When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I’m trying to replace the couple from my steering shaft onto my steering gear. When taking it off a few month ago I twisted it open with a flat head driver and broke is :/
here’s a photo of one from rock auto that I ordered. I’m assuming I need to drill those pins out and the new one bolt on but, I wanted to confirm before causing expensive permanent damage as I’ve done in the past with this truck lol
other Thing I noticed is it is bigger than the original but was the only one for sale on a 77 f150 4x4. Don’t know if anyone else has run into this trouble
thanks!
U-joints wear too, get sloppy when they do .... rag joints work as they don't flex in rotation, until they are about ready to fall off, and then it can be seen. Was a time that cars used rag joints in the drive shaft, not U-joints.
It's harder to break a u-joint than it is to tear a "rag" joint, especially when the rubber gets saturated with oil and the like and starts to soften. I was replacing everything from steering wheel to tie rods when I installed the Borgeson shaft. My goal with this truck from the moment I made the deal and brought it home was to fix or avoid all the problems on a '79 F150 I had 25 years prior.
The big 3 problems on that previous truck were horrible brakes, very sloppy steering and a hacked up wiring harness full of gremlins.
On this truck I lucked out on the wiring harness as it has never been hacked into. The brakes and steering were as I remembered so I made a point to replace anything that might cause slop in the steering which includes the worn out factory joint. How much of a big positive of using the Borgeson shaft compared to say a rebuilt factory shaft I can't say.
I will say one con is you can "feel" the road a whole lot more when you replace the factory joint with a u-joint.
I have been considering a Borgeson shaft also, recently in my H/B chassis up rebuild I replaced the top slip joint which appears to be unavailable now from or for Fords.
I cross referenced and consulted 'Dr Google and E Pay' finding that Jeep CJ-5's utilises the same joint, I purchased a 'Crown' branded ' joint with new boot that fitted perfectly from a USA supplier.
However, I intend to do a 2" cab lift, and my original 1975 shaft is not a two-piece slide shaft, this is where the Borgeson would work, however the US exchange rate on the Australian dollar is poor which is odd because the Australian dollar is solid and the sixth most traded world currency.
The overall cost with postage from OH USA for this shaft is just on A$500.00 making it a costly addition.
Rebuilding an American (or Canadian assembled truck in my case) is considerably more expensive when most non driveline common parts need to come from Nth America where US postage rates are very high compared with Europe, Scandanavia or Australia for that matter.
However, I will 'bite the bullet' and import a shaft for safety and reliability a sliding shaft provides let alone the benefit of adjustment for cab lift.
So finally got around to cutting out the old rivets. And addressing the shaft.
2 things. There is just no way this rag joint is going to work. It’s the part number everything says to use but it’s clearly too big.
second, there is pretty much no movement on the shaft. It’s clearly filled with dirt and rust and the seal didn’t hold up to well. I heated it up and hit it with a sledge and it will move in and out 6 inches but only with a sledge.
the rag joint seems nicer but I’m gonna have to bit the bullet and pick up a new shaft it seems
On my two High Boys which are Australian Right hand drive models the steering shaft has a splined universal on the bottom end to the steering box and a Crown metal slip joint at the end of the steering column, no rag joint, not sure if US shaft is the same.
Our 2WD models in the same years utilised a 'rag joint' though.
So finally got around to cutting out the old rivets. And addressing the shaft.
2 things. There is just no way this rag joint is going to work. It’s the part number everything says to use but it’s clearly too big.
second, there is pretty much no movement on the shaft. It’s clearly filled with dirt and rust and the seal didn’t hold up to well. I heated it up and hit it with a sledge and it will move in and out 6 inches but only with a sledge.
the rag joint seems nicer but I’m gonna have to bit the bullet and pick up a new shaft it seems
If talking about the one in your opening post, not same as mine just by looks? I could see it took a smaller rag than the one you had beside it. The rag looks right for mine, but not your old shaft.
If talking about the one in your opening post, not same as mine just by looks? I could see it took a smaller rag than the one you had beside it. The rag looks right for mine, but not your old shaft.
yeah I am attached is another photo
its weird because it’s the only part number rock auto has for a 4x4 77 f150. They have a 2wd one that might work. Local shops also only have this part number for the truck.
any chance you’ve got a photo of yours for comparison?
also is the hassle (though being small) worth it if my shaft is pretty much stuck
other Thing I noticed is it is bigger than the original but was the only one for sale on a 77 f150 4x4. Don’t know if anyone else has run into this trouble
thanks!
Originally Posted by mterickson
Not sure if this will help, but here is a picture of the steering shaft from my '79 when I swapped it for an aftermarket shaft.
Tyler, I have never seen a rag shaft end like yours only like the bottom shaft in the bottom picture so I dont know what you got going on there
Do you have any pictures of how the old rag joint was as I just cant see how that all worked?
I do know there is a difference between power and non-power rag joints but yours is not like anything I have seen on anything I have worked on.
I would try local auto parts stores more like NAPA than the others if you can as you can see when it comes in if it will work or not.
Then again if you did anything to your shaft you may need to go with the Ujoint type of the upper shaft in the bottom picture.
Good luck and keep us posted on the fix.
Dave ----
Tyler, I have never seen a rag shaft end like yours only like the bottom shaft in the bottom picture so I dont know what you got going on there
Do you have any pictures of how the old rag joint was as I just cant see how that all worked?
I do know there is a difference between power and non-power rag joints but yours is not like anything I have seen on anything I have worked on.
I would try local auto parts stores more like NAPA than the others if you can as you can see when it comes in if it will work or not.
Then again if you did anything to your shaft you may need to go with the Ujoint type of the upper shaft in the bottom picture.
Good luck and keep us posted on the fix.
Dave ----
here’s a photo of my old one. I’m starting to wonder if the previous owner swapped the shaft out when they added a 3 inch body lift. I might not have a choice in a new shaft as none of the local shops have anything aside from what I have
don’t mind the spline being in 2 pieces. This is the reason I’m replacing jt
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
