Pinto Car Club of America

Welcome to FordPinto.com, The home of the PCCA => General Help- Ask the Experts... => Topic started by: 40bob on January 09, 2010, 11:36:37 PM

Title: Need steering shaft
Post by: 40bob on January 09, 2010, 11:36:37 PM
I have a kit car with a 2.0 pinto and pinto front end, but no u-joints or shafting between the rack and the steering column. The end of the steering column is also a 1/2 "D", for which I cannot find a u-joint. I bought two different "pinto" steering sections and both are too big to fit on the rack spline and I am pinto illiterate. The assembly book says that the stock steering section was a..."cable" ??  This kit is 20 years old and has never been finished and I have had it for 6 years and need to do something with it.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
bob
Title: Re: Need steering shaft
Post by: TIGGER on January 10, 2010, 02:03:41 AM
I have a few spare rag joint sections.  Do you know what year rack and steering column you have?  Also, I assume you have manual steering?
Title: Re: Need steering shaft
Post by: 40bob on January 10, 2010, 06:41:39 AM
I don't know the year. When I wired up the steering column the 77' wiring diagram was the correct one. It's a 2.0 4 speed and I am guessing the front suspension was take from the same car. And yes, it is manual steering.
Title: Re: Need steering shaft
Post by: Mike Modified on January 10, 2010, 11:20:24 AM
I'm not familiar with the early Pinto stuff, but 1/2" diameter sounds really small.  Are you measuring thru the thick part of the steering shaft?  Normally, it would be 3/4" minimum.  And is it a single D (one flat) or Double D (two flats)??

Mike
Title: Re: Need steering shaft
Post by: 40bob on January 10, 2010, 11:29:27 AM
Sorry, I said one half D.  It isn't actually a D but one half of the shaft as you would have if you milled half of it off, and it has a hole through it.
I will measure it but 3/4" sounds about right. This end I can make something fit.  I will also measure the dia of the rack stub.
Title: Re: Need steering shaft
Post by: 72pair on January 10, 2010, 05:02:42 PM
If you have the 71-72 rack the shaft is about 9/16 diameter with one side milled flat and a half moon cut in the other for a bolt to pass by. Couplings and u-joints are available to fit this from most any speed supplier as this rack is very popular for drag cars and rods. The 71-72 cars had a flexible wire shaft about 8"-10" long at the bottom of the steering column to connect to the rack. No rag joint. Somewhere I have a NOS one of the shafts, but you'd probably be better off to fab a solid shaft with some 3/4 stock and 2 u-joints like the racers do. Hope this helps. JT