Re: 96 dakota steering shaft
[Re: poorboy]
#2817203
09/04/20 11:40 PM
09/04/20 11:40 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,279 ILLINOIS
volaredon
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I believe it is a 5/8" 36 spline. I have a steering box with the joint off of it. I can measure and count the splines tomorrow. Gene That would be great/ and appereciated!!!!
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Re: 96 dakota steering shaft
[Re: volaredon]
#2817970
09/06/20 08:24 PM
09/06/20 08:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,651 Freeport IL USA
poorboy
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,651
Freeport IL USA
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I didn't see that you wanted the shaft measurement and the spline count until late last night, and yesterday I got all caught up in working on my truck and forgot I told you I'd get the info, sorry. Its going to be probably Tuesday before I can get the info for you, Sunday and Monday of the Holiday weekend are my wife's time.
The only reason I can see for the sliding shaft would be for serious 4x4 off road action. I suspect that in normal on the road driving, the shaft probably doesn't move, or would move very little. For the shaft to slide in and out, the cab and frame would have to be moving in different directions. The only way that's going to happen is at the body mounts, and frame flex.
Where in IL are you located? I'm in Freeport, 30 miles west of Rockford. Gene
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Re: 96 dakota steering shaft
[Re: poorboy]
#2818469
09/08/20 10:30 AM
09/08/20 10:30 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,651 Freeport IL USA
poorboy
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,651
Freeport IL USA
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So, I went out this morning and took my column apart. The steering box has a 3/4" diameter 36 spline steering box to column coupling point. On my set up, with the slide nearly completely compressed, the distance between the center of the U joint to center of U joint is about 12" (notice that is not the end to end, but the center of the joint itself) you will need to adjust that length to fit your needs. The column end is a double D shaft.
The parts you need would be: 1 U joint with a 3/4" -36 spline on one end and a 3/4 Double D on the other end. 12" length of 3/4" Double D shaft (if your slide is extended way out, you may need a longer Double D shaft) 1 U joint with both ends having a 3/4" Double D end. If you feel the need, you may want to add a vibration dampener. Adding a vibration dampener will reduce the length of the Double D shaft you will need.
The coupling at the steering box is the same on the 96 4x4 as it is on a 92 4x4, and I believe its the same as a the coupling end on a 2wd steering rack. The hollow shaft on a 4x4 fits over a 3/4 Double D shaft. If you feel a need to have a sliding shaft, you can attach a short Double D shaft to the lower U joint, then attach the bottom of the hollow shaft to that short Double D shaft (pin or weld) and then slide the hollow shaft over top of the Double D shaft that is connected to the top U joint. The hollow shaft has about 6" of useable movement which should leave 2" of the double D to hollow shaft engagement if the lower end of the hollow shaft is welded to a short Double D shaft that is attached to the lower U joint. Gene
Last edited by poorboy; 09/08/20 10:33 AM. Reason: clearifying the measurements
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Re: 96 dakota steering shaft
[Re: poorboy]
#2818763
09/08/20 10:03 PM
09/08/20 10:03 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,279 ILLINOIS
volaredon
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ok lets try this again. between Infolinks and getting a popup saying "Congratulations I was the 7 millionth person to do something (IDK what, even) when I tried this post on my phone at lunch time.... and I lost everything I started, as this "congratulations" thing consumed my phone, only way I could get out of that was to shut the phone completely down... I HATE REDO's!!!!! I HATE REDO's!!!!! Thanks Gene for your help.
I got all my parts ordered in Borgeson parts to build a shaft. Dam, was that expensive..... and that was with getting a huge deal on the lower coupler. I looked at cheaper (un named) brands, with the miles and age on this truck the cheap (probably Chinese) parts would have probably gotten me by but who knows> Borgeson was the only company I could find a sliding shaft in..... and IDK how well that brand plays with the competitors if one tries to mate them up..... with 226k and counting who knows how long this truck will be running...... I went with a sliding 3/4 DD into 1" DD shaft because after I saw the original one seized to a point I could not slide the halves together enough to dislodge the gearbox coupler, and had to cut the intermediate shaft as a result, made me realize that I would have to remove either the gearbox or column, in order to install a new built up coupler with a solid DD shaft. I found a DEAL on a lower U joint coupler/vibration damper, brand new but out of package/ the guy had like 10 of them... $32 shipped. (I used the "make offer and he accepted/ everyone else wanted $90-100 more for the same thing in the same brand...) sliding shaft 18" $60 shipped.... and the upper U joint coupler everyone was priced the same at $75...... with tax, etc it'll wind up right at $175 about double what it should have cost me..... "aint much" of the total, but with now charging tax, I have another reason to hate Ebay..... my state varies from 6.25 to 9.some % and EPay pegs everyone at the highest rate, even though I live in part of the state that charges among the lowest sales tax percentage.....
I need this truck mobile again, tired of watching it sit..... I did move it from driveway to yard and back before I cut the shaft, rendering it dead..... it had sat long enough that the lifters all rattled when I 1st started it.... truck never does that if it sits less than a week-10 days/ish.... This has been demoted to backup truck/winter beater as I work 35 miles from home and all country roads in between...... but I like driving the 96 a whole lot better than my slow doggey 3.9 in my 99 2wd Dakota.
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Re: 96 dakota steering shaft
[Re: poorboy]
#2821096
09/15/20 01:50 PM
09/15/20 01:50 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,279 ILLINOIS
volaredon
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,279
ILLINOIS
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Ok we're back mobile again thanks to borgenson and ebay got a screaming deal on the lower u joint/damper, found a seller who had pile of them that were apparently display units that had never been on a vehicle. $32 shipped, he was wanting $40 with a best offer option. Sliding 3/4 to 1" DD shaft and upper u joint I had to pay prevailing price for, $75 for upper coupler and $60 for the 18" sliding shaft
Shaft came with 2soft rivets thru it holding the shaft extended but overlapped about 5-6". 18" overall. I had to break the rivets, slide the 2 halves into each other further and cut 1-1/2" off of each end in the chop saw to get it short enough to work. I drill/dimpled the shaft ends where the setscrews would land, and red loctite the 2 ends of the shaft that went to couplers and blue loctited the ends that go on the gearbox and on the column stub shaft. All ujoint ends had 2 setscrews each except for the end that is splined for the gearbox, it only has 1. Maiden voyage with new steering shaft was pulling my utility trailer with 2 garden tractors on it, much better than it was Once the original started binding up, it was steady for a while with the amount of increased effort to steer /and then all of a sudden within a few days it got really stiff.
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