hey guys for all of you who have done the chevy xj steering shaft mod to get rid of the rag joint on the steering box how hard is this mod? does anyone have a step by step picture procedure on doing this? i need to make one for a bud of mine his steering is VERY sloppy and he needs the ujoint in the steering system.

Cheers

Whats the application your going to put it on? The xj shaft is a un-bolt and bolt back in swap for any 80 and up chevys full size. In the 70's the steering box used a different size output on the steering box which the xj shaft will noy work because it to big. I'm just not sure when the size changed to the larger size. I took me five minuets at the junkyard to pull and about ten to install at home nothing to it.

its a 79 but i heard somewhere that the 70's steering columns wont work for the shaft cause of the splined end???? and we can always go pull a 80's box from the junkyard

Ding ding ding.... That was going to be my next suggestion the splines are the same just the diameter of the shafts are different. So if your worried about it change out to an o-ring style box, just remember to grab the o-ring style fitting off the back of the power steering pump. You can swap that into your 70's style pump and make the new box work.

quite possible thats for sure.. does anyone have a couple pics of them per chance? cheers dude for some insight so far!

If I have this right, I go to the junkayard and simply ask for a steering shaft out of an XJ jeep, take it home and put it in my 83 K30 without a single hiccup?

This is to replace the oe GM steering shaft and rag joint.

If this is true, I need to know which Jeeps are XJ's. :D Got a torn rag joint preventing me from unloading my new truck off a borrowed trailer and if the fix to this rag joint is this XJ shaft, I'm sold as it replaced the rag joint and is straight forward... Just hope the junkyards aren't super proud of their jeep parts. :D


C-ya

ya should just swap on TTT

Upon a little search, I see that the XJ is, as I was thinking, the Jeep Cherokee. Reckon they've always used the same steering shaft meaning I can find any year/make of one and be good to go?

C-ya

This might help:
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169874

you cant view that thread without being a full paying member..

I'm running the steering joint from a chevy astro van. works good and easy to find.

does that get rid of the rag joint???

I was told today by a friend, you also need a steering column from an 83 and up newer style chevy. The earlier styles don't work. Basically you need everything from a truck in the mid/late 80's and then the xj shaft is a bolt up.

make me nervous now... mine is an 83... sure hope it actually is the right setup as I bought a shaft for 94+ XJ yesterday. :D


C-ya

Shouldn't be a problem at all:beer:

Shouldn't be a problem at all:beer:

well I renigged and just bought a new rag joint... if I keep this setup though, I will be getting an XJ shaft next time around. :D

Thanks