questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint? - NCRS Discussion Boards

questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

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  • Ronald M.
    Frequent User
    • August 31, 1999
    • 44
    #1

    questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

    I'm restoring my '66 roadster, and am presently working on the telescopic steering column, including the steering coupler / rag joint. I've received tremendous help from the folks here in the past and I once again have a few questions:

    1. How do you peen or stake the two rivets in the rag joint? and also for the two studs (one 'thick', one 'thin')?

    2. Do I have this thing assembled correctly? I've attached a couple of pictures for reference. Its the way LI Corvette instructions say to orient / assemble it, but the telescopic reproductions currently available (including the repro they sell) appear to have the lower coupling (to the steering box) rotated 180 degrees from what I've got?

    thanks in advance,
    tele2a.jpgtele1a.jpg
    Ron Myers
    '66 Roadster
    Tags: None
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    • Robert D.
      Very Frequent User
      • April 1, 2003
      • 305
      #2
      Re: questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

      Ron
      i just did my standard rag joint on my 67. after trial and error i went throught several stud/rivets. i found the best way to peen those was to take a piece of bar stock and drill a hole in it so that the long end of the stud would fit in perfectly (the opposite of the side that needed to be peened). put a chamfer on the hole because the stud is chamfered. i put the bar in a vice and set the joint up with the stud in the bar ready to be peened. make sure the bar is against the bottom of the vice. i then heated up the stud with a torch cherry red and peened it with another piece of steel and a heavy hammer. if you dont put the long end of the stud in something to support it it will distort when you hammer it. that was the biggest problem. the cast iron sort of acted as a heat barrier and protected the rubber so it didnt melt or distort. it has to be done quickly and on the first go. if you try to reheat it it seems to work harden and is more difficult to reheat the second and third time. also the less you heat up the rag joint the better obviously. as for the smaller rivets i would expect them to be easier if you put the flat end on a piece of flat steel it probably wont hurt the other end. yours is the first telescopic joint ive seen the standard joint has bolts in the place where your smaller rivets are. i tried to do it with a air hammer and rivet set but it was impossible to keep the long end from distorting
      Attached Files
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        • Jim S.
          Expired
          • August 31, 2001
          • 730
          #3
          Re: questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

          Ron,
          Your flexible coupling assembly matches the Saginaw Steering Gear product engineering drawing. Your orientation of the bowtie flange is correct and the large and small head rivets (stop pins) are oriented correctly.

          Jim
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            • Jim S.
              Expired
              • August 31, 2001
              • 730
              #4
              Re: questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

              Robert,
              You are to be commended on the effort that you put into the hot upset of those rivet (stop pin) heads. Saginaw had special design induction heating equipment that quickly heated the rivet (stop pin) head and upset it as a permanent attachment.

              The following is a assembly drawing of the 1968 Corvette manual gear assembly with the flexible coupling assembly attached. The flexible coupling shown on this drawing is probably the most correct of any that I have reviewed. One discrepency between your flex coupling assembly and the one on the gear assembly drawing is the special shape on the bolt heads. Both bolts have round projections that extend from the hex head about one half inch toward the gear.

              One other comment, the gear assembly drawing shows the flexible coupling assembly with plastic spacers installed on the rivet pins. Those spacers were to assist St. Louis in assembling the steering column to the steering gear. Those spacers should have been removed by the assembly plant after the column was installed and therefore would not be correct to be included in a fully assembled General Motors vehicle.

              Good job,
              Jim
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                • Robert D.
                  Very Frequent User
                  • April 1, 2003
                  • 305
                  #5
                  Re: questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

                  Thank You Jim
                  Ron, if you would like to borrow the bar i made i would be happy to lend it to you
                  bob
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                    • Ronald M.
                      Frequent User
                      • August 31, 1999
                      • 44
                      #6
                      Re: questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

                      Thank you both. Jim ,very informative as always. And yes Bob, I'd like to borrow the tool you fashioned (I'll send you a PM).
                      Based on both your comments, I believe I'll enlist the help of a friend who is far more competent with a torch and a press than am I.
                      thanks again,
                      Ron Myers
                      '66 Roadster
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                        • Jim S.
                          Expired
                          • August 31, 2001
                          • 730
                          #7
                          Re: questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

                          Bob.
                          Here is a drawing of the 5/16-24 extended head flex coupling bolt. The extended head on the 3/8-24 bolt is exactly the same.

                          Jim
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                            • Robert D.
                              Very Frequent User
                              • April 1, 2003
                              • 305
                              #8
                              Re: questions on riveting a telescopic rag joint?

                              Thanx Jim for all your help and knowledge
                              Bob
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