>The U-joints were used because the steering wheel was not in line with the
>steering rack input.

Neither is the van's... it's just a LITTLE further out than the Bug's.

>Another two reasons to consider: probably cheaper to use the rubber
>doughnut and the rubber probably isolated noise or vibration from the
>steering.

It IS possible that the rubber joint is there for NVH isolation. I
can live with a bit of noise (the van's pretty quiet anyway) and
would like better steering feel, so a metal joint is fine with me.

>If you choose to use a U-joint check the hot rod mags - they sell some nice
>high quality U-joints. Another source would be industrial part suppliers.

I'd go for a used one from a wreck with suitable shaft diameter.
Cheap enough. In fact I have a Corolla one...

>DON'T use a socket wrench u-joint. When I was about 12 or 13 years old I
>was at a hot rod show when a U-joint failed on a fellow's car. Those were
>the days when more people were building cars from junkyard gems and less
>from the catalogs like today (alot of innovation back then and some scary
>stuff too). A fellow had just exited the interstate and was backing into
>his show parking space when the joint failed and he lost his steering. He
>turned off the engine and climbed out to examine the problem with a buddy.
>He remarked quite calmly he couldn't understand why because it was a
>Craftsman but at least it would be replaced under warranty!!!! Apparently
>they went and got another after knocking the roll pin back in on the one he
>had. I knew even as a kid I had seen a couple roll pins work their way out
>under normal use...

Some people have ZERO sense. Hotrodders do some stupid things.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut