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xj steering shaft on a 78?

RubberFloorMat

RubberFloorMat

1/2 ton status
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So almost pulled the trigger on a ebay part and i just read on Pirate that this wont work on a pre 80 truck due to differences in the steering stub at the firewall?

so XJ shaft conversion wouldnt work on my 78?
 
I really depends... mine is a 79 and did not work. To be sure, you will have to pull the shaft and look at it.

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XJ shaft on the right... brand new one at that. :(

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I ran into that on my 74 K2500--steering colum had a large spline instead of the "double D" shaft configuration with a thru bolt.....supposedly only 4x4s had the splined colum ,and for just a few years up until the late 70's,then they all went to the "double D" style..

I had the rubber "tire" rag joint fail one day on my 74 K2500,the steering wheel just spun freely ,it came completely off!..luckily I was making a slow speed U-turn when it broke...it took 3 trips to the closest salvage yard to find the right steering shaft ,I ended up buying two of them,and used the large splined end on one shaft, and the other half to the steering box from the other one,to get my truck driveable again..

Ever since that day I'm a bit paranoid about the rubber coupling disc at the steering box end..kinda cheesy,and could be fatal if it failed at speed...:eek:..
 
To each his own,I prefer having the "stomp" switch for the high beams and the wiper switch on the dash--its tough to replace the "stalk" switches,and I'm good at busting the lever off them when I climb into the truck...almost busted the one on my '85 Burb off many times..:doah:.
 
diesel4me said:
To each his own,I prefer having the "stomp" switch for the high beams and the wiper switch on the dash--its tough to replace the "stalk" switches,and I'm good at busting the lever off them when I climb into the truck...almost busted the one on my '85 Burb off many times..:doah:.
Click to expand...

drive my truck so little... havent broke any of them yet
 
Chevy express van shaft will work and is way nicer than the xj shaft. Got mine for free99 at the junkyard.
 
I have a '79 K5.

Non-splined lower steering column, it's the rectangular shape with the rounded off ends... don't know the proper terminology for that.

The only catch is my steering box is from a '80-'91 (I believe those were the beginning and ending years of metric O-ring steering boxes for squarebody's).

The input shaft on the steering box for the round eye trucks has a larger diameter than the later ones.

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I guess I'll just have to pull the shaft off and take a look.

I'm thinking a couple ends from speedway and a couple peices of bar stock and I won't need a XJ shaft. Thanks for the help guys
 
Has anyone experience fatigue in their hands after removing the rag joint from a long ride?
 
You mean like how your hands feel after using a weed whacker or chain saw for an hour or more ?...

My hands feel that way with the stock rag joint setup..!..:blush:
 
diesel4me said:
You mean like how your hands feel after using a weed whacker or chain saw for an hour or more ?...

My hands feel that way with the stock rag joint setup..!..:blush:
Click to expand...

Yea and hmmmm. So what about now after removing the rag joint? Assuming you've done this.
 
Nope--My steering is still 100% original,I think the diesel vibrations get to my hands after awhile.....I'd like to ditch the rag joint but haven't done it..the lower steering colum bearing is pretty loose now too..
 
@Kain

Search for "Dorman 425-268" on Amazon if you want a new one. Same part at less than half the price of the ones you posted.

Just did this yesterday on my truck after doing a friends k5 over a year ago, I used a pick n pull shaft in good shape. I didn't need to heat the shaft or any of that nonsense, just stuck it in the press and slid it together 1/2" which allowed it to move freely with light tapping keeping the factory plastic rings intact when completed. If you don't have a press you could use a floor jack and your bumper, they really aren't that tight. My pressure gauge on my pump didn't even register enough force to move the needle when the shaft started moving.
 
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