Bottom bushing/bearing for old style steering column

[Hedgehog]

Jeep .... '75 CJ5 ... Stock tube or golf cart type steering column. ... Problem - The bottom of the column (I'm actually refurbishing an old original to replace the not original on in my CJ) has a plastic/neoprene/something not metal bushing the steering shaft rides on. Mine is all sun rotted out, junk yard stored in the sun, that needs replacing. Can they be found? I could have one machined out of brass, but at what cost?

I wonder if such a part would be available at a golf cart repair shop....

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Hedge-Any why you could post a picture of this part?
LG

 

[Posi]

Jeep CJ5 CJ6 1972 1975 Lower Steering Column Bushing 999759 New | eBay

 

[Hedgehog]

Posi - Exactly, After posting I started a serious search and came up with Barney's. Fact is I just got off the phone with him, ordered a few parts and came in here to essentially say "Never mind". Interesting fellow. He specializes in what he calls the bastard year jeeps 1971-1975. He even manufactures some parts he can't get, including a proper set of dash lights including the impossible to find Hazard light. I asked why you can't get the Hazard light in the normal set you can get. Answer - because the hazard switch went on the steering column in '76 and the light background is blue, for the '71-'75 the back ground is green. I don't care about the back ground color so I ordered only the hazard light. WINNER!

Lumpy - Follow Posi's link, the picture is as good as any for that part.

 

[Posi]

Hey, don't clump 71 in there, the 72-75 parts overall are harder to find

 

[Hedgehog]

You are right, but occasionally you see 71-75, don't know why, maybe the '72 model hit the road in late '71. Definitely 72-75 model years tough. I think it's cool that he specializes in my (and many others) model years. It always burns me when I can find parts for '72-'74 and '76-'86, but what about my little '75?

 

[Lumpy Grits]

THX for the info.
HH-Is the part in fact some type of 'plastic'?
LG

 

[DHugg]

Jeep .... '75 CJ5 ... Stock tube or golf cart type steering column. ... Problem - The bottom of the column (I'm actually refurbishing an old original to replace the not original on in my CJ) has a plastic/neoprene/something not metal bushing the steering shaft rides on. Mine is all sun rotted out, junk yard stored in the sun, that needs replacing. Can they be found? I could have one machined out of brass, but at what cost?

I wonder if such a part would be available at a golf cart repair shop....

Hedgehog, I just put a 4-piece kit into my '80 CJ7 column. Had a roller bearing, a spring clip, nylon bushing, and one other spacer-like piece. Piece of cake to install, but it sure helped tighten up chronic loose steering.

I ordered it on-line from one of the Jeep part houses, specific for CJ year range.

 

[Hedgehog]

DHugg - Completely different column. The '76 and newer column is essentially an automobile column. The older ones are closer to a golf cart column. A simple tube with a bushing on one end and well a different bushing on the other. I got both top and bottom bushings. Parts are easily available for the newer columns. Back in '87 I rebuilt my '80 CJ5 adjustable column, piece of cake.

Lumpy - yes it is as I described, some sort of super plastic, probably neoprene of some sort. The following is from Barney's site:

BARNEY'S JEEP PARTS LLC IS PLEASED TO HAVE BACK IN STOCK.....
LOWER STEERING COLUMN BUSHING FOR THE 1972 - 1975 JEEP CJ5 AND CJ6 ! PART # 999759 GROUP 10.346-1. VERY DURABLE SELF LUBRICATING.

 

[Torxhead]

I once had to replace a bushing in that location on my '86 since it was shot. It was quite full of dirt, so when I replaced it I did seal it off from the elements. Hopefully it will last longer than the oem one did.