Any body have any words of widsom for me? i've got the good used rag joint coming in, but the old joint is so bad im afraid to drive the car...dont' want to flatbed it if i dont have to...so may attempt to change the rag joint myself....probably a little above my pay grade! Anyone done this job before and have suggestions for me? i assume the top end fo the steerin column needs to come out? thanks in advance all!
Changing rag joint on '65 Imperial?
- Thread starter cpake
- Start date
If it's anything like my '66 Chrysler, all it took was about 45 minutes and a constant stream of f-bombs when removing/replacing the tiny screws holding the heat shield without dropping them. I didn't drop my column but it helps to have someone turning the wheel to line up the holes for the Allen heads when you're reinstalling.
It should be a fairly simple job that you can accomplish yourself, although it can be a bit fiddly and you need to be a contortionist to some degree to actually get access to the parts.
I am going to assume that the setup for your rag joint is very similar if not identical to C bodies, although I don't know for sure about Imperial until I look it up which I can't do until I get home from work... but in 65 C bodies the rag joint heat shield is held on with a giant Corbin clamp - if you don't have the right tool, removing it is a pain i* t** a** and potentially dangerous. However, I hear you about the little sheet metal screws that they moved to in 66 being being such a drag to work with! See if you can go to your local auto parts store and rent borrow or buy a Corbin clamp or Spring clamp locking plier set. It makes the job of removing Corbin clamps easy and safe. One of the best tools I ever bought.
Do not dispense with the heat shield, as difficult as it is to deal with, as it's there for reason.
Once the heat shield is removed you have access to both sides of the rag joint. You do not need to remove the steering column or take anything off the car - all you need to do is undo and remove the fasteners. They are (if memory serves) 3/8 or 7/16 lock nuts with lock washers and cotter pins, and the bolts heads use a quarter inch or 5/16th hex key.
There should be 2 of them. Spray them down with penetrant before you attempt to take them off.
There is either a coil spring with loop ends, or a wire with loop ends running down the center of the rag joint,connecting to the fasteners on either side of the joint. This is the grounding connection for your horn, and if you don't replace it then your horn will not work. If it's in any way suspect just make a new piece of wire about 3" long with 2 loops on the end that can go over over the bolts.
PM me if you've any questions.
EDIT: The parts manual shows a different part number, so I don't know what the difference is between the C body one and the Imperial one. I will try to have a look in my 65 service manual tomorrow, but in the 66 manual, the parts shown look the same.
I am going to assume that the setup for your rag joint is very similar if not identical to C bodies, although I don't know for sure about Imperial until I look it up which I can't do until I get home from work... but in 65 C bodies the rag joint heat shield is held on with a giant Corbin clamp - if you don't have the right tool, removing it is a pain i* t** a** and potentially dangerous. However, I hear you about the little sheet metal screws that they moved to in 66 being being such a drag to work with! See if you can go to your local auto parts store and rent borrow or buy a Corbin clamp or Spring clamp locking plier set. It makes the job of removing Corbin clamps easy and safe. One of the best tools I ever bought.
Do not dispense with the heat shield, as difficult as it is to deal with, as it's there for reason.
Once the heat shield is removed you have access to both sides of the rag joint. You do not need to remove the steering column or take anything off the car - all you need to do is undo and remove the fasteners. They are (if memory serves) 3/8 or 7/16 lock nuts with lock washers and cotter pins, and the bolts heads use a quarter inch or 5/16th hex key.
There should be 2 of them. Spray them down with penetrant before you attempt to take them off.
There is either a coil spring with loop ends, or a wire with loop ends running down the center of the rag joint,connecting to the fasteners on either side of the joint. This is the grounding connection for your horn, and if you don't replace it then your horn will not work. If it's in any way suspect just make a new piece of wire about 3" long with 2 loops on the end that can go over over the bolts.
PM me if you've any questions.
EDIT: The parts manual shows a different part number, so I don't know what the difference is between the C body one and the Imperial one. I will try to have a look in my 65 service manual tomorrow, but in the 66 manual, the parts shown look the same.
Last edited:
Imperial dude
Member
I can't give you any advice because I didn't change it, I took it to a good alignment shop to have it done for me ( at 62 years old in done doing stuff like that LOL)
all I can tell you is he said he dropped the steering box, instead of the column, but he had a lift, air tools and a torch
But it tracks nice and straight now, no more sawing the steering wheel to keep it in the lane, just sit back and glide down the road
all I can tell you is he said he dropped the steering box, instead of the column, but he had a lift, air tools and a torch
But it tracks nice and straight now, no more sawing the steering wheel to keep it in the lane, just sit back and glide down the road
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