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Posted by David Sherman [72.47.9.228] on Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 14:13:40 :
Once again it's spring and time to fix something else on our 1974 Minibus trolley. This year I told them I'd replace the worn-out joint where the steering column goes into the steering box. Naturally it's not a regular rag joint or anything else I've seen before.
There is a hole drilled through the end of the steering shaft. A loose pin goes through the whole with two loose square steel pieces like square nuts but with smooth holes on the ends of the pin. The square pieces slide in grooves in a deep-drawn steel piece that clamps onto the shaft of the steering box. The joint appears to allow maybe 2" of sliding action, which I don't need because I can clamp the column at any point, and provides a little bit of U-joint action.
The worst-worn part is the square pieces, and for them I can just turn them 90 degrees and use the unworn surfaces, but the drawn cup that they slide in is also worn, as are the pin, the holes in the square parts and the hole in the shaft. Also, the serrated part the clamps on to the steering box is not very serrated any more. Last year it started slipping and I tightened the clamp extremely tight in order to get them by for the rest of the season, but it needs to be replaced. There appears to have once been a seal on the top of the cup and the thing was packed with grease, but the seal was shredded long ago and the grease was full of dirt.
I have no idea what this is off of. The engine and tranny are Mopar, the rear axle is GMC, and somebody once told me the front axle and/or steering mechanism were Ford. I'm hoping someone here will recognize this sliding steering joint, so I at least know what to go go shopping for. I'm thinking it's likely off of some early '70s van, but I have no idea what.
Thanks for any help.
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