Steering Column Inner Shift Tube Needed?

[Steve69Fish]

I have my column out and apart for cleanup, rewire, etc. and found that the column is originally a column-shift. The lower bearing has an issue with a missing shield over the race so I'm going to put in a new sealed bearing in its place. To do so, I need to shorten the column jacket so it gives me a full 360 of metal for the bearing to seat into. This would cause issue with the length of the inner shift tube being too long after the outer jacket cut. Since I am a floor shift, I figured I would just leave it out - it serves no purpose and would lessen weight, but I've never rebuilt one before, so before I cut and reassemble leaving it out, I wanted to ask if there was any reason not to exclude the shift tube?

This thing:

I want to cut the jacket here:

So I can use this:

Thanks for any thoughts and advice.

 

[72bluNblu]

Short answer is yes, you can absolutely ditch the the shift tube, shorten the jacket and use the er16 bearing you've got there to locate the steering shaft. I ditched the shift tube out of the column on my Duster, shouldn't be a problem. I didn't shorten the jacket but some years were shorter anyway, all you need is enough meat to keep the insert bearing in place.

I had this thread that covered all of that, but it seems to be broken as of Wednesday for some reason. How To Replace your Lower Column Bearing: Better and Cheaper!!!

It was a sticky and I'm pretty sure I fixed all the pictures after the upgrade, but maybe I screwed it up. I still have those pictures so maybe I can update it later with help from a mod.

 

[Steve69Fish]

Great. Thanks. That is the thing preventing me from reassembling - well that and the loss of all my pics from disassembly. I'll just use the service manual for that.

Getting that bearing on the shaft is a massive pain. I have to use a punch hammered against the bearing to push it onto and then up the shaft. But it's a lot better than one with the ball bearings open to the elements. If you've used these bearings before, were yours easy to spin? This one turns smoothly, but seems to have a good bit of resistance rather than spinning really free..

 

[Steve69Fish]

I actually had a metal-bodied bearing before that I was trying to repair, but even industrial bearing shops told me it wasn't happening. There was a thin metal shield that went from the body up against the barrel to cover the race where the ball bearings sit. That came apart when I removed the bearing from the shaft, leaving the race with the ball bearings open. Since it faces forward, everything kicked up from the front of the car would just get in there and seize it up. So that and a bad signal switch led to this rebuild.

This is the original - part number part number 3575884:

 

[72bluNblu]

The bearing should spin freely with very little resistance. It should also only be a very light press fit on the shaft. As in it won't slide freely into place but you shouldn't have to hammer on it at all. You may have to clean up the steering shaft with some fine grit sandpaper, or do something similar to the inside of the bearing to clearance it. You should not hammer the bearing into place, and that goes for fitting it into the column jacket as well. I dremeled the inside of the column jacket slightly so the bearing was a very light press into that as well. The set screws should retain the bearing.

 

[Steve69Fish]

I have sanded the heck out of the lower shaft, took wire wheels to it as well, but it takes effort to get that bearing on. At least I know it won't slip down easily! I haven't sanded the bearing itself yet. I'll try that tomorrow as well.

As to the spinning, it feels like there is really thick grease in it - turns smooth, but with resistance. I'm hoping it will loosen up with some working. The thing has probably sat still in a package for years so all the lubrication is probably settled in one spot. But they're cheap enough, maybe I should go pick up another one instead.

Thanks for the assist!

 

[72bluNblu]

Here's a link to a functional version of my how to. This isn't on an A-body site, so, some of the comments are not A-body specific, but my how to was the same. And the steering columns of the different model mopars were VERY similar, different lengths but pretty much the same otherwise. There were bigger changes from year to year than model to model as far as the construction of the column is concerned, just some different lengths for the steering shaft and jacket really.

Replace your lower column bearing: Better and Cheaper!!!

 

[Steve69Fish]

Thanks again. Your how-to is great. I cut the jacket today and got the bearing onto the shaft. Once I got it on there about 2 inches up it slides free on the shaft. Had to file the jacket a bit, but now I have a slightly tight fit of the jacket to the bearing body. I'll get it all painted up and reassembled over the next few days. Then I just have to get that damn coupler off for a cleanup and I'll be set.