61 Base Steering Column Connection To Steering Gear

[claybreaker 144]

My 61 project came with a non-swing away steering column and the end looks like it connects with a rag joint.

All the information I've read on the steering column to gear box connection for 61 is collar and pin were used. Do I have a prior owner modified column? I thought I could just purchase a rag joint to slide on the steering gear but the one purchased is for a 3/4" dia input shaft and the diameter of the 61 input shaft is .800 or I'll call it 13/16". The column end of this rag joint fit my steering column end nicely.

viewtopic.php?t=11937&hilit=rag+joint&s ... 1196397deb
This thread goes in depth discussing the 61-63 couplings but doesn't mention a rag joint used on 61's or the Base steering column. Was a rag joint ever used on the first style steering gear with the hole in input shaft for the pin and collar?

[Alan H. Tast]

Not to the best of my knowledge. Photos of the gearbox and shaft would be helpful, along with casting numbers off of the gearbox housing. It could be that the gearbox was swapped out with a later one, as the '61s-early '62s had several issues that resulted in recalls and replacement of original boxes. The more information you can gather to share the better. Again, post photos of the steering gearbox so we can see what you have.

[claybreaker 144]

]
I have 8 steering boxes from the couple of projects I've had, this 61 came with 4. Half of the boxes have the input shaft with the pin hole in them, the rest are the D shape input. Because all my projects have been non-running my only test for the gearbox is turning the input shaft with my fingers, I put new seals on them, power wash and 3 coats of epoxy. I'm guessing the stock non-swing column is a rare find.

[claybreaker 144]

I stumbled across this illustration in one of the vendor catalogs I have, it shows the rag joint coupling for the non-swing away steering column. The coupling that came with my 61 was beat and I could not locate a similar one to fit the splined input shaft of the steering box. I swapped in a steering box with the D shape input shaft and purchased the available coupling to fit.