Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:37:51 -0500
Reply-To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Re-use Used Steering Coupling Disks? (PICS)
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Your welcome, Neil.
I don't think you'd have any worries about 're-compressing' the rubber.
There is a fabric weave inside these to add structural strength to these.
It's like a tire sidewall/ tread cord. I have one that I just changed from
a '62 Beetle that has almost no rubber left. It's all gone away and the
only thing left is the bushings and the cord fabric. Yet, it still
functioned perfectly! It looked as if the thing would have stayed
functional for many years, even if I had decided to have left it on there!
But I'm too anal about safety to do that.
You are apparently looking at a "high-temp" locknut. It's all-metal
construction has a crimped area on one end of the threads to 'jam', and not
be shaken loose by vibration, nor affected by high temps. "Nylock" nuts
will melt in a high-temp application (which a steering coupling is NOT.)
A nylon lock nut will be perfectly safe in this application, but remember,
that the bolt must have sufficient length to allow at least 1.5 threads
protrusion beyond the nylon portion (due to squeezing outward) to have
sufficient contact with enough threads to be able to do it's job properly,
while providing 2 or 3 threads of friction area all the way around.
A high-temp lock nut could be almost flush with the bolt end and still
squeeze enough threads to do it's job properly. I believe .5 thread
protrusion is the minimum allowable for these type. They should be
available @ Lowe's, IIRC.
Other perfectly safe alternatives are;
1. 4 drilled bolts using 4 'castellated' nuts and 4 cotter pins (the same
as on my '62 Beetle's coupling) securing it all together.
2. 'Double-nutting' would also be a safe method, which is what's also used
on my '62 Beetle's steering damper end.
This accomplished by counter-tightening the nuts with 2 wrenches,
simultaneously to jam them tightly together.
3. Steel lock-plates that go around both ends and are bent up to the bolt
head and nut 'wrenching-flats' after tightening, like the steering shaft
coupling fitting pinch bolt, again on my '62 Beetle. You'd have to
'custom-make' these for your application, but it would be pretty simple, and
allows you to use 'normal' nuts and bolts.
HTH,
Mike B.
----- Original Message -----
From: "neil N" <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 3:02 AM
Subject: Re: Re-use Used Steering Coupling Disks? (PICS)
> Thanks Mike. Appreciate that.
>
> I too saw the listing on Rock Auto. Thanks for the link.
>
> Maybe I'll reuse the ones I have. They feel pretty solid to me. My
> concern was that since the washer under the bolt head compressed the
> rubber a little (normal) I wasn't sure if recompressing the rubber
> (reseating the washer) would have a negative effect on the material.
>
> Of note, I have read that these parts have a weave of some kind of
> material bonded within the rubber.
>
> Do you know specifically what kind of nut to use?
>
> They don't look like the type with a nylon thread. (self locking)
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Neil.
>
> On Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 8:17 PM, Mike <mbucchino@charter.net> wrote:
>> Neil,
>> I bought one from Rocky Mountain (now Mid-America) Motorworks,
>> and it's so hard, that it has practically NO flexibility; it appears to
>> be
>> made of plastic instead of rubber. The non-reuseable locknuts should
>> be available in many places other than the dealer.
>> Yours look great, should be fine to re-use.
>> However, if you want, new OEM quality are still available;
>>
>> FEBI Part # 251419417BF Steering Shaft Coupling 251419417B
>>
>> USED ON;
>> AUDI 4000 CS QUATTRO (1986 - 1987) AUDI 4000 S QUATTRO (1984 -
>> 1985)
>> VW BEETLE (1954 - 1978) VW FASTBACK (1966 - 1973) VW KARMANN
>> GHIA (1956 - 1974) VW SQUAREBACK (1966 - 1973) VW SUPER BEETLE
>> (1971
>> - 1979) VW THING (1973 - 1974) VW VANAGON (1980 - 1991) VW
>> VANAGON SYNCRO (1986 - 1991)
>>
>> available for $11.10 each @
>>
>> http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?a=G-autoparts
>>
>> Probably for less @ one of our list vendors, though...........
>>
>> Mike B.
>>
>>> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/steeringcouplers
>>>
>>> Is it safe to reuse these?
>>>
>>> (with new nuts from what I read. Dealership only item?)
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> Neil.
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Neil Nicholson '81 JettaWesty "Jaco
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>
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