The steering coupler (also called the 'rag joint') on my '69 is shot. I have play in the steering wheel, and am a bit concerned about safety.

I need to get the coupler assembly off. Some of the repair books talk about unbolting the steering column and sliding it out a bit to provide clearance to take the coupler off the spline shafts. An article from Corvette Fever (May 2002) says to remove the steering box instead. Any advice on which is the easier, and preferred, approach? Any other tips? Thanks!

 

Either method will work, just choose your poison...you aks 10 guys which method they prefer and you will get a 50-50 split, I've done both, and it really doesn't matter...

 

why, sounds like you are trying to make an easy job hard. That goes on a lot around here.

 

One other thing you should be aware of. In 1969 there was an early steering gear with a full round input shaft. Later 1969 steering gears had an input shaft with a flat machined on one side of the input shaft. The two different gear shafts required that there were two different flexible couplings (one with full round serrations, the other with serrations and a flat).

You need to determine if your gear has a flat or not. (I doubt that you can see the flat with the flex coupling installed.)

The early Vette coupling with the full round serrations is GM #7806391.

The later C3 coupling with serrations and a flat is GM #7818568.

Either flexible coupling can be obtained through any GM dealer.

A coupling with serrations and a flat will NOT assemble to a gear with a full round input shaft.

 

Jim - do you know what vin#s signify early or late 1969's. My vette is is storage an hour away but I wanted to order an oem steering coupler and not sure which one to order

Thanks

Tom

 

I'm by no means an expert but I recently replaced the rag joint in my 69, which is an early model, and it used the full round as Jim stated. The easiest way I've always "determined" if a 69 is late or early is to look at the vacuum can for the wiper door. If it's the big, coffee can looking vacuum can then you have an early car. If it is the smaller more UFO shaped can then it's a later car. However, I have no idea if they changed the steering coupler the same time they changed the can. I believe the change was around April - May'ish in 69 so you can check your VIN to see what you've got.

Another note on the early cars - I looked high and low to find a GM original replacement and they are hardly available. If you can find one they are big $$$. The only parts place I found the "proper" reproduction for the early coupler was Zip Corvette. It is the one I put on my car and it's legitimately grounded via a copper strap so that the horn will work. However, I would recommend, as Jim does, to pull out your old shouldered bolts and use them in place of the ones that come with the reproduction. Jim's got a really nice paper with a compete overview of replacing these parts, maybe you can get him to send it to you. I can't seem to locate mine.