Telescoping Steering Column on my 1st Gen

[ITS5GB]

My IT7 car that I spent the last 3 years cobbling together suddenly developed a telescoping effect with the steering cloumn. Happened the last race weekend at Waterford Hills. I know it probably has something to do with the engineered collapsable steering column built in for crash safety but what are my options now to fix it. You can pull as hard as you want and it won't come out but I'm not really interested in racing it like it is, not only for my safety but for my fellow competitors. Any suggestions?

[dickita15]

Mine has done that every since I welded on the QR steering wheel adapter. I am told that I melted a plastic shear pin it the crush mechanism. I too will be curious if there is a fix but I have been racing it this way for 8 years.

[instigator]

unfortunatly the only fix is to replace the steering box with the shaft. Most of use weld the steering wheel quick release adapter to the shaft you can not get the shaft sleeve off to repair the shear pin on the shaft .
Good luck on the replace ment of the steering gear . I have had to pull engines on some cars to replace that steering box.


Kurt IT7 00 & 59

[crushed]

If you can pull the outer steering column off the shaft with your quick release adapter you can just tack weld the shaft in place. That happened to me once too, since we have harnesses, helmets, and hans there really isn't much need for a collapsible steering column anyway.

[ddewhurst]

This thread is kind of old but at the same time I find the thread interesting. With reference to the collapsible steering column there are two what I beleive are some sort of plastic pins that shear when the column collapses. The first pin is approx 18 inches from the thread that the OEM steering wheel nut attaches to. That being said the interesting part of this thread is that some racers weld on the Q.D. atachment for the steering wheel of choice & once the steering wheel Q.D. is welded on any OEM fix of the collapsible steering column is history. By the ITCS rules it would appear that welding the steering wheel Q.D. is illegal & after a racer has welded the Q.D. to the shaft the repair of the two plastic shear pins by welding the collapsible steering column would also be illegal.

Hmmm, ya see how one illegal item gets us to another illegal item.

Have Fun
David

ps: There are bolt on Q.D. for first gen RX-7's. & before someone comes along with usual comment about where is there a rule that says a Q.D. may be used the answer is quite easy. The steering wheel half of the Q.D. is welded to the steering wheel (The attachment feature for the steering wheel to the steering shaft is the Q.D.) therfore the bolt on half of the Q.D. gets bolted to the steering shaft & would be called the attachment feature that came with the any steering wheel may be used.

[mustanghammer]

If you can pull the outer steering column off the shaft with your quick release adapter you can just tack weld the shaft in place. That happened to me once too, since we have harnesses, helmets, and hans there really isn't much need for a collapsible steering column anyway.
[/b]

This is what we did on my car.

By the way, another way to install quick release hub is to drill and pin it to the shaft. My buddy installed a new steering box in his EP car and wanted to retain the collapsable column so he pinned the quick relase adapter with two roll pins - one inside the other for strength.

This is a little off topic but has anyone found a source for rebuilt or repaired steering boxes? We are hoarding every used one we can and would like to get parts or repair help.

[crazyshoe]

haha, this brings back good memories. I drove my old car for about three years like that. We eventually just built a collar to go around the excess shaft that pulls out behind the steering wheel so you couldn't push it back in again. Probly not the best way to go about fixing it but it sure was easy.

[ITS5GB]

That's what I did temporarily to get throught the weekend. #57 on my list to do this off season was to put a quick release on it so.....thanks for the input everyone. BTW, that's 57 on MY list, probably #2,364 on my wifes honey do(that's if she even knows it should be on a list!)

[Mike Spencer]

Apparently this is a common occurance. My car had the problem when I bought it so it seems the previous owner wasn't bothered by it.

I had a buddy who builds hot rods take a look at it. He ended up upside-down (imagine an overweight 70 year-old man with his head down by the pedals and feet hanging over the seat back) doing a rosette weld about 2 feet down from the steering wheel.

(I'm not a welder and I am only telling you what he told me. All I know is the telescoping function has been disabled)

Much better now!!!

[greendot]

He ended up upside-down (imagine an overweight 70 year-old man with his head down by the pedals and feet hanging over the seat back) doing a rosette weld about 2 feet down from the steering wheel.[/b]

Don't imagine it being me Greg!

[joeracerx95]

My IT7 car that I spent the last 3 years cobbling together suddenly developed a telescoping effect with the steering cloumn. Happened the last race weekend at Waterford Hills. I know it probably has something to do with the engineered collapsable steering column built in for crash safety but what are my options now to fix it. You can pull as hard as you want and it won't come out but I'm not really interested in racing it like it is, not only for my safety but for my fellow competitors. Any suggestions?
[/b]

I've done the procedure documented below on my RX7. Since it involves safety and if anything goes wrong you or your relatives will sue me, I strongly suggest that you don't follow this procedure. This procedure would quickly and easily fix your problem. I beg you not to use it.

It was sourced from: http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=15...ng+column+moves

The best suggestion that I've heard came from Dave Barniger at KD Rotary, and it can be done with the column and steering gear in place: turn the steering wheel so that the wheels are straight ahead and position the wheel so that you have the desired clearance between the wheel and the plastic steering column covers. From the floorboard, measure 7.5" up the column, and then drill a 1/2" hole into the bottom of the steel column jacket. Then, through that hole, drill a quarter or eighth inch hole through the collapsible shaft. Install a quarter or eighth inch ALUMINUM pop rivet into the hole and you're done! The idea behind using an aluminum rivet is to retain the safety factor of the collapsible shaft. I should note that I've never done tried this repair, but it sure sounds like a great tip. Dave says he's done it probably twenty times, and it only takes 15 minutes or so.