The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - steering shaft and u joints and rag joints and double D and......

Lugnutz65 · 09-11-2016, 04:27 PM

I'll jump in and add what I am doing.
I hate throwing perfectly good stuff away, especially if it keeps the truck looking original.
Everything below is still in the mock up stage and progress is very slow, but so far no major snags.

I installed a 1974 PS box to my 1965 frame using CaptainFabs special bracket.
Then I cut about 18" off the 1965 original steering rod and installed the 1974 lower steering rod onto the 1974 PS box. The 1974 lower steering rod is designed to telescope on impact, making things safer.

Next, I slid the original steering system about 3 inches closer to the dash. I find things much more comfortable with the steering wheel closer to the dash. This does make the lower edge or the factory steering wheel a bit closer to the floor and thus closer to the knees, but it will still work well for me.

I plan to shorten the inner and outer steering column tubes by about 3 inches. Then I'll carefully shorten the original steering rod so it properly joins to the 1974 lower steering rod. The end will get machined to the DD shape so it can properly connect to the U-joint I bought from eBay.

The end result will be a fairly original looking dash and steering column (except that I have converted to a floor shifter).

I'm not very concerned about how original the cab looks. The steering column will be safer due to the telescoping lower steering rod and I will have saved the cost of a new IDIDIT or Flaming River column which are quite spendy.

You can see more of the steps on my BLOG.

09-11-2016, 04:27 PM	#3
Lugnutz65 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 1,927	Re: steering shaft and u joints and rag joints and double D and...... I'll jump in and add what I am doing. I hate throwing perfectly good stuff away, especially if it keeps the truck looking original. Everything below is still in the mock up stage and progress is very slow, but so far no major snags. I installed a 1974 PS box to my 1965 frame using CaptainFabs special bracket. Then I cut about 18" off the 1965 original steering rod and installed the 1974 lower steering rod onto the 1974 PS box. The 1974 lower steering rod is designed to telescope on impact, making things safer. Next, I slid the original steering system about 3 inches closer to the dash. I find things much more comfortable with the steering wheel closer to the dash. This does make the lower edge or the factory steering wheel a bit closer to the floor and thus closer to the knees, but it will still work well for me. I plan to shorten the inner and outer steering column tubes by about 3 inches. Then I'll carefully shorten the original steering rod so it properly joins to the 1974 lower steering rod. The end will get machined to the DD shape so it can properly connect to the U-joint I bought from eBay. The end result will be a fairly original looking dash and steering column (except that I have converted to a floor shifter). I'm not very concerned about how original the cab looks. The steering column will be safer due to the telescoping lower steering rod and I will have saved the cost of a new IDIDIT or Flaming River column which are quite spendy. You can see more of the steps on my BLOG. Attached Images __________________ My 65 C10 build: www.lugnutz65chevystepside.weebly.com Want to know more about T5 transmissions? My website has a T5 Info Page and a Step by Step T5 rebuild. Last edited by Lugnutz65; 09-11-2016 at 04:37 PM.