Steering intermediate shaft material

Ant · #1 (**permalink**) 10-25-2010, 06:34 PM

Steering column and intermediate shaft, which I have already made and had crack tested etc now has to ALL be re made as no steering components are to be welded unless factory welded or if there is no other practical solution say the certification people.

So I found a collapsable column from a 2003 Subaru the right length and splines for the steering wheel, Woodwood have a universal that will fit that, which is metric GM Vega. A few visits to the car wreckers to look for suitable 3/4" minimum diameter steel shaft to make the intermediate shaft and have it splined to suit the 0.750" x 20 Vega universal etc.

I have looked at torsion bars on 4x4 vehicles but they would be tough spring steel and drag links on similar vehicles etc as I assume they would use a suitable quality material in steering components but I still dont really know what the grade material is.

Advice on suitable high quality material that can be machined for splines would be appreciated.

mickmate · #2 (**permalink**) 10-25-2010, 07:22 PM

Hydraulic tubing, mechanical tubing 1020, EN19 or equivalent. Any good steel will do it Ant. They make steering shafts from aluminum for race cars, not that I'd ever use them.

lal Naja · #3 (**permalink**) 10-25-2010, 11:20 PM

Interesting! I have a 3/4" aluminum intermediate steering shaft splined at both ends. It is high strength military spec aluminum, I will have to look up the specifications.

Mickmate, you would not use aluminum because?

I'm trying to understand the physics. My steering wheel hub is Aluminum too. Is the strength issue the spline, or that the shaft itself will is subject to alternating twisting torque causing working hardening, crystilization and eventual failure.

Arthur

Ant · #4 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickmate

Hydraulic tubing, mechanical tubing 1020, EN19 or equivalent. Any good steel will do it Ant. They make steering shafts from aluminum for race cars, not that I'd ever use them.

Gidday mickmate
I have had a further look at the certification manual and they recommend SAE 4130 for intermediate shafts to be splined, so I guess thats the answer, now to source some.

Outwest34au · #5 (**permalink**) 10-27-2010, 03:43 AM

Try this thread, follow it to my pdf. It may give you some alternative. I couldnt get shaft splined here easy so went the easy and time proven way. The VL shaft as mentioned in the pdf takes a Vega 5/8 x 36. Borgeson communicated with John Smith at prosteer and he sorted me.
Hope it helps.

Steering modification

mickmate · #6 (**permalink**) 10-27-2010, 05:01 AM

I don't feel that an aluminum shaft has the torsional strength where it would save almost nothing on weight. My issue is with knuckleheads that can't drive and try and steer (as in lift the car with caster) while the darn thing is sitting still. I'd rather build em goof proof.

Ant · #7 (**permalink**) 10-27-2010, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outwest34au

Try this thread, follow it to my pdf. It may give you some alternative. I couldnt get shaft splined here easy so went the easy and time proven way. The VL shaft as mentioned in the pdf takes a Vega 5/8 x 36. Borgeson communicated with John Smith at prosteer and he sorted me.
Hope it helps.

Steering modification

Thanks for your information you have done a good job there, will look at that as an option!