How to: Steering mod: Rag Joint to U-joint ZJ Shaft | Page 4 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

How to: Steering mod: Rag Joint to U-joint ZJ Shaft

Getting my hands on a shaft should be no problem (there's a total of 6 92-94 ZJ's in our local upull n pay yard. However, any thoughts as to how having a 3" body lift might effect the length needed? Obviously it would take a longer shaft (yes there's a joke there, I'm keeping it PG) but any idea how much longer? Not sure what's keeping my rag joint together at this point, it looks horrible, and sometimes turning the steering wheel feels like I'm merely giving the truck a suggestion on which way to go.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Getting my hands on a shaft should be no problem (there's a total of 6 92-94 ZJ's in our local upull n pay yard. However, any thoughts as to how having a 3" body lift might effect the length needed? Obviously it would take a longer shaft (yes there's a joke there, I'm keeping it PG) but any idea how much longer? Not sure what's keeping my rag joint together at this point, it looks horrible, and sometimes turning the steering wheel feels like I'm merely giving the truck a suggestion on which way to go.

I did this with a 3" BL in the 94. There is plenty of shaft for it. Somewhere towards the back of Pugly's thread is a small write up on it, showing lengths to cut.
 












Getting my hands on a shaft should be no problem (there's a total of 6 92-94 ZJ's in our local upull n pay yard.

One of them is missing it's steering shaft already:D And it was an easy one with half of the engine already gone before I got there
 
























:burnout:
 






Sorry Photobucket went **** up! working on a solution for images. Geez!
 






Sorry Photobucket went **** up! working on a solution for images. Geez!
Glad to see a few of the images resurface! I am in progress of completing this mod. My rag joints don't even look like they have any rubber left! I just picked up a 93 zj shaft, and now i need to cut it down. The only thing I am worried about is the splines not matching up/stripping out over time. Are your splines still holding up?
 


















:bounce:
 






Glad to see a few of the images resurface! I am in progress of completing this mod. My rag joints don't even look like they have any rubber left! I just picked up a 93 zj shaft, and now i need to cut it down. The only thing I am worried about is the splines not matching up/stripping out over time. Are your splines still holding up?

I put 40,000 miles on mine after the mod including plenty of off-road. No issues.
There is not a great deal of force at that point due to the power assist.
 












I picked up 2 different ZJ shafts and neither of them have a large enough opening on the column side to go over the column coupler. Am I missing something?

Make sure you’re pulling the shaft from a 94 or earlier ZJ. The shaft changed in 95 and won’t fit on the steering column side.
 






Is there a method to noticing the right one? The one I bought says 93-95, but it doesn't fit on the column side. But I noticed mines pretty recessed where the bolt goes, vs the one in the original post is flat on the whole side. Which I notice wouldn't even allow me to drill the extra hole to use the factory connecting hole on the column side.
Every other shaft on eBay when I look up a 93 is this way.

20200311_174209_HDR.jpg
 






Is there a method to noticing the right one? The one I bought says 93-95, but it doesn't fit on the column side. But I noticed mines pretty recessed where the bolt goes, vs the one in the original post is flat on the whole side. Which I notice wouldn't even allow me to drill the extra hole to use the factory connecting hole on the column side.
Every other shaft on eBay when I look up a 93 is this way.

View attachment 179153
i purchased 2 and neither will work with my 93 column
 









Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.











Back
Top