parts so they can slide so you can get the rubber off the pins. And the bolts through the rubber obviously need to come out. Hope I helped.

T

 

This is the part that i ordered:

http://corvette-paragon.com/catalog/...B-AF2363AE457F

It's not the greatest pic, so what you see is what you get ;-)

 

Even though the part on the Paragon websight is listed by a Paragon part number (PR#247) and by a GM part number (7818568), it is not a Saginaw OEM part. It is a foreign made part that results in your steering wheel ending upside down when you finish installing it. There is a flat on the gear input shaft and there is a flat machined into the flexible coupling flange. This part has had the flat 180 degrees out of position.

I have written to a number of Corvette suppliers outlining the problems with this part. I don't know if it has been corrected or not. The Paragon picture is not clear enough to determine the flat location. The following picture is the same part. You can clearly see the flat. It is machined on the wrong side of the flange throat.


When you receive the part from Paragon, you would be doing us a big favor is you could respond if the flat is incorrect or not.

One last concern with the foreign made part. The bolts that stick out of the rubber disc should be shoulder bolts. Like this drawing:

Are the bolts shoulder bolts or not? Common bolts should never be used in a connection with compressed rubber. You must have shoulder bolts for a secure connection. (Loctite and/or lock nuts are not sufficient or acceptable in place of the shoulder bolts.)

Lastly, the foreign made part can be salvaged by using the shoulder bolts from your original flexible coupling. Look directly at the gear input shaft (as if you were in the driver seat and the gear was in the car). Set the gear on center with the flat on the gear input shaft at 12 o'clock. Install the flexible coupling on the gear input shaft. The big 3/8 shoulder bolt should be at 9 o'clock. The smaller 5/16 threaded shoulder bolt should be at 3 o'clock. This will bring your steering wheel back to the straight ahead position.

I will add Paragon to my list of suppliers that I have contacted with respect to this flexible coupling problem.

Jim

 

If that is a genuine GM rag that price is about 1/2 the normal cost. If it's not GM I would not use it. Be careful you do not drive the column into the firewall. There should be approx 1.300" gap between the end and input of the box.

Ha I see Jim addressed this at the same time.

 

Jim,

Thanks for the advice. I will be certain to report back as to whether the problem has been addressed or not. I should get to it by this weekend at the latest.

As for removing the assembly that is currently in the car...if the paragon part is indeed the whole assembly (which it appears to be), what is the easiest way to remove the old one? Will it require removal of the steering box? I'm hoping not, but prepared to if necessary.

Thanks.

 

From a safety standpoint, Saginaw and Chevrolet engineering actually designed the flexible coupling connection so that things overlap to the point where you must loosen the gear at the frame and tip it (you don't have to remove the pitman arm or go any further) or you must remove the fasteners on the steering column and pull it back into the passenger compartment by an inch or two in order to gain enough clearance to remove the flex coupling.

I know that this makes service a pain but you are steering your car through this connection. Some people pry on the flexible coupling which results in collapsing the steering column shaft back into the steering column. Then people can't understand why their replacement flex coupling no longer spans the gap between the steering gear input shaft and the steering column shaft. (With the steering column and gear installed, the gap between the two shafts should be from 1.0 to 1.3 inches.)

Jim

 

i unbolted the steering column under the dash to give me more room to get it out PITA... and i needed a 12 point socket... took 5 neighbors to find one
good luck... it took most of the play out of my wheel !

 

Penzone received the Paragon part and it is the foreign made flex coupling assembly where the flange is not machined correctly. He asked if his steering wheel will now end up upside down.

----------------------------
The foreign made flex coupling will cause your steering wheel to end up upside down.

What about the bolts that attach to the steering column flange? Are they shoulder bolts? If they are not shoulder bolts, use the ones that were installed in your original flex coupling.

One bolt should have a 3/8 thread and the other a 5/16 thread. You should be able to switch the two bolts and your steering wheel should end up correct. (With the gear on center, the bolt with the 3/8 thread should be at 9 o'clock; the stop pins at 6 and 12 o'clock; and the 5/16 threaded bolt at 3 o'clock.)

Now your flex coupling will never be NCRS correct because the cross (pinch) bolt that attaches the coupling flange to the gear will now have its head pointing down and the bolt will be passing through the 3 o'clock quadrant (rather than having its head pointing up at you and passing through the 9 o'clock quadrant with the gear on center).

One last thing, check to see if your horn works. I don't believe that this foreign made flex coupling has any type of mechanism that provides continuity from one side to the other. (Your OEM flex coupling has a screen molded into the fact of the rubber disc; or it has a ground wire or strap.) Not having continuity may cause your horn relay not to function. However, sometimes the horn relay grounds through the steering column bearings.

Jim

 

I would send it back to Paragon and buy a genuine GM joint. Tell Paragon you do not want foreign junk, maybe they'll get the message.
My dos centavos

 

I mailed a letter to Paragon yesterday (Wednesday July 25) outlining my concerns with this particular flexible coupling (they are in Michigan like I am). This afternoon they sent me an eMail indicating that they had received my letter and contacted their supplier.

That is what I call quickly reacting to a problem.

Jim