Have a steering question. My 55 Ford. On the Double D shaft from the Rack to the Column. Someone keeps telling me I should drill a hole through the DD Shaft and Steering U-Joint that connects to the column and place a grade 8 bolt through the shaft and U-Joint. My friend keeps telling me they have heard the shaft falls out. I dont want to ruin my $75 Flaming River buy drilling a hole all the way through. I would mess up the threaded hole and might degrade they metal buy drilling a hole in it. Just curious what everybody else does?????????
I did use Lock Tite on the allen heads.

Thanks
Patrick

 

If the set screw is flat bottom the lock tite should be enough. If it is a V point you may want to mark the shaft and countersink that point.
A way to make the Set Screw stay tight is after you are sure that it is where you want it to stay and you are done with assembly use a sharp pointed punch and dimple the edge of the set screw threads where it meets the hole.

 

Do you have a nut on your allen screw? mine will bottom out on the shaft then I tighten the nut to keep the allen screw from backing out.

 

I screwed in the allen screw tight to leave an impression on the shaft, then removed the shaft and drilled it at the depression ~ 1/8" deep. reinstalled the setscrew with locktite to make a failsafe connection. There is no need to drill all the way through a DD shaft (This is assuming you are using a matching DD U joint) as the shaft cannot possibly rotate in the joint. The reason to drill a depression for the setscrew is to prevent the shaft from being able to work it's way out of the joint. I think you'd have a problem finding a grade 8 bolt the right size anyhow.

 

Do NOT drill a hole in that shaft, you can lose up to 40% of the torsional strength of the shaft!! Source: Borgeson tech seminar

 

Thanks fellas....I will let him know he is a total ********.....

 

I think you should look at what Ididit offers before you call your friend any names. If I remember there double "d" steering column shaft is tubing and it has a hole thru it and you use a joint that has a thru hole then a tapped hole for a thru bolt.

Flaming river has a solid steering column double "d" shaft. I also drilled the shaft so the allen screws would bottom out in the shaft and will use lock tight

 

Ididit's DD shaft is solid, but does have a hole thru it. I shortened mine 2" which removed the hole.

 

Well for some reason I had it in reverse my Flaming River column has the tube and the Ididit that I sold was solid but both have the thru hole at least the ones that I have had.