Intermediate Steering Shaft Removal

[mikeringland]

Ever since I put a big block in my 72, the header rubs the intermediate steering shaft when the car is in reverse. My plan was to remove the shaft, put a little dent in the header tube, to avoid the rubbing. 

I checked my Haynes manual and it simply said to mark the shaft on each end, pull out the u-shaft bolt at the connection to the column and the u-shaft bolt at the steering box. It then said to use a flathead to collapse the intermediate shaft and remove. I've managed to get the shaft to collapse to the end of the steering box spline, but now there's a small cyclinder pin past the spline that I can't get it past. It does not want to collapse any further.

Any advice or tips? Am I better off just pulling the steering box down at this point? 

[Stuckin70s]

The haynes advised to collapse?  I just took mine out to have a new boot installed and the shop advised me not to break the plastic rivets as they are designed to let it column collapse during an impact. 

I just primed the shaft.  You can see the plastic rivets he advised about in the second picture.  I had disconnected the shaft at the rag link first and then pulled off the steering column.  I did not have headers in the way. 

Could you just cable down the right motor mount to keep the engine from flexing into the steering shaft?  

 

Good luck, stay safe,

Brad

 

 

 

 

[Blackhawk]

You could try loosening the panel at the firewall and shifting it more to the driver's side. There's not a lot of play but it may help.