Due to my patching the frame on a '75 2x at the steering box, the box got moved toward the passenger side one inch. That meant using a double U joint to connect the steering shaft.

Long story short, I need to shorten the column. I need to weld it back together, but how do I keep it straight?

I thought of clamping it to a long piece of channel or angle iron, but I'm hoping someone with experience jumps in and tells me how to do it.

I have an old school gas tanks set up, a 120v wire feed, and a 200 amp stick welder. Thanks in advance.

 

Post up some pics. If you are planning on doing what I am thinking, you will need to allow for the shaft to collapse in a collision. The Borgeson shafts allow for that.

 

Technically you're never supposed to weld steering parts. I don't like it , but if you do it and there's any doubt in your mind about the quality of your work don't use it. your life as well as others are depending on it.

I'm not sure what you're welding, the shaft or the yoke on the shaft but you're going to need good penetration so a little wire feed is most likely not going to cut it. I'd use the stick welder with 7018 or something similar.

When you weld it's going to pull towards the weld. sometimes you can clamp it good enough to prevent it but it's not as easy as it sounds. I usually start with it bent slightly away from the weld and tack it, then tack the other side. if it's not straight enough break it and try again. keep doing this until it's pretty solid then make your good welds. be sure to bevel both ends to get a solid bead all the way around.

 

I've done this before on steering shaft as well as welding other straight round stock, assuming you are talking about cutting the shaft in middle and removing a short section. 440 sixpack's advice is right on. A little apprehensive when providing welding advice on steering components for obvious reasons. Assuming you are confident on you welding skills or wouldn't be asking. I am not a professional welder but have done more than enough. There are a couple options to keep it straight. Clamping securely to a correct size piece of angle as you mentioned works well. If you have smaller angle you can even use 2 pieces one on each side clamped in vise and still have enough of a gap left between angles to weld the shaft. I've also used a 6" vise and a straight edge and kept checking it. Weld, check, rotate, weld check rotate, weld, check, rotate, etc adjusting as needed. I beveled each shaft end where they butt to about 1/2 the diameter of shaft. This allows plenty enough space to weld the whole way around before the weld exceeds the outside diameter allowing you to continue to watch straightness whether its with the angle or a straight edge. Having said that, straightness doesn't have to be perfect since there isn't precision bearings at each end. A very slight run out won't cause problem.

 

I need to shorten the shaft in the center about 2". And yes, it scares me too. I thought about grinding the bead after the weld, and slipping a good tube about 8 inches long over the weld, and welding it on either end for security.

Would taking the shaft to a machine shop and having them shorten and replicate the splines on the end, would that be crazy expensive? I would feel way more confident with a solid shaft.


[img]https://i.imgur.com/GSzAQp6.jpg[/img]
Above is the double U joint and the reason the column needs to shortened. I think I'll call around and find a machine to cut the shaft and machine the spline on the end.

 

Just cut the flange off and weld on a new Borgeson 52534. But how do you plan on compensating for the steering geometry now that the steering box has been moved one inch over?

 

If you can't do as gashog has suggested. Scribe a line on the shaft before cutting it to aid in keeping both ends properly clocked. Butt welding the shaft is sketchy at best and is not acceptable. Measure the o.d. of the shaft and see if you can come up with some seamless tubing to sleeve the splice. 3/16" wall or thicker D.O.M. tube would be good by about 3 to 4 inches long. If you can't find the correct size tube you may have to sand down the shaft o.d. slightly. Once you have the sleeve scribe a line on it also to help keep the ends properly clocked. It would be a good idea to put a .375" hole about .75" in from each end of the sleeve for a plug weld to the shaft, then weld the sleeve to the shaft. If a sleeve can not be done do to clearance problems I would at least cut the shaft at approximately 35 to 45 degrees, bevel the edges, align, then weld. Just butt welding the shaft is not acceptable .

 

If you have to splice the shaft the only safe way is to bevel both sides of the shaft and slide a piece of DOM over the shaft. Multiple passes on the shaft splice and then the DOM over the top and welded at both ends with some added plug welds spaced.

 

local machine shop ,cheaper than you think........my threads for my steering wheel were striped,,,searched for a new shaft,eventually took it to machine shop ,they welded the threads solid and then cut in new threads,total charge was 20$

 

For some reason I don't recall seeing the pics before I replied. You could cut the weld at the flange like you mentioned, and remove the flange. Then the shaft could be cut to length and may need to turned down to allow the flange to be reinstalled and re welded. Like I said previously mark the flange and shaft to assure proper orientation. I've learned this the hard way. It may not matter in this situation, but it might. I can't answer to that.

 

I've done it, but as Mark8man posted above, I would not recommend doing it. I have experience full pen welding structural anchor bolts that had to be ultrasonic tested after completion, so I'm confidant in my ability. I think you're on the right track to have new splines cut in the end of the shaft. Just to weld the steering shaft properly took me over 1/2 of a day. Some of the anchor bolts I did took about 1 1/2 days.
Mark.

 

Cut the built up patches of the frame and fix it correctly so you don't have to re-engineer the steering. I can't count how many threads I've read about someone hacking a repair, only to have to change other systems to make it work right. You're going to have to shorten your drag link which will effect steering geometry, might end up with more bump steer.

Most street rods with custom steering I've ever looked at just dimple the shafts and use a knurled set screw on the joints, or they're drilled and cross bolted, very rarely are they welded. Once it's together, there's no chance of it pulling apart unless there's a major accident. Personally, I'd just weld it with my 110 mig. It's not structural, it's not under extreme forces and if you're putting so much heat into the shaft you're worried about weakening it you probably shouldn't be welding anyway.

 

I'm with speedfreak78 on getting the steering back into the stock position if at all possible. You may be altering the steering geometry by moving the pivot point of the pitman arm. These kinds of modification tend to have a cascading effect. Changing A means that you have to change B & C. Changing B&C means ... You get the idea.

That said, you can shorten and weld a steering shaft to be as strong or stronger than it was origiinally. Jig it up securely to keep it straight after grinding both sides into a V shape. Use a 220 TIG or MIG with shielding gas starting at the bottom of the valley and working toward the OD. The OCD welder will then slip a 2-3" collar over the weld and run two beads to secure that.

 

What about instead of welding just drill two holes through each piece and join with two 1/4" flat bar steel stock and bolts

 

Its obvious, from reading the threads above, that there are pitfalls when it comes to welding a steering shaft. Faced with the same dilemma, I decided to simply cut the needed length off the shaft and have a machinist mill the end to a double-D. I purchased a borgeson joint to match. You could do the same or have a splined end machined as you mentioned above. I believe either is the more safe and cost effective way to go.