Rag joint question (picture)
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 805
Likes: 5
From: Naperville Illinois
Rag joint question (picture)
In the middle of rebuilding the front end on my '68. The unit is rusty but the rubber disk is in very good shape, no wear on the pins. As I was rust-proofing the metal, I noticed that the serrations where the coupler clamps to the steering box input shaft only cover half of the circumference of the joint...is this normal?? It really doesn't look like the teeth have rusted away or been broken off, and the existing teeth appear to be in good condition. The teeth on the input shaft are perfect...
Not that it has any bearing on the answer, but if I have to spend another $100 on the car this week, my wife will kill me in my sleep.
Thanks,
Chris
Not that it has any bearing on the answer, but if I have to spend another $100 on the car this week, my wife will kill me in my sleep.
Thanks,
Chris
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 113
From: Saginaw Michigan
The serrations in the various flanges were modified through the years. Essentially there were several designs where splines were only broached on 1/2 of the inside diameter of the coupling flange. The missing splines were always on the side of the flange where as you tightened the head of the bolt it caused the flange to "wrap" around the mating shaft. That is why we referred to the attaching bolt as a "pinch" bolt. You are probable seeing the imprint of the splines from the input shaft digging into the coupling flange as the flange wrapped around the shaft.
This "wrapped" condition usually meant that even when you removed the pinch bolt the flange would not easily come off of the mating shaft. You would then need to force a big screwdriver blade or a chizel into the gap in the flange to get the flange to spring loose. So even with only 1/2 or less broached splines, the connection was very secure.
Jim
This "wrapped" condition usually meant that even when you removed the pinch bolt the flange would not easily come off of the mating shaft. You would then need to force a big screwdriver blade or a chizel into the gap in the flange to get the flange to spring loose. So even with only 1/2 or less broached splines, the connection was very secure.
Jim
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 805
Likes: 5
From: Naperville Illinois
This "wrapped" condition usually meant that even when you removed the pinch bolt the flange would not easily come off of the mating shaft. You would then need to force a big screwdriver blade or a chizel into the gap in the flange to get the flange to spring loose. So even with only 1/2 or less broached splines, the connection was very secure.
Jim
So this is a stock configuration, with four decades of rust! Now the $94 question -- would you re-use that coupler??
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: NJ
In the middle of rebuilding the front end on my '68. The unit is rusty but the rubber disk is in very good shape, no wear on the pins. As I was rust-proofing the metal, I noticed that the serrations where the coupler clamps to the steering box input shaft only cover half of the circumference of the joint...is this normal?? It really doesn't look like the teeth have rusted away or been broken off, and the existing teeth appear to be in good condition. The teeth on the input shaft are perfect...
Not that it has any bearing on the answer, but if I have to spend another $100 on the car this week, my wife will kill me in my sleep.
Thanks,
Chris
Not that it has any bearing on the answer, but if I have to spend another $100 on the car this week, my wife will kill me in my sleep.
Thanks,
Chris
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