rosamila

Hi All,

Doing a power steering to manual steering conversion on our 86' 944 and am in need of the manual steering shaft. Seems that the manual steering / intermediary shaft needs to be about an 1 1/4" longer then the power steering one.

Thanks!

leedog

If you want a new one, 944 online has them but they are quite expensive:

http://944online.com/cgi-bin/ASI_Sto...esteering-9442

tifosiman

This is one of those items that you are better off buying new. They all develop play after time due to the increased strain on them from the manual steering. I've bought a few used ones in the past that were dead and the sellers didn't really know it (or at least didn't reveal that info). You can check for play by putting it in a benchvise and clamping on the end joint on each side and working it in different load directions.

MAGK944

That is a modded power steering shaft, cut, sleeved and welded. I would not put that on my car. New shafts are no longer available and used ones were on 83 cars only, so they will be worn. Some vendors will sell you a new manual rack kit with a oem new shaft, but they won't sell you the shaft on it's own.

Borgeson are considered experts in steering systems and this is what they have to say about welded steering shafts:

Welding joints is a common practice in racing, however, it is not a method we at BORGESON would recommend. Hairline cracks, which may be all but invisible to the unaided eye, could cause a weld to fail under severe stress. It may also be illegal in some states to weld steering system components on a car used on the street. Improper grounding can cause damage which will result in the failure of the steering. Overheating, which can occur at relatively low temperatures, can distort the yoke and melt the grease out of the needle bearings or damage the seals. This can prevent the joint from operating freely and it may fail. Cooling a weld too quickly can cause cracks, leading to sudden failure. Also, welding is a permanent connection that makes disassembly almost impossible should it become necessary. NOTICE: Welding on steering components is illegal in some states. Check first.

tifosiman

Would Sunset be able to just sell the shaft? It might be worth a call to them with the part#.

I've mentioned this before but I don't know if anyone here has tried it: If you have a worn-out manual intermediate shaft (meaning the joints are worn out but the longer shaft itself is still fine), you could possibly just buy a new power intermediate shaft (they are cheap) and have a machine shop remove the new joints and put them on the manual shaft. The joints are the same for both shafts as far as I can tell.

PorscheDoc

The shaft is NLA from Porsche.

kasturbo

When did you last try to get one? I got mine from Sunset, but this was last year. I have a used one if someone wants to try it.

kasturbo

My whole manual setup will be for sale soon. I going to try a capped power rack instead.