Ok, I've searched, and I realize this topic has been beat to death! But I can't find the answer I'm looking for.

My rag joint is bad. Annoying, but I can live with it. The problem is the threads that the "pinch" bolt threads into are stripped out. Guess I jacked them up the last time I changed #3 spark plug. Found this out when I pulled into my driveway, and my steering had infinite turns in either direction with a cool ratcheting feel to it...

All the threads I've read are either flaming river, or just replace the rubber disk. I don't want some project that I have to order parts for, I need it back on the road asap lol!

My question, is the rag joint separate from the steering shaft, or are they one piece? I can get one from a junk yard this weekend, but I'm unsure of how to pull the shaft.

Sorry if this has been answered before. Thanks for any help.

 

Upon further investigation, I've decided to just do the flaming river u joint deal. Already got the rag joint cut off, and I'll be picking up the part in the morning. I'm lucky enough to have a summit about an hour from my house.

 

Wise decision

 

yep! Super easy fix! The hardest part is spending $90 on the u joint. Only took maybe an hour to put together, and the steering seems a lot tighter from the little I drove it earlier.

 

on my to-do list... I rebuilt mine with a new rag, wish I would have just went the flaming river route

 

Classic performance sells them for around $50
You can get a 3/4-30 x 3/4-DD joint on ebay for a lot less. $25-30 and you can choose black, chrome, or even stainless.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...2F4-DD&_sop=15

 

Whichever brand you choose, it's a super easy mod. There's a good write up on this site. A dremel or angle grinder with a cut off wheel would work best, but all I had was a sawzall and a hacksaw, and it worked just fine.

Also, take the time to clean all the yuck off both pieces of steering shaft. Mine was hard as crap to slide up and down. Cleaning it made it a whole lot easier to re assemble.