I'm trying to re-assemble my 71 Coupe and am having problems w/ the steering coupler. I bought a repair kit (a new rag joint) from Corvettes America and put the coupler back together. The problem is that the coupler doesn't want to stretch far enough to fit back on the steering shaft and the input shaft for the steeriing box. I'm afraid I'm going to rip it if I try to force it. The steering box is a used unit off of a low-mileage 74, but it appears dimensionally identical to the original, which I still have. I've loosened the steering column where it bolts in uinder the dash and also the bolts that hold the steering box to the frame, but still no luck. There's approximately 2" between the ends of the two shafts. What's the secret? Am I doing something wrong? This thing has been apart for a while and I was looking forward to taking it out this weekend. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Did you have the column out of the car?
Usually, the replacement is the same size as the original so anything you moved to get it out can just be slid back. The column has four bolts under it that have some adjustment which may help.
I can't recall on the Vette for sure but the small shaft that the joint attaches to may slide some inside the big column as well. There may be a stop on it that you have to loosen. Maybe someone else knows if this is true for vette applications.

 

The flange with the flexible coupling should be pushed all the way onto the gear input shaft until it bottoms out and the pinch bolt tightened. So there is no adjustment that should be made with this part of the coupling assembly.

However, the flange that attaches to the steering column shaft should be able to be loosened and allowed to slip up or down the column shaft to give you some adjustment. You may need to remove the pinch bolt from that column flange and place a large screwdriver in the pinch slot to open up the flange and get it to slide on the column shaft.

Other than that there is a very minor amount of adjustment that can be accomplished by loosening the steering column. There is literally no adjustment that can be made with the steering gear.

My personal opinion is that I don't like repair "kits". The original flexible coupling disc was a very stiff lamination of 7 layers of cotton cloth and neoprene rubber (this helped contribute to a good steering feel). The stop pins that retained the rubber disc were hot riveted to the flange that connects to the steering gear.

Most kits come with a "soft" 4 lamination rubber disc that needs to be bolted to the column flange.

I would rather purchase the complete, hot riveted, flexible coupling assembly from a GM dealer (part number 7818568) or from Corvette suppliers.

 

Now that I have it in hand, I don't particularly care for the repair kit either. I plan to purchase the complete coupler and replace it. That doesn't resolve my problem though. I have placed the flange on the steering box input shaft and installed the bolt, as you outlined. I have also completely removed the other flange from the steering column shaft, so it is not seized up. It looks like I'm going to have to stretch it so far that the alignment pins (now bolts) won't even touch the other flange. Could it possibly be a difference in the steering box? Or do I just need to stretch it until it fits / reaches?

 

Was the original flex coupling stretched? The original disc was about 3/8 inch thick. I would imagine that the repair kit rubber disc would be about the same thickness. So I don't understand what could have changed between the original flex coupling and the repaired one. The coupling should not be stretched. The stop pins (now bolts rather than rivets) should be resting inside the cut outs in the column flange.

If you go to http://www.corvettefaq.com and look under Suspension and Steering you will find the following papers:

Flex Coupling Installation Instructions
Flex Coupling Pics
Flex Coupling and Column Assembly Instructions

They may be of some help.

 

Unfortunately, my 75 is in storage so I can't go out and scale my car for the distance between the steering gear shaft and the steering column shaft.

However, I do have some engineering drawings that I scaled. I come up with a maximum distance of 1.3 inches from end of shaft to end of shaft. The nominal would be closer to 1.0 inch.

One more thought, the column steering shaft should be sticking out from the lower column bearing by 4.5 inches. Just measure from the end of the shaft right up to where the bearing engages the shaft. This shaft is designed to telescope rearward (back inside the column) in a severe frontal collision. It is held in place by a molded plastic key up inside the column. Is it possible that you (or someone else) pried on the column (or even dropped it) such that the shaft was collapsed by about an inch? If this is the case, just try and pull the shaft out to a distance of 4.5 inches. The telescoping section inside the column is sort of rectangular shaped so the fact that it telescoped an inch or so will not be of a major concern.

 

Thats the same problem I had, I just pulled out on the column down at the flange and it matched right up. Probably have to give it a pretty good jerk. I was about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart at the couplings until I pulled on it, then it snugged right up.

 

Yep... I bought the rubber donut, too. After I got it, I threw it away and bought the assembly. :yesnod: