I just finished installing the Borgeson shaft on the son's W-250; this was not my first Borgeson install, as I have one on my Ford, but it was my first install on a Dodge.

His truck has the no-nonsense column, not the big ugly tilting deal.

Also, he had the non-removable rag-joint, so we went with the 940 Borgeson :

http://ww2.borgeson.com/TRUCKS/DODGE.html


Had he have had the pinned removable rag-joint, we would have went with the Flaming River unit :

http://www.flamingriver.com/index.cf...rod/prd212.htm



After observing how the factory components were set up, I decided to ignore the Borgeson instructions and go about setting it up in a safer/more dependable manner.

The spring-loaded shaft above the rag-joint has more than enough travel to compensate for frame-flex, etc; and, when installed as per Borgeson instructions, the Borgeson will collapse while the remaining factory portion extends.

I didn't like the looks of this, so I put the upper shaft at it's original factory extension, then I slid the Borgeson's lock-collar against the upper/telescoping portion of the shaft and locked it in place with the set-screw; the Borgeson supplied rubber boot must be removed to accomplish this.

Once I had the locking-collar's location identified, I took it back in the shop, center-punched the locking set-screw's location, and drilled a 5/16" pocket for the set-screw to lock in.


At the steering-box spline end, I located the lock-screw's position and center-punched/drilled a 5/16 pocket for that screw.


^^^Here is where I made a minor mistake. The splined shaft is much softer to drill than I expected; so, before I got stopped, I went a little too deep.

I fully expected the splined-shaft to be SOLID, but it ain't; it's HOLLOW, and I drilled slightly into the hollow.

Power-steering fluid starting POURING out that tiny hole.

A little dab of plumber's-epoxy-putty stuffed in the hole and all is well, but now I know not to drill the next one too deep.


Here is the instructions from the "sticky".

http://ramchargercentral.com/boards/...howtoshow;id=7




When examining the factory shaft, it's amazing that the steering-wheel hadn't already came off in my hands while driving.

 

Don't feel bad, you are by no means the first one to do that. Borgeson really ought to put a warning about that in their instructions.

 

Maybe you ought to post a warning about it with the Borgeson info in our stickies; it may save some other poor soul from grief.