Rag Joint Delete??

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AgentYager

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Has anyone removed the factory steering rack and swapped in a early model Cherokee rack? The idea is to eliminate the rag joint design and replace with a universal joint design...
If anyone has done it, would you recommend it and consider it an upgrade or would you recommend just going with a factory rack?

I had A LOT of play in my steering and when I lifted my truck I rebuilt the entire suspension including the gear box (helped some but still play) I’m hoping it’s just the rag joint and not the column...

I used this in place of the rag joint.

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Erik the Awful

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My rag joint was fine, but the upper U-joint was broken. I swapped in a junkyard Jeep shaft in about half an hour.
 

ccreddell

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Im being told that the lower shaft from an early 2000s 1500 van slips on the 95+ upper shaft and replaces the rag joint with a u-joint. Ive gone to the wrecking yard and procured one (since when did GM use 11mm bolts!) and the only problem I have is getting the two part shaft apart. Anybody know the trick? Its not like the jeep shaft (which I put in my 90-and it works great) where you can heat it up and melt the plastic pins.
 

Joe Dirte

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Im being told that the lower shaft from an early 2000s 1500 van slips on the 95+ upper shaft and replaces the rag joint with a u-joint. Ive gone to the wrecking yard and procured one (since when did GM use 11mm bolts!) and the only problem I have is getting the two part shaft apart. Anybody know the trick? Its not like the jeep shaft (which I put in my 90-and it works great) where you can heat it up and melt the plastic pins.

Wish you guys would quit letting me know what to look for in junkyards! I walk out with all kinds of crap hahahaha
 

ccreddell

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OK. Verified that the lower shaft of an early 2000s 1500 van works on 95+ trucks with the u-joint behind the firewall. The engagement is fairly shallow, so I wouldnt recommend it if you have a body lift, but man! is it nice and tite! BTW, I did this on my 99 2-door Tahoe.
 

JS45

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Reviving an old thread since I’ve read a lot of them and this is the newest.

Would either of these borgeson shafts work for my 97 k1500?

They show they fit my vehicle but have differnt 2 upper ends. The complaint with the Jeep shaft is 2 u joints. These one just has one at the gear box. What’s your thoughts?

How has everyone been making out just changing the rag joint to a u joint like a few posts above? Thanks for the feedback


 

MrPink

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Reviving an old thread since I’ve read a lot of them and this is the newest.

Would either of these borgeson shafts work for my 97 k1500?

They show they fit my vehicle but have differnt 2 upper ends. The complaint with the Jeep shaft is 2 u joints. These one just has one at the gear box. What’s your thoughts?

How has everyone been making out just changing the rag joint to a u joint like a few posts above? Thanks for the feedback



I'd use that one in all honesty
 

noabarron3

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Reviving an old thread since I’ve read a lot of them and this is the newest.

Would either of these borgeson shafts work for my 97 k1500?

They show they fit my vehicle but have differnt 2 upper ends. The complaint with the Jeep shaft is 2 u joints. These one just has one at the gear box. What’s your thoughts?

How has everyone been making out just changing the rag joint to a u joint like a few posts above? Thanks for the feedback


I used the borgeson on my truck but the cunningham machine is just as good if not better because it is powder coated and will not rust like the borgeson as it is bare metal.
 
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