No where in my post did I say a single thing about welding the shaft. So lets stick with the facts and not bring the attitude into things please.
In regards to the collapsing section of columns the outer section that is under the dash crushes in like an accordian but where does the metal shaft in the center go if it's solid right to the steering box now that you have hammered it in?
So as has been mentioned the extra length is the issue which needs to be either cut off from one end or the other so I can retain the plunge style mopar joint or if this isn't possible I would then need to replace the inner shaft with a shorter power steering one.
Is there anyone that has a measurement of the difference?
Quick read on SAFETY below:
"How Does a Collapsible Steering Column Work?
Collapsible steering columns still consist of a long shaft that connects the steering wheel to the steering gear box. However, the collapsible design is composed of an inner and an outer sleeve, pressed tightly together with a number of steel bearings in between. These steel bearings are pressed into the metal sleeves, and are held in place with a strong safety resin, which is designed to harden and then shatter when a specific level of pressure is applied.
In the event of a frontal impact, the steel bearings between the sleeves break free, allowing the inner sleeve to be moved further into the outer sleeve in telescopic fashion before enough pressure is achieved to ram the whole steering column into the driver. In this manner, the energy received through a frontal impact is completely absorbed by the steering column's collapsing parts, allowing most modern drivers to remain completely unaware of the danger they have avoided.
At its most basic level, the design of the steering column has remained unchanged since its inception; the column still consists of a long shaft connecting the steering wheel to the vehicle’s gearbox. The‘collapsible’ design introduced an ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ sleeve to the shaft, with a number of steel bearings pressed in between each sleeve. A strong ‘safety resin’ is used to bond the bearings to the sleeves. Once a specific level of pressure is exceeded, the special resin shatters, allowing the sleeves to compress telescopically.
Alternatively, the steel bearings can be replaced with a ‘mesh’ design that folds in a concertina fashion when an impact is received.
If you know how to weld and know how to make it stay straight, then I don't see the harm but if you don't know how to do this, then don't do it. Man, there's a bunch of cars on the road with narrowed rear ends and welding is what keeps them together.
