stearing couper

hi
where can i get the repair kit or steering coupler for a 65 ply b body standard steering ?

thank you !

Did you try Vansauto.com? Possibility.

Does a 65 take a different kit then the later years? If not, you can still get the kit through your local Chrysler dealer.

I don't know about the kit, but the coupler body is different. I think the changeover year is 66 or 67.

Same laters one can be made to fit. Available at regular part stores by Dorman ( you don't need to get a "Mopar" one on $25-40 price rate )

https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/dorman,425253,steering+shaft+repair+kit,13574

info here

https://1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/ml-houstons-steeringcoupler.html

Mopar quit selling the ONLY coupler rebuild kits they offered, for 66 and up couplers, about a year ago now. So I spent a TON of time making myself a semi expert on these because I was investigating having these made. I bought about 15 columns and couplers from 62-76. I bought a press to press the pins from the column shaft. It takes TONS of force. Cheapest way is like a $60 Harbor Freight 6T press. I purchased name brand ID and OD micrometers accurate to .0001 (ouch). I measured and documented every coupler I disassembled.

What I found was...

1) The Dorman kits are sloppier by a magnitude than any of the couplers I disassembled. If I didn't buy 5 Dorman kits for research purposes and instead bought them for use on my car I would have been pissed.

2) All the couplers I disassembled had wear on the pins and shoes that was within +/- .0003 of the TIGHT tolerance range I found in the 40 brand new, genuine Mopar coupler rebuild kits I had in stock (only have 2 now. Nope, not for sale). And nope, .0003" is NOT a typo. Thats ten thousandths of an inch. Basically NO WEAR AT ALL was found on any of the 15 couplers I had.

So rebuilding with a new Mopar kit might make you feel better but a couple TENTHS would never make any noticeable difference, would cost you a press that would waste room in your garage and burn off an afternoon and at our age we dont have many of those left. Clean the old parts, pack with grease and reassemble.

PS Some genuine Mopar kits are out there but rare. I see scammers on Ebay selling Dormans as Mopar kits. Be careful. The 66 and up kits will work in the 62-65 couples. You just have to reuse the stamped steel spring that spreads the shoes from the 62-65 coupler. Not the one that comes with the new Mopar kit.

https://www.detroitmuscletechnologies.com/blog/mopar-steering-coupler-info/

https://www.detroitmuscletechnologi...mn-coupler-internals-no-need-to-replace/

have you measured the coupler body for wear ? if so, what did you find ?
TIA !

I looked into that. Kinda tough to measure. So I cut off the end of a column and assembled the new Mopar pin an shoes and checked for any clearance/slop in the cleaned, coupler bodies. None could be felt. I mean like NO SLOP at all.

One thing that is annoying. I sell those wire coupler cap retainer clamps. So one company makes a repop coupler body. It's the 3" 66-73 body with the spline for power steering. Only one being made. Nope, no one makes a repop with the larger spline for manual steering. The roll pin location on the repop is 1/16" lower than the OEM coupler so then my clamps don't fit. LUCKILY not many people have complained but when they do I ask them if its a new coupler. If it is, THATS the reason for the fitment problem.

Interesting.

I'm agree on the wear on them is close to NOTHING, however the spring failure is a big deal what will make you to get a new full set just for that. Would be nice a kit with the seal, retainer and spring

Okay, I'm on board with the free fix, what causes the play in the coupler then? I always thought the sliders wore out?

Show me a coupler with "play" in it. I'll buy it from you.

The "play" is in the steering box, the pitman arm, idler arm, tie rod ends..... Hell, the flex just in the steering box mount on the K frame is SHOCKING. A couple TEN THOUSANDTHS of slop in the coupler is picking fly shi* out of pepper

Hello! I'm here! I'm talking!

BROKEN SPRING will make the play. With broken spring the shoes will spin and won't get the coupler walls. Two reasons for play.

BTDT

The play when you grab the mainshaft and it clunks up and down?

Layson’s has now completed and have over 2,000 kits in stock of the Steering Column Knuckle kits you used to be able to get from Mopar Performance. These are our own toolings – nobody else other than a few Dodge Dealerships and ourselves are selling our production. We spend the time to be sure each part was correct, the shoes fit properly into the housings, the clips and pins are all exact and the rubber seal is now “BLACK” as it was always supposed to. No fit issues here – and if Dodge is buying them from us, that should say a lot as we have tested these products all through the development stage and are now selling them to Dodge Dealerships throughout the country. Special introductory price at $22.95 per kit if you mention this forum. That is lower than wholesale from Mopar back when they had them available. Call our toll-free order line now at 877-930-4088.

Part# TM-43436AC....1963-79 All Makes.....Steering Column Knuckle Kit......$22.95 kit

I'll just take 71TA and Nachos' advice first before buying and replacing something that doesn't need to be replaced.

If just the seal, ( along with the seal retainer ) and spring will need to be replaced and you don't care a RED seal ( I don't ) the Dorrman kit on $5-8 should be enough

I recently redid my Challenger. I left the old pin in place. I thought I had to take if off because of that boot, but with a little water the boot slipped right over the pin. The new pads and spring made a huge difference when I was done. I had a flat spot when it was dead center and a clunk that nicely disappeared after the job. The main advice I'd give though is not to hammer or get too rough putting the shaft back in or you'll snap the plastic dowels that keep the collapsible shaft at the correct length.

I had a bad coupler body years ago. The column had been pulled/reinstalled and the cap was just laying open, next to a header pipe. The grease eventually dried up and the shoes wore a groove in the wall of the coupler. Not a lot, but enough. It was probably that way for a while, I doubt it happened overnight.

The ones in the 4wd trucks seem to wear badly though. I never understood why, since a truck with power steering is really no harder to turn the wheel than a car. But when I bought my '85 it had a ton of slop in it, like 1/8 of a turn at the wheel before the coupler moved. I tried just the shoes and spring first, and it was better but still bad. I ended up buying one of the Dorman coupler bodies a few years ago and it was like new after that. I drilled the body for a grease nipple and add a little every year or so.

The grease nipple does help extend the life of them, I did that little mod on my '86 4x4 after replacing the second one.

The reason they wear out on the 4x4's quickly is a different issue. It's a simple fix though.

Does anyone sell the early style 'flatter' spring? How about the two piece rectangular springs?

Nope, no one makes or sells. Have to reuse old one.

The new kit above is for 65 and up.

62-64 use a different shaped coupler housing with a different cap and seal. The internal pin and shoes are the same on the 62-64 but the spring is different - the big "bump" in the middle is much flatter to fit in the different coupler body.

Not all 65-up couplers are created equal. This is what I was talking about (photo below). These parts were in my 66 Dart. You can see the rectangular springs and shoes I was referring to. Unfortunately, the large bump spring and corresponding shoes in those kits won't work because the coupler body is rectangular. Fortunately, the top of the coupler body flares out, so that the larger 'rounded' seal works at least.

The coupler shown in that picture is a 65 only. 66 and up couplers are completely different. Body is different and doesnt have that thick collar at the bottom. (62-64 is also completely different coupler) I have a few 65 couplers and none had those parts in them. Odd.

I don't doubt your experience, but I believe the coupler body is 65-66. Definitely an oddball, but there are plenty of them out there. They're weird because they use rectangular shoes and springs (2 of them), but the flare out at the top requires the rounded later-style top seal.

http://www.2040-parts.com/mopar-man...65-1966-dart-barracuda-coronet-i2097720/

https://www.hiltopautoparts.com/product/nos-mopar-steering-column-coupler-body-1965-6-models/

https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/how-to-remove-steering-column-coupler.109181/