240 steering rack input shaft

jrhendo

I’m looking for the spline shaft from a 240 rack that the lower steering column joins onto.

I’m looking to fit a 240 steering column to a 144 and need to fabricate an adaptor to go between the 240 lower steering shaft (which I’ll shorten) and the splined input to the 144 steering box.

Spac

Do you mean the shaft that is part of the 240 steering rack?
I have two dead 240 racks here - one early manual rack, and an 85 power steering rack.

You are welcome to either or both.

jrhendo

Yes, the part of the rack that sticks out! Are they the same size splines on the manual and PS racks?

I want to weld that splined part to the spline outer that goes onto the 144 steering box. Then I will have an adaptor between the (shortened) 240 shaft and the 140 steering box. Can you think of a better way to do it?

This all started because I’ve got a buggered steering column in the rally 140 and several decent 240s I can scrounge from.

VolvoHordz

Welding steering components is definitely frowned upon.

144 has the rubber coupling down at the steering box end right? It wouldn't surprise me if that is the same arrangement as found in early 240's. See this thread for info https://ozvolvo.org/d/4819-4819

How the length of the steering shaft compares who knows. Even if the wrong length, might be simpler to modify.

jrhendo

The 144 has a pair of rubber(?) slip joint between the two parts of the column. The steering box joint is solid. See the diagram below.
Welding exists in the column already: all flanges on the 144 column are welded to the shaft.
https://cdn.ozvolvo.org/assets/files/2024-06-16/1718509404-512885-img-1087.web Image description

Major Ledfoot

Compare the above to Drawing 39879 from the 85-87 parts book.

Note how item [26] appears to sit right at the firewall in the thread which VolvoHordz pointed to, above.

Image description

[27] changed over the years and between power or non-assisted steering, but essentially the layout itself didn't change much.

jrhendo

Assuming 26 is a rubber boot, on my ‘77, it was on the inside but attached to the firewall.

I’m rethinking my problem. I don’t think I can get a uni joint like 28 in your drawing with the bottom part splined to fit on a 144 steering box. Maybe I need to go to an engineering shop and see if I can get the lower part of 41 in the top diagram splined to fit into the 28 in the lower diagram.

Or abandon the whole idea and see if I can repair my original 144 column when I get the car back.

jrhendo

I’ve done further measuring and it looks like the steering column splines come in at least 2 different sizes. The larger uni joint I have (about 19mm diameter, from my 1980 parts car) fits the input shaft on my spare 144 steering box. Sounds like a miracle. So assuming the steering box in my rally 140 is the same, I can cut one of the 240 lower shafts to length and have splines cut on it to suit. No welding!

Then find a couple of new uni joints and I should be good to go.

ramrod

Good evening

Please tell us if you find a new upper column universal joint because they are no longer available.

jrhendo

Is the upper one the one where one leg is longer than the other? I didn’t pay enough attention when I was pulling the two shafts apart but I’m pretty sure the earlier one (1977) had the longer leg and the later one (1980 or 1981) had both legs the same length. I think.

Online I’ve only found equal length ones.