Removable steering rod on GM A-body

[gearbanger]

Has anyone ever modified the steering shaft on a GM A-body to be removable without taking the coulmn out? I have a set of big tube headers going into my GTO and it is pretty much a must to take the column out to get the header installed on the driver side. If I could separate the telescoping section that connects to the steering box and make it removable with the column in the car, it would make life really easy. I was thinking about slotting the larger tube that goes into the column and making it so that the solid shaft can be unbloted from the steering box and lifted out of the column. I was thinking of using one or two roll pins or bolts to hold the two pieces together under normal operation.

Any thoughts?

[Yelcamino]

Check out Flaming River. You can get one of their steering shafts, collabsible or not, and a pair of u-joints. That way the shaft is removable. I had a Flaming River column with the shaft/u-joint setup before I installed a set of 2" Stahl headers so being able to remove the shaft during header install was very helpful.

[Goatman]

I had the Flaming river set up on my GTO..

[gearbanger]

Hey guys, thanks for the info!

I was looking at the flaming river joint for the very end that attaches to the steering box, but the upper end needs to be slender like the steering shaft. I don't have room for a knuckle to fit in there where it would need to go. Have either of you got a picture of the setup you had?

[Blown353]

Word of advice: use the slip/collapsible shaft. The factory had slip-provisions built in on A-bodies with the "pot joint" at the steering column to soak up frame flex. Also, you can just loosen the u-joints, collapse the shaft onto itself, and remove it very easily. If you convert over to a solid shaft & u-joints you will put lots of load on your steering column & steering box when the frame flexes. The collapsible shaft will also be much safer in the event you plow into something...