steering issue

[cj7 arlington tn]

i just repaced the original body bushings and added a 2 in. body lift, now my steering is in a bind it was already on the way to breaking. my question is this will a steering shaft assembly out of 89 xj work and does anyone know the correct length i would need to fix it.

 

[CJ007]

I don't think it should bind that easy. Would making some room where it comes through the firewall help. I'm not looking at mine but for some reason that comes to mind.

Just trying to think it through, I don't know if the other steering will fit.

 

[Cj5dave]

Did you knock out the pin in the slip of the steering shaft? When you add a body lift the steering shaft has to lengthen and the pin prevents that until punched or drilled out. And I am just guessing but I am going to say no on the XJ shaft.
What do you mean it was already on its way to breaking?

 

[73CJ]

My suggestion would be to look at a Flaming River steering shaft. They have a U-joint style coupler that is really hard to bind up.

It may be as simple to remove the pin (some are nylon) the coupler may be topped out.

 

[yellow85cj]

XJ intermediate shaft is way too short and has double D end on the column side, CJ has splined.

Depending on how rusted together your shaft is, you should be able to slide it out enough to work with the body lift. Maybe an inch. You will have to remove the intermediate shaft to lengthen it.

The "pins" aren't exactly "pins" as much as they are injection points for the plastic that is injected into the shaft to keep it at a certain length when manufactured and still allow it to collapse (slide) when needed.

Here you can barely see the 2 "pins".

With the pins drilled though to the inner shaft, you then slide (with the help of a BFH and a piece of steel or hard wood)

Here is what it looks like with the upper almost completely removed ( you shouldn't have to move yours this far) Note that the inside (solid) shaft has two squares machined out to allow for the injected plastic (it's acutally more like a nylon)

Somebody got a little carried away with the plastic on this one.

If you end up going with a Flaming River intermediate shaft, might as well order it with a double D top and drop in an XJ tilt column. Then you can use the brights on the column and wiper switch on the column like newer vehicles. Or find a YJ upper intermediate shaft and mate it to your CJ lower and add the XJ column.

 

[gert]

XJ intermediate shaft is way too short and has double D end on the column side, CJ has splined.

Depending on how rusted together your shaft is, you should be able to slide it out enough to work with the body lift. Maybe an inch. You will have to remove the intermediate shaft to lengthen it.

The "pins" aren't exactly "pins" as much as they are injection points for the plastic that is injected into the shaft to keep it at a certain length when manufactured and still allow it to collapse (slide) when needed.

Here you can barely see the 2 "pins".

With the pins drilled though to the inner shaft, you then slide (with the help of a BFH and a piece of steel or hard wood)

Here is what it looks like with the upper almost completely removed ( you shouldn't have to move yours this far) Note that the inside (solid) shaft has two squares machined out to allow for the injected plastic (it's acutally more like a nylon)

Somebody got a little carried away with the plastic on this one.

If you end up going with a Flaming River intermediate shaft, might as well order it with a double D top and drop in an XJ tilt column. Then you can use the brights on the column and wiper switch on the column like newer vehicles. Or find a YJ upper intermediate shaft and mate it to your CJ lower and add the XJ column.

X2 I put heat to the shaft and it spit the pins out so mine would slide

 

[Torxhead]

I have seen guys with those ridiculous body lifts and installed a spacer at the steering shaft top end.

 

[cj7 arlington tn]

i drilled the pins and everything seems to be in working order. thanks for the sugestions and help.