47-55.1 55 years ago I was given this USAF 54 3100

[vintovka]

Heard a distinct crack from under the left fender today while turning into a lot. Steering was suddenly way more wobbly than usual with a clunk. My "trusted" shop found forward steering shaft u joint had broken and, "to top it off", that the steering box was no good. The only good news is that box has a NAPA lifetime warranty. The steering shaft is shot i so ordered a spendy shaft off the net. We shall see.

[dsraven]

What, no pics of the near miss?
Well, warranty is good to hear. Like always though, warranty still costs you.
Good to hear you were low speeding it when it broke. Couldda been much worse.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by dsraven

What, no pics of the near miss?
Well, warranty is good to hear. Like always though, warranty still costs you.
Good to hear you were low speeding it when it broke. Couldda been much worse.

No near miss. Took a direct hit to the u joint!. LOL. Drove it home but needed both lanes. about 4" wobble in steering wheel. Reminded me of tacking in a sailboat. Should have all the parts this weekend and maybe a new mechanic to go with,

[MiraclePieCo]

Eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Oregon pot-head mechanics saga. Always entertaining!

[vintovka]

About the size of it. Would be really funny if it didn't hurt so much to think about it or wonder what else those bozos did.

[vintovka]

For your continuing entertainment. Pulled the old broken steering shaft and compared to the nice new one. Another fine job by the previously mentioned narcotic enhanced workers, If my new mechanic guy shows up tomorrow he hopefully will replace the box and i will have the all new steering system i thought i had already paid for. The steering box was bad right out of the box BTW. The new shaft is a Borgerson 0935 and looks like it will fit w/o cutting shaft. Bad news is i spent 2 hours filing/grinding column stub to get it to fit. Also the "D" shaft on these is harder than hell and ruined 3 bits drilling for retaining screw.

[vintovka]

Well i waited all last Sunday for a "respected" mechanic to show at my place. No calls no nothin. Gave up, drank the beers and ate the roast beef sandwiches i promised him and got to work. Pulled and replaced the defective steering box, installed the fancy steering shaft, got fluid all over me and the floor went in and took a 2 hour nap. Pics next time after i recover. Post 70 heavy mechanic work is tough on the bod.

[joedoh]

you have the upper joint upside down (or maybe just the set screws), the long screw goes through the one side hole in the column D, locking it two directions.

you dont need to drill all the way through the shafts, just a small divot is fine. my experience with exactly those same parts is that they are mild steel and easily drilled and cut, so your drill bits may be dull or need oil.

if that is the length you are working with you will want to shorten the collapsible shaft about 3-4 inches, otherwise its not going to be collapsible, right? also the benefit of a collapsible shaft is with install, you can collapse it then extend it to install. to cut the shaft I use a die grinder.


nice work, keep plugging away!

[vintovka]

Borgeson requires you to drill all the way thru one wall of the the d shaft and tightened hard against the opposite. Think they got sued and now they provide a 1.5 " all thread allen head with locking nut and explicit diagrams and instructions. The surface of the hollow D shaft was soft but halfway in it went to rockwell off scale. Ruined 3 new tin drill in floor drill press despite low speed and coolant. Heaven help the guy with only a hand drill and one bit. Sent them a nasty note and promised i would post it here and on Amazon for not replying.

Borgeson also requires you to grind a flat spot of the steering box stub for the set screw. Mine fit fine with 4" of collapsible length. that part of install was easy. The really bad part is grinding about 0.10 off the diameter of the steering column hub. Royal PITA for a $200 item so heads up. Pics next time after i recover from the install. Even the titanium rods and 29 screws in my rebuilt right arm are complaining.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by vintovka

Borgeson requires you to drill all the way thru one wall of the the d shaft and tightened hard against the opposite.

yes, and that is already possible with the GM steering column, it has a hole in one side of the D stub that sticks out, so you can insert that one long set screw in that position and tighten it like borgeson requires against the undrilled side. I have used that exact same u joint and collapsible shaft on 6 trucks. I dont think I have gotten it wrong yet but anything is possible I guess.

the reason for it at the top joint is because if a set screw falls out the direction the shaft will fall away is down, away from the column. a through shaft adds a measure of safety, you will hear that long set screw clattering around long before it falls out and the joint falls off.

when I look at your side by side with the old one, it looks like the collapsible shaft is fully collapsed and the right length.

[vintovka]

There was no hole in column stub and may have to drill one. The grinding of the column stub took forever stopping to mike it every time. I did get it together just now and used a suggested method of jacking up front wheel and cranking wheel back and forth (engine off) to bleed system. it burped a lot then quieting right down as air was expelled. This method supposedly prevents frothing and air entertainment usually seen with engine on bleeding. Also took time to increase clearance cut for hoses as they were rubbing fender skirts. Now rerouting the "fecally terrible" brake line job done by the aforementioned narcotic addicted mechanics.. FWIW local auto shop now up to 20, fired, would be mechanics, who may never be able work in the industry again. Some were certified. All that tech school money down the drain. Promise pics when done.

[vintovka]

Well after a semi-nightmare the 54 is up and running again. If not mentioned earlier am now embarrassingly too old to lift a heavy steering box with one hand and bolt it on with the other. l took a long bolt (with same thread as box) cut head off and used it as a pilot to lift, place and rotate box into position. Had misfortune to nick a copper brake line and spent much time learning the joy of line bending and skill of double flare creation. All subsequent to having bleeding fits due to a stuck proportioning valve. Was all worth it. All new steering is great! No longer need both lanes! Currently adjusting steering wheel to be straight and repainting everything that got soaked in brake fluid. Pics soon. While under truck with wrench i'm thinking this all looked SOOOO EASY on TV!!!

[joedoh]

bet it has really nice steering feel now, I switch from rag joints and factory knuckles on the s10s and the u joints make the old stuff feel like you were steering soup.

[vintovka]

Pics of new steering box and shaft. Wheel is straight and drives very very well. Truck is an old survivor with heavy duty frame patches as you can see.

[VWNate1]

12.12.2019 (beautiful full moon out) .

I just discovered this thread and read it all, you're doing a great job and I thank you for sharing the ins and outs .

I'm curious what means "rebuilt eyeballs" as I to am old and not seeing as well as I used to along with endless chronic pain issues from being a Journyman mechanic it's hard to do even the smallest things these days .

Your labor of love is a wondrous thing to behold .

[vintovka]

Thanks. Just going for HFS (hell for stout) over "show pretty". Just like me the truck shows a lifetime of scars - each with a memory

Since you asked boring story/rant ahead:

As for rebuilt eyeballs i always had poor vision. As a kid i could not tell a friend from an enemy at 10'. Really bad deal growing up in East LA and makes you downright mean as well. About 3 years ago i was about legally blind even with thickest glasses made, When we escaped to OR saw a specialist up in Medford. Thought i had common age related cataracts but he took one look and said you have "Fuiks Disease". While i'm thinking i'm "Fuiked" he says "i can fix that" like "Bones" on Star Trek. Proceeds to yank and replace both corneas, both lens, clean out all the junk then zaps the floaters with a laser. The result is nothing less than a miracle. Crystal clear, brilliant. near 20-20 vision. All done out cold (and out patient too). California medical care, like the rest of that 3rd world state, sucks BTW. If anyone wants particulars PM me.

[VWNate1]

THANK YOU ! .

That was a good story and no ranting .

I'm still in So. Cal. and I hope to die here (not soon but I'm old & crippled) , I'm sadly aware of how rough E.L.A. can be, it's still easier than where I grew up Down East, no fun being a kid in the mean streets .

I hope my truck never gets the scars I carry .

My vision isn't great (far sighted) but it's good to know there are options .

I'm waiting for Kaiser to offer cochlear surgery, a lifetime of working on machines and riding motos etc, has left me deaf =8-( .

Keep on moving, you're a great example to young folks .

[vintovka]

Since truck is confined for to quarters next 3 months due to Oregons Monsoon season. (near 3" just now) will be doing just small stuff. The tilt column (87 GMC Van) still has some rattle/play and will be installing a rebuilt kit with 2 new upper bearings. Wound up with 2 complete rebuilt kits so if someone wants one at half price let me know.

Also will be doing lots of rewiring. Most will be repairing all the "pot head wire grafting" along with some of my own shoddy work.

Debating whether to rewire the auto controlled radiator fan so it shuts down when engine is off. Right now it runs until temp is down to 195F with engine off. Tired of folks hearing the fan and telling me i left the engine running. Pretty cool here next to the ocean so not really necessary to run after shut down.

As always theres something that needs attention -- which is just fine (if within my ability) Speaking of us old folks working on these i thought i'd pass one something i got from our wonderful small town Doctor. Its some stuff called Voltaren and is a dermal (skin) topical steroid cream. I use it after a day (2 hours now) of wrench bending. Not a miracle but takes edge off "post work pain" especially in hands (from thinking you have same strength at mid 70's as you did when 19). Like they say on TV - "doesn't stink either" . Effect is somewhat enhanced by responsible doses of beer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dsraven]

double wall shrink tube
good set of crimpers that does more than flatten out the connector
heat gun to shrink the tube

for the fan why not wire it so you can do either option. then on hot days after a run the engine will have time to cool down after you walk into the coffee shop

next time you are at the doc office ask about diclofenac, same stuff as the voltaren except available in different strengths. works great. comes in a cream from pharmacy. apply a bit before you're gonna do some stuff or afterwards when the hurtin gets harder to handle. just don't get all superman when the pain is masked from the diclofenac. lol.

have fun, post pics.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by dsraven

"double wall shrink tube
good set of crimpers that does more than flatten out the connector
heat gun to shrink the tube

for the fan why not wire it so you can do either option. then on hot days after a run the engine will have time to cool down after you walk into the coffee shop

next time you are at the doc office ask about diclofenac, same stuff as the voltaren except available in different strengths. works great. comes in a cream from pharmacy. apply a bit before you're gonna do some stuff or afterwards when the hurtin gets harder to handle. just don't get all superman when the pain is masked from the diclofenac. lol.

have fun, post pics.

Good advice. Taking time to solder connections now with single wall heat shrink -- never heard of double wall

Will take your advice and wire Fan with option. Already have an override switch to turn it on when ever needed.

Yes diclofenac same as voltaren and 1% does the job and covered by Medicare for us old farts. About $30 tube on Amazon. One tube can last for years. The releif is fast but overdoing it after is not wise. I found applying immediately after an injury helps too. Like when concrete garage floor jumps up and smacks you. Funny enough, i have a tube in my tool box out in garage. FWIW nice fitting nitrile gloves can help us old. literally thin skinned, folks. Used to be bullet proof Now i am Bullet Bait. You young guys may laugh but, if fortunate enough, your time will come.

[dsraven]

double wall shrink tube has adhesive on the inside like hot glue. helps to seal the joint.

http://info.waytekwire.com/blog/heat...protection-101

Dual wall heat shrink tubing protects against moisture and corrosive environments, while providing electrical insulation and mechanical protection using engineered adhesives. Dual wall tubing products consist of a crosslinked outer jacket and an inner layer of adhesive or encapsulant. During installation, the adhesive or encapsulant lining melts and flows, creating a moisture-resistant protective barrier. Benefits of this type of tubing include controlled amounts of adhesive and consistent results; compliance with AMS-DTL-23053 standards; UL recognition/CSA certification; and RoHS Compliant.

I copy/pasted that, can you tell, lol.


some butt connectors have solder inside and also shrink themselves with the heat applied. home depot even sells them

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Ele...3-12/202204351

[VWNate1]

Always solder every joint, crimps will corrode after a while in your damp .

The pain killer cream sounds great *but* remember : us old farts are usually already taking medications so make sure there's no issue with this stuff additionally .

You're not kidding about the Concrete coming up to smack me once in a while .

[vintovka]

Crappy harbor freight mechanics roll around seat lost a caster and dumped me on the back of my head couple weeks ago. Still hurts. if you have one toss it (or take it back) before its too late. Those ones with flush Allen head retainers have a real bad history and known to strip caster threads at critical moments.

[VWNate1]

Yes, I got a low boy creeper for $10 because of that .

The deal is : those crappy casters loosen up and unless you immediately stop working and tighten them they'll fail soon after .

There's a reason we call it "Harbor Fright" .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

Yes, I got a low boy creeper for $10 because of that .

The deal is : those crappy casters loosen up and unless you immediately stop working and tighten them they'll fail soon after .

There's a reason we call it "Harbor Fright" .

They have a very serious and dangerous design/materials defect. The insert and studs will strip regardless of tightening or loctite. Told them about it and they never responded (they know all about it). Sent pics and Professional Mechanical engineering opinion to a Product Safety Attorney. They very are interested. Put yours away and wait - might be worth it,