wrp
03-23-2023, 05:16 PM
High level of frustration with my steering setup on the 33 Hot Rod. I have completely taken it apart and reinstalled it 3-4 times inn the past few years, read 6-7. I have experienced a complete failure at 60 mph and several lesser issues resulting in loss of stability, loose components, and generally disappointing ****. First up, I did not get a good start with the first assembly. Instead of reading and making sure I understood the instructions and the process of linking the steering shafts to the rack and pinion, I just slapped it together and hoped for the best. It held for a while but over time problems would crop up. My most consistent problem seems to have been the rack input shaft and the 26 spline steering U-Joint slipping resulting in lots of lag and looseness in the steering. What ever the case, it wasn’t right and I wasn’t helping. After nearly 100,000 miles the problem was compounded by the rest of the U-Joints developing a lot of play. We surmised flex of the chassis over Texas concrete road joints was playing a role in dragging backwards pressure on the 26 spline unit, encouraging it to slip down the input shaft and eventually wearing out the splined receptacle, causing damage to the shaft from the set screw being drug along with it. Compounding the problem has been the Covid pressure on the supply chains and sometimes difficulty in contact ting the right people who could help. First and foremost, FFR has been magnificent trying to help me cope with a problem I mostly created and lacked the knowledge to articulate accurately to them.
Talked all this over with some custom Rod Shops in the DFW area and decided to strike a new path. Borgenson makes quality parts and significantly makes a telescoping shaft we felt would take pressure off the chassis flex affecting the steering shaft setup. Issue was the Borgenson telescoping unit was a two piece shaft 1” DD on one end and 3/4' DD on the other. It is essentially a 1” DD shaft with a 3/4” DD shaft set inside it. Not quite that simple as there are a series of stops and safeties that prevent the shaft from coming apart and so forth. However, when I got a Borgenson 3/4” by 1” DD U-Joint on the telescoping shaft, it seemed to bind the FFR original U-Joint that came right out of the firewall by overwhelming the bend angle to greater than 30 degrees. To be exact, we calculated the actual bend with the telescoping shaft to be 37 degrees. I called around for a U-Joint that would give me at least a 40 degree bend. Borgenson has one but does not advertise it, you have to ask them directly for it. The other alternative was a double joint which would have required a third shaft support bearing. I opted for the special single joint. This joint is massive. Another issue is the snugness of the fit of the 26 splined socket around the rack input shaft. The Borgenson unit is snug enough that I had to encourage it to slip onto the shaft. when set in position, there is no wiggle. It does differ in overall length from the FFR unit so had to cut a longer 3/4” DD shaft. Essentially we replace all three shafts and U-Joints shown in the FFR Gen I manual. After a test fit there was initially some binding but we were able to address it. The knuckles on the U-Joint actually were contacting the edge of the DD shafts when installed flush with the U-Joints. Backing them down to about 1/32 to 1/16 from flush solved most of the problem with a little radiusing required on the 3/4” to 1” DD joint.
We set the system up centering the steering shaft in the rack. We set the system up first without dimpling the DD Shafts and tested it. Next we dimpled the shafts, reinstalled and tested again. Finally, we Locktited everything in the final install. Stability of the car is remarkable, there is no wandering back and forth in the lane, even on rougher surfaces. I take my hands off the wheel and the car tracks straight without wandering off to one side or the other. There is no lag in the steering wheel or system. I have never experienced such a good feel in the overall performance of the steering system. I am certain that had I waited for and purchased FFR parts the result would have been just as good but I would not have been able to use the telescoping shaft. Mixing and matching the parts did not work well, you may have seen earlier posts I made concerning this. This whole setup is about geometry and safety. I do think the Borgenson 26 spline shaft is worth a look for better fitment on the rack input shaft. As usual, I will continue to drive the hell out of the car and see if the good lasts.
181997181998181999182000182001
Talked all this over with some custom Rod Shops in the DFW area and decided to strike a new path. Borgenson makes quality parts and significantly makes a telescoping shaft we felt would take pressure off the chassis flex affecting the steering shaft setup. Issue was the Borgenson telescoping unit was a two piece shaft 1” DD on one end and 3/4' DD on the other. It is essentially a 1” DD shaft with a 3/4” DD shaft set inside it. Not quite that simple as there are a series of stops and safeties that prevent the shaft from coming apart and so forth. However, when I got a Borgenson 3/4” by 1” DD U-Joint on the telescoping shaft, it seemed to bind the FFR original U-Joint that came right out of the firewall by overwhelming the bend angle to greater than 30 degrees. To be exact, we calculated the actual bend with the telescoping shaft to be 37 degrees. I called around for a U-Joint that would give me at least a 40 degree bend. Borgenson has one but does not advertise it, you have to ask them directly for it. The other alternative was a double joint which would have required a third shaft support bearing. I opted for the special single joint. This joint is massive. Another issue is the snugness of the fit of the 26 splined socket around the rack input shaft. The Borgenson unit is snug enough that I had to encourage it to slip onto the shaft. when set in position, there is no wiggle. It does differ in overall length from the FFR unit so had to cut a longer 3/4” DD shaft. Essentially we replace all three shafts and U-Joints shown in the FFR Gen I manual. After a test fit there was initially some binding but we were able to address it. The knuckles on the U-Joint actually were contacting the edge of the DD shafts when installed flush with the U-Joints. Backing them down to about 1/32 to 1/16 from flush solved most of the problem with a little radiusing required on the 3/4” to 1” DD joint.
We set the system up centering the steering shaft in the rack. We set the system up first without dimpling the DD Shafts and tested it. Next we dimpled the shafts, reinstalled and tested again. Finally, we Locktited everything in the final install. Stability of the car is remarkable, there is no wandering back and forth in the lane, even on rougher surfaces. I take my hands off the wheel and the car tracks straight without wandering off to one side or the other. There is no lag in the steering wheel or system. I have never experienced such a good feel in the overall performance of the steering system. I am certain that had I waited for and purchased FFR parts the result would have been just as good but I would not have been able to use the telescoping shaft. Mixing and matching the parts did not work well, you may have seen earlier posts I made concerning this. This whole setup is about geometry and safety. I do think the Borgenson 26 spline shaft is worth a look for better fitment on the rack input shaft. As usual, I will continue to drive the hell out of the car and see if the good lasts.
181997181998181999182000182001