Switching to Manual Steering

How much overlap is there in an auto shaft after it is extended? Does it risk rattling once the plastic tabs are broken? In your opinion, will it properly collapse in a front end collision? Thinking about swapping out my power steering.....These are things I am pondering.
So this is my story...... I got this info years and years ago from Roy (the Dad) at Mega Parts (Wisconsin), a very knowledgeable Mopar guy and parts dealer. I tried it on my '74 Dart and it worked, and I owned that car for probably 10 years or more. My thought is in an accident it would have more travel up the shaft. I never heard a rattle, and I don't know how much was left on the shaft after pounding it down. I can verify it works. When in doubt, the adapters are only a bill.