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extending steering shaft options..

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extending steering shaft options..

Post by SiKiD_01 »

i need to get my steering shaft extended to get my 3" BL engineered.

what are the ways i can do this? my original shaft if a solid fixed one with no rag joint, and needs to be extended about 25mm.

i have another shaft, which has a rag joint, but is 25mm shorter than the one i already have. if i use this one, it will need to be extended aout 50mm.

can i do this? or will it need to be a complete custom job?

this is the last thing i need to do to get my car engineered, and back on the road after 2 long months off.

any help is appreciated. thanks.
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Post by runnin4life »

i duno what a rag joint id
if its like the fabric/rubber pad to absorb the shock well i think thats what it does

could you get like a big polly busher made to go in where the rag joint goes
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Post by SiKiD_01 »

runnin4life wrote:i duno what a rag joint id
if its like the fabric/rubber pad to absorb the shock well i think thats what it does

could you get like a big polly busher made to go in where the rag joint goes
i was thinking about it, but i'd need one about 80mm long, as it would be replacing the rag joint all together.

i dont know if its approvable, or safe enough. even it HT boltand seel crush tubes are used.
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Post by runnin4life »

yes good point
80 mm is bit what about like a steel spacer may be cheaper than a custom shaft but still may not be good enough

does the engineer have any idea's
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Post by ozy1 »

does SNake Racing make a shaft extension, i know they do for Hilux's and the like, give them a call,
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Post by ZOOK60 »

you need 25mm right?

undo where the shaft bolts to the fire wall. You should be able to slide the spline out a bit. Do the same at the steering box end.

Now get a second rag joint. So use two rag joints with longer high tensile bolts, and this should get you out of trouble got me by for years
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Post by Tojo »

Get another shaft with the same end. Take these two shafts to an engineering place and ask them to cut and weld them together to your required length. You can most likely get this done for a carton if you have some contacts in the oil / gas industry or specialist welders. Do not try to weld it yourself!! It will fail inspection. Then take the finished shaft to get inspected. Run all of this past your engineer beforehand just to let him know what you intend to do and to ensure he is happy with it. Provided the right rods are used and the shaft passes inspections after the welding the engineer and MVR will be happy. This is a better and safer option than using extended or double rag joints. This is how i extended my steering shaft years ago and MVR was more than happy with it.
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Post by RockyF75 »

sorry for the hijack, but i got 2" suspension lift a few weeks ago, and the 1st time i took it offroad after this, my steering went :shock: , the spline/shaft poped out of the uni joint (i think the real term for em is rag joint, not sure) that connects that shaft from the firewall, to the second shaft under the bnonnet. Now the bolt wasnt loose, could it have just been too short from the lift??? Reading th above posts made us think this may be the cause :?
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Post by Shadow »

RockyF70 wrote:sorry for the hijack, but i got 2" suspension lift a few weeks ago, and the 1st time i took it offroad after this, my steering went :shock: , the spline/shaft poped out of the uni joint (i think the real term for em is rag joint, not sure) that connects that shaft from the firewall, to the second shaft under the bnonnet. Now the bolt wasnt loose, could it have just been too short from the lift??? Reading th above posts made us think this may be the cause :?
if you mean body lift, then it could be a problem

if you mean you have a suspension lift (as you say) then this cannot affect your steering at all...
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Post by RockyF75 »

Shadow wrote:
RockyF70 wrote:sorry for the hijack, but i got 2" suspension lift a few weeks ago, and the 1st time i took it offroad after this, my steering went :shock: , the spline/shaft poped out of the uni joint (i think the real term for em is rag joint, not sure) that connects that shaft from the firewall, to the second shaft under the bnonnet. Now the bolt wasnt loose, could it have just been too short from the lift??? Reading th above posts made us think this may be the cause :?
if you mean body lift, then it could be a problem

if you mean you have a suspension lift (as you say) then this cannot affect your steering at all...
kool thanks, it was suspension lift not BL.
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Post by SiKiD_01 »

with a BL, you are increasing the distance from the steering column (on body) to the steering box (on chassis).

so if you havent done a BL, and ur steering shaft is popping off, then you need to get it checked out.
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Post by slosh »

Tojo wrote:Get another shaft with the same end. Take these two shafts to an engineering place and ask them to cut and weld them together to your required length. You can most likely get this done for a carton if you have some contacts in the oil / gas industry or specialist welders. Do not try to weld it yourself!! It will fail inspection. Then take the finished shaft to get inspected. Run all of this past your engineer beforehand just to let him know what you intend to do and to ensure he is happy with it. Provided the right rods are used and the shaft passes inspections after the welding the engineer and MVR will be happy. This is a better and safer option than using extended or double rag joints. This is how i extended my steering shaft years ago and MVR was more than happy with it.
Engineer knocked me back on this. He said the welds need to be x ray tested (tho he would settle for magnetic particle test). This added a bit to the price so I looked at other options.
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Post by Tojo »

it helps if you have contacts in the testing business. If you need help getting it tested PM me sikid
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Post by Liam »

We've got extensions for them in stock.
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Post by jeep97tj »

Just buy another shaft chop them both and weld them back together. grind any high weld off, sand it smooth with a sanding wheel on your grinder then give it a paint. He will never no the diffrence. If he asks what u did just say an earlier model has a longer shaft or something.
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Post by SiKiD_01 »

Liam wrote:We've got extensions for them in stock.
how big, and how much? to suit suzuki vitara?
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Post by Liam »

Yes to suit vitara ( thats what you asked for wasn't it) Got one on my own car. Suits a 3 inch body lift- would be tight squeeze on anything less but not imposible. From memory theyre $150.
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Post by SiKiD_01 »

Liam wrote:Yes to suit vitara ( thats what you asked for wasn't it) Got one on my own car. Suits a 3 inch body lift- would be tight squeeze on anything less but not imposible. From memory theyre $150.
is it possible for you to post up a pic?

there are 2 different types of steering shafts on a vitara, one is a fixed length with no rag joints, and is longer then the shaft with a rag joint by about 35mm. i need to extend my shaft, the longer one, but about 25mm.

thanks.
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