Boattail lower steering shaft boot

Discussion in 'A boatload of fun' started by Steve Schiebel, Aug 17, 2016.

  1. Steve Schiebel

    Steve Schiebel Well-Known Member

    As part of my recently rebuilding my entire front suspension and steering systems, I found a usable replacement for the steering shaft boot. It's a 1976-86 Jeep CJ part (JEP8132676) I purchased from www.sbcoffroad.net I believe you'll find them all over ebay, manufactured by Crown.

    It's a slightly smaller OD, bit the ID on the shaft is perfect. Cut and remove the inner, metal ring from the end of your original boot, clean off old grease and rubber, and then silicone it to the outside of the flange of the new part. Allow silicone to dry overnight. It'll act as a seal, spacer, and centering plate. Snapring still fits nicely in coupling to hold boot in place.

    Also, don't bother to hammer or press out the cross pin from the lower shaft upper half, that slides into the coupling on the end of the upper column shaft. People do that in order to be able to slide on the new boot. Just drill out the plastic that was injected (two places) to hold the upper and lower halves of the lower shaft together. Pull the lower shaft halves apart and slide the new boot on the upper half before reassembling.

    That injected plastic (like on an old u-joint cap) is meant to shear in a head-on accident so that the column collapses. Just replace the plastic with appropriate ALUMINUM cotter pins. These will easily shear off in an accident if need be. In the end, I found you wouldn't actually need any plastic or pins in the two holes to secure the shaft halves. The installed shaft assembly is held captive at a non-moving length once installed between the lower steering gear coupling (rag joint) and the upper coupling on the end steering column shaft.
     

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  2. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Nice job, but I hate to rain on your parade.... The boot you replaced is reproduced and readily available. The plastic you drilled out is the collapsible section of the column. Its not meant to be separated. To replace the boot, you need to hammer out the little cross shaft and slip on the boot. I would highly recommend you replace that intermediate shaft. Im not sure I would trust cotter pins. That shaft is essentially ruined now
     
  3. Steve Schiebel

    Steve Schiebel Well-Known Member

    Not a problem! I actually like the rain and hate parades.
    How about some source and item info on the original boot?

    HAMMER? out the cross shaft/pin, not hardly.
    I guess you didn't read the post fully, or you're not understanding the functionality of the lower shaft; but that's ok.
    No, the shaft is not ruined. I'll trust the aluminum cotter pins over the 40 year old plastic as if my life depends upon it.
     
  4. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

  5. Steve Schiebel

    Steve Schiebel Well-Known Member

    Went to your link and found it showing single piece, A-body (mid-size) steering shaft; it's different than mine. Here are some links that more closely match the full-size Riviera's (E-body) lower steering shaft:

    He's separated the shaft halves and used the washer from the original boot like I did but, he's used a master cylinder gasket as a replacement boot.

    http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=420406

    This is the smaller, A-body size boot I used. No one makes the larger, E-body boot as far as I know.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steering-Sh...m2c89dd44d3:m:mG_KMbtXLQjl0FbjR8ZLOdg&vxp=mtr

    Here's another helpful article.

    http://www.hotrod.com/articles/how-to-restore-a-steering-shaft-assembly-at-home/
     
  6. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    I've taken dozens of them apart.
     

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