death by steering column (stupid question)

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TinyValiant74

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Ok,
I was driving my 06 Ram 1500 the other day and something occured to me my steering wheel is able to tilt and therefore it must have some kind of u-joint fairly close to the dash assembly (du'h). but on my valiant the steering column can't do this, in fact, i took a look and it appears that there are no u-joints on the column at all. my question is this...

in the event of a head on colision wouldn't this make the steering column into somewhat a of a spear that could impale you? I've heard of deaths like this, and i'm wondering if it would be possible to buy/build a steering column that colapses upon impact or just has a couple of u-joins between me and the k-member. This may be all speculation but it makes sense to me.

I know it's a dumb question so feel free to rip all you like.
 
Later steering columns are designed to "telescope" in the event of a head on, but I have no idea if your column is designed to do this and should not have anything to do with u-joints. I'm sure someone else could shed some light on this. And no, it's not a stupid question, especially if you let a loved one drive your Valiant!
 
Yeah, in the event of a collision, the front of the car will NOT be smashed into the back seat like a new plastic mobile...

I had a 75 duster that got hit on the front wheel from the side so hard that the backs of the vehicles hit as well.. bent up the front suspension pretty bad but the thing was still running.

2 years before that it was hit offset head on by a trans-am. My car was pushed backwards over 10 feet . drove the car away from that one... just a tad of bump steer problems afterwards :toothy7: but I was also 17 at the time...and invincible :angel9:

and after all that (knock on wood) not a single impailment..

:wav:
 
Ramcharger is correct..(67 up)? your column's steering shaft is only held in place at the upper housing by two snap rings. The shaft itself... further down the tube is hollow with the top and bottom halfs telescoped into one another. These two halfs are lightly held together by two plastic shear pins. These pins "should" snap preventing a rather nasty hole thought your bod in a head-on (er). "Unless", someone has change the column by making the shaft itself shorter/longer and tack welded the two telescopic tubes together. This at times happens when guys want a floor shift column to replace their standard column shifter. The main reason...some columns connect to a Power Steering unit car and the person has manual steering. Therfore the shaft can be extended to make up the differance in length loss.

PS This does not mean a non-modified column would save your life..but it couldn't hurt (pun)
 
Also being our cars are rear steer cars (steering box behind the crossmember) it would take a huge collision to get the box to move back. On GM cars most of them are front steer (steering box in front of the crossmember) and it does not take much of a hit to move that style cars box back being it is mounted at the front of the frame rail.

Chuck
 
340mopar said:
Also being our cars are rear steer cars (steering box behind the crossmember) it would take a huge collision to get the box to move back. On GM cars most of them are front steer (steering box in front of the crossmember) and it does not take much of a hit to move that style cars box back being it is mounted at the front of the frame rail.

Chuck
Click to expand...


Wow.. Good thoughts Chuck.. good thoughts..
:headbang:
 
thanks for the advice guys,

I'm pretty sure that my steering hasn't been messed with, but it's good to know about those fords and chevys.
who'd have thought

Bowtie+blue oval=Death-trap
 
i thought one of the safety features in the late 60's / early 70s was collapsabaled steering columns, i.e. it would disengage from the dash and go down...

am I just smoking some of the good stuff?
 
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