Shear Pins
- Thread starter nodemon
- Start date
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Good question.......
When your car won't steer right?
Are you talking the plastic between the upper and lower 1/2 of the steering shaft?
This is what they look like when intact.
I'm only guessing but I suspect that they injected hot plastic into specific channels that hardened as it cooled down. With these pins intact, the shaft within the shaft stays in place. When the plastic "pins" break, the two shafts can slide back and forth a bit. I do not know how much lap that they have but a buddy of mine took his P/S column out, pulled the inner shaft out a bit and extended the whole shebang to use a manual steering box. He wasn't about to pay $200 for the P/S to manual adapter. He slipped a manual steering coupler on it and saved some cash.
I'm only guessing but I suspect that they injected hot plastic into specific channels that hardened as it cooled down. With these pins intact, the shaft within the shaft stays in place. When the plastic "pins" break, the two shafts can slide back and forth a bit. I do not know how much lap that they have but a buddy of mine took his P/S column out, pulled the inner shaft out a bit and extended the whole shebang to use a manual steering box. He wasn't about to pay $200 for the P/S to manual adapter. He slipped a manual steering coupler on it and saved some cash.
I agree that is how they are made.
As for the need...
As long as the rest of the plastic is intact and the shafts are the correct length there should be no issues.
If the plastic "pins" are missing you could get some epoxy and a large syringe and inject it into the holes.
That should lock it in place.
I didn't mean to mislead anyone. I just thought a picture might help.
I suspect that without the pins intact, there might be more vibrations. My buddy had a fat cammed 340 in his Challenger so it always vibrated!
I suspect that without the pins intact, there might be more vibrations. My buddy had a fat cammed 340 in his Challenger so it always vibrated!
That's the only reason the are there. To hold down vibration. They serve no safety purpose whatsoever.
When a column is collapsed the pins will show nothing, they are sheared internally. When collapsed the only way to tell is the length of the shaft. If the column mounts correctly, centered in the supports, and reaches the box with it's roll pin, and the slip yoke is approximently in it's centered position- then the shaft is not collapsed.
IIRC there is a factory depth measurement taken at the coupler to adjust where the shoes sit when installed. If the sheer pins were gone, or faulty, the lower shaft could slide down and bottom in the coupler. This would cause............?
The plastic in-between the inner and outer parts serves to lock the two 1/2s together. And the safety part is in an accident the two 1/2s can become shorter, like will happen with the shifter column if so equipped and the expanded metal outer tube of the steering column
That is the safety aspect.
A non collapsible column (early As IIRC like early fords and I suspect Chevys too) were solid shafts of impalement
Here are 2 shifter shafts. One has been collapsed
Note the empty hole ( yellow arrow) and the non filled with plastic metal areas. Red circles
Looks like 67 was the change over year
1967 Chevrolet Energy-Absorbing Steering Column.
56 Ford PU. How would you like top have that pointed at your chest in an head on collision
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Or could creep up over time and the only thing keeping the shaft in the cupler would be the grease seal.
Doubt it would be a problem but.....
There's actually another small sheer pin at the top of the coupler that projects down into the coupler. This would keep the shaft from pulling all the way out.
If you are not sure drill or melt them out. Align the holes and squeeze JB weld quick set in the holes. Years ago we would drill out the plastic on the outer. Slide the inner until its aligned and then drill straight through. Install a piece of lead solder and smash the ends over. Today we just use JB weld. Just needs to be something soft so the shaft doesn't impair your chest in an accident
Inner and outer shafts are almost a press fit, they will never lengthen over time. When collapsed, they must be forcibly re-lengthened.
Sometimes they just fall apart when the column is out of the car. Most of the time they are tight. having them in the correct position puts the lower joint in the correct position when installed. Does it matter? To me it would.
I did the same.
Here's the overlap, and the overlap when extended approximately 3 inches. What could possibly go wrong?
My Willys has one of the projectile steering shaft that attach to the steering box.The plastic in-between the inner and outer parts serves to lock the two 1/2s together. And the safety part is in an accident the two 1/2s can become shorter, like will happen with the shifter column if so equipped and the expanded metal outer tube of the steering column
That is the safety aspect.
A non collapsible column (early As IIRC like early fords and I suspect Chevys too) were solid shafts of impalement
Here are 2 shifter shafts. One has been collapsed
Note the empty hole ( yellow arrow) and the non filled with plastic metal areas. Red circles
View attachment 1716114686
View attachment 1716114687
View attachment 1716114689
View attachment 1716114688
Looks like 67 was the change over year
1967 Chevrolet Energy-Absorbing Steering Column.
56 Ford PU. How would you like top have that pointed at your chest in an head on collision
View attachment 1716114811
So does my 46 Dodge truck.
That is a great photo.
With the plastic out and the shafts aligned.
You could use a syringe to inject some 2 part epoxy in the cavities
I would do that and never look back in a heart beat.
@dadsbee put me on to that repair technique a while back. It works great.
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