Anyone have any recommendations on a replacement steering coupler for a 1977 corvette with Tilt / Tele column. I need the whole steering coupler assembly, and do not want junk. I have done some searching, and found out there is plenty of junk out there.

 

Assuming you are talking about what is often referred to as the rag joint, (flexible coupling) what state are the metal parts of the one you have in? You can rebuild this with a kit and end up with something better than the some of the complete ones that are for sale JMO

 

The metal brackets usually don't wear out - just the "rag" joint. Purchase a rebuild kit and you will be fine. Pay attention while removing the original joint so you can rebuild correctly.
Good luck

 

All that I can add is that you please reuse your two shoulder bolts (the copper colored 5/16-24 and the 3/8-24) that were part of your original assembly. It is NEVER a good idea to clamp down on the rubber disc with just standard bolts (that are typically supplied with the rebuild kits.)

Also note that the laminated rubber disc in the kits are different from your original. The supplied disc is the same thickness as the original. However, the original had 7 layers of cloth and rubber (making it quite stiff and provides a fairly firm feel to your steering.) The rebuild disc is typically only 4 layers of cloth and rubber. Much more rubber (compared to cloth) in the disc supplied in the rebuild kit makes for a more compliant steering system as you drive down the road.

One last thing. It is a good thing to check if your horn works when you complete your installation and hook your battery back up. I would hate for you to get into a situation down the road when you need your horn for a warning and discover that it no longer works.

The primary ground for the steering column was down through the steering column steering shaft, through the flexible coupling, and into the steering gear, frame, and back to the battery ground. It is very possible that there are alternate ground paths for the horn ground inside the steering column.

But your original flex coupling either had a metal strap, wire, or a metal mesh in the face of the rubber disc. I am sure that the rebuild kit did not provide any grounding means through the complete flexible coupling assembly as the original did. If your horn works fine. If it doesn't, you are going to have to provide seperate ground from the steering column to some metal structure that can provide a ground path back to the battery. Don't forget that there are a lot of plastic parts in your Vette so ground paths can be elusive.

I wish that I had better sources and news concerning the poor situation with the flexible coupling assembly service parts.
Jim

 

Unfortunately, I do NOT have any piece of the coupler removed. Whey I had my steering box rebuilt the vendor did not return the coupler with it and I did not notice right away. And it is unlikely I can get it from him now....turns out he was quite a con man. SO, I need all the parts.

 

Jim Shea,

I know you are the steering column expert so I have another question. I am questioning on how much to rebuild on my steering column. It rotates fine, has a bearing sound that reminds me of bearings without grease in them, but is free to turn. I can grab the place where the steering wheel mounts and move it up / down / left / right and there is a small amount of play. Is any of this a sign it needs rebuilt. It is a stock 77 tilt / tele column. I just know from my airplane business that sometime new parts don't change anything and some things have some play built in. Looking for your advice

 

Please copy this and start a new thread. It's not fair to change an original thread to another topic.

I'll be happy to provide my thoughts on another thread.
Jim

 

Jim Shea,

I know you are the steering column expert so I have another question. I am questioning on how much to rebuild on my steering column. It rotates fine, has a bearing sound that reminds me of bearings without grease in them, but is free to turn. I can grab the place where the steering wheel mounts and move it up / down / left / right and there is a small amount of play. Is any of this a sign it needs rebuilt. It is a stock 77 tilt / tele column. I just know from my airplane business that sometime new parts don't change anything and some things have some play built in. Looking for your advice

 

Jim is the expert so i never question him but i have done a few columns and most of the time it is the lower bearing that goes bad. it is exposed to the bad elements of the outside and it just rusts or gets grime in it. it is easily replaced without major disassembly. you can take it all apart and regrease the upper bearing but most of the time that is OK. You may want to tighten the tilt/tele plate inside as this usually comes loose. Other than that if nothing is broken it is probably all good.

 

they sell complete rag joints, just be sure and get a GM repo, they are costly. I would not rebuild one, the kits don't work properly(I know you don't have the old one to tear apart and use the old bolts). Talk with Willcox, and ask for forum discount(10%).

 

Have you contacted the con man and told him you want the coupler back?
Why was the coupler sent with the steering gear to the con man?

 

The con man is one of the few Corvette business in the Pittsburgh area. On the surface he appears knowledgeable and appears to be restoring cars. What I found out over time, through numerous independent people who have suffered from his con job and lies, is that he takes advantage of those who trust him. Example: He tells them their engine block is cracked, and suggests they replace the engine. He then keeps the blocks for his future use. Does the same with steering boxes, differentials and probably other components. He claims to rebuild the parts in house, but in reality buys the parts from the common vendors we know about, and then adds a huge profit for himself...of course never telling you this. I have heard of too many stories now to believe it is just a few isolated examples. Some day, he will get what he deserves. In the meantime many people have written him checks because they thought they were at a place they could trust. Maybe we all should be smarter, but again....we are not all experts, but we are not stupid.

 

Iwasmenowhesgone,

I rebuilt my Rag Joint following Jim Shea's papers / instructions (to reuse bolts, etc). My advice, since you don't have the rag joint to rebuild, read Jim's papers, become familiar with the differances for various years and buy a used rag joint off of ebay that you can rebuild. Once you have the joint to rebuild you need to get the correct "rag" (replacement laminated rubber / cloth piece) for your rebuild. The main issues is the thickness of the replacement rubber / cloth joint and the number of rubber / cloth layers as Jim has mentioned. In rebuilding the rag joint YOU NEED TO REUSE THE SHOUlDER BOLTS as Jim suggests since the rebuild kit will only have fully threaded bolts (again, reading and understanding the papers Jim has will allow you to understand the importance of re-using the original shoulder bolts). In checking rag joint rebuild kits on line I found that most if not all were the made in China kits and did not have the correct replacement rubber laminate piece. In the end I found a rebuild kit at a Nappa Auto parts store, I suspect the kit was better than 20years old, BUT it had the correct rubber laminate (NOTE: It was not wire mesh impregnated). Once I had the correct rubber laminate the rebuild was fairly easy, I added two copper wire jumpers and had no horn issues. Total cost to rebuild was $12 and change (I suspect the price was 20 plus years old as well). Lots of luck, Russ.

 

Even if you are looking for a flexible coupling just for parts, you have to find one with the correct (bowtie) flange that attaches to your Corvette steering gear input shaft. All C2 and C3 Vettes have a manual gear input shaft that is 3/4 dia with 36 splines interupted by a machined flat. Bowtie flanges that are part of a flexible coupling designed for power steering gears are either too large (13/16 dia) or they will have only 30 splines not 36.

If you can find an OEM Corvette flexible coupling I would purchase a correct complete assembly even if it is well over $100 rather than messing around trying to cobble parts together.

Jim

 

I recently purchased a 74 coupe project.. The person that started the project died,and the car was put into a container for over 7 years,,, Now its mine and I am finding all kinds of issues with this car...
I have figured out most of them, But I am stumped on this one... There was no ignition key,and and in order to move the car they disconnected the "Rag-Joint" coupler (Dont ask me why they did it that way),, anyway,,I replaced the ignition switch and have the coupler re-connected however the steering shaft is about 1-2 inches from seating into the coupler correctly... I cant figure out how to get the shaft farther down into the coupler. Any help would be appreciated

 

The PO probably caused the steering column to collapse (designed that way to absorb energy in a crash) so that he could remove the ragjoint. You may be able to pull it back down in place, but the column will always be damaged/weak. That still may be the best choice, rather than to replace the (expensive) column.

To remove or replace the ragjoint, you need to pull the steering column UP or rotate the steering box DOWN to make room for the removal/replacement. The re-installation of the GM-designed ragjoint is a bit tricky, so refer to Jim Shea's papers for complete understanding of how that is done.

 

Thanks for the reply
I have inspected the steering column the best I could without removing it all the way... it appears intact and looks OK,,, I am about 1" from getting it seated in the rag-joint correctly,,, I was hoping to loosen the column and move the whole structure down a bit... the bolts have a provision to make that adjustment however, i am unable to get the entire column to move down withot forcing it,,,,is there anything else keeping it from moving down 1" ??... thanks

 

PO did mine and........ mark you line the steering wheel up with, when going back on, is 90 degrees off. Result? Turn signals don't cancel right. I need to re-orient it when I get time.

 

I would like to add if you are considering purchasing a column or having yours rebuilt please contact Larry Johnson. I will post a link to his website at the bottom. He just rebuilt mine and did a great job. He also sells refurbished ones that he does and new ones that he has been able to acquire. It takes him approx a week to rebuild it.

If you are going to try and tear into it yourself Jim Shea will be your best resource along with his steering column papers.

http://corvettecolumns.com

Edit....just realized you wanted the coupler. I just put e new one in when I got the column back. I got mine from Ecklers. Here's a shot of the the bag. My car is a 71.