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Thread: Steering Shafts don’t fit

  1. #1
    Senior Member
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    Apr 2014
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    Steering Shafts don’t fit

    I was trying to install the steering shafts and nothing would fit. One end of the shaft would fit in the u joint and he other would not. Neither shaft would fit through the bearing. Am I supposed to have to grind the shafts down to make them fit?
    Ryan
    33 Hot Rod
    350 SBC with TKO 500, 3 link rear

  2. #2
    Seasoned Citizen NAZ's Avatar
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    Feb 2016
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    "The High Country", beautiful Flagstaff, AZ
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    Same problem with mine. I mike'd the shafts and the u-loint bores as well as the bearing bores and there was an interference fit of ~.001 if I recall correctly. I had to use a small fine abrasive flapper wheel to open up the bearing to get the shaft to fit. On the u-joint press fit I had to carefully remove some metal from the shaft ends a little at a time. I took just enough to make a tight slip fit using a micrometer to measure the amount of material removed and a Magic Marker to indicate the tight spots that needed to be worked. Go slow and don't get aggressive with material removal -- it's a lot easier to remove material than to put it back if you go too far.

    Also a tip: the u-joints have set screws to hold them on the shafts. You really don't want these to come apart on their own. Once everything was assembled and adjusted to my liking I marked where the set screws engage on the shaft. I then disassembled everything and set up the shafts in my mill and using an end mill plunged a locating bore slightly larger in diameter than the set screw and ~half the diameter deep. I made only one of these per shaft end so that to pull apart the assemble would require shearing one of the set screws. You can use a drill where I used a mill -- even a hand drilled locating hole is better than relying on the clamping force of a small set screw alone.

  3. #3
    Banned
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    Another example of poorly made products in the kit. If you buy shafts and u-joints from Flaming River or other reputable suppliers, you won't have that problem.

    After the shafts are assembled, it's possible to use a drill bit, inserted right through the set screw holes to accurately spot drill the location of each set screw. Then disassemble and finish drilling deeper on a drill press. Check what size of bit is used as the tap drill size for the specific set screws used.

    http://www.americanfastener.com/tap-...ll-size-chart/
    Last edited by DaveS53; 12-10-2017 at 09:22 AM.

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    Thank you. That’s pretty much what I am doing sand, test fit, sand, test fit, repeat 20 times. I do like the idea of giving the set screw somewhere to bed in the shaft. I will try to do that also.
    Ryan
    33 Hot Rod
    350 SBC with TKO 500, 3 link rear

  5. #5
    Senior Member HVACMAN's Avatar
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    May 2017
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    Village Mills, Texas
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    I finished mine today. I found it easier if I ground a bevel on the ends of the shaft. All slid in fairly easily. Mine is a fairly new kit. That might be the difference.

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