I am replacing the steering box on my '76 Trans Am, which has been a long term "peck at it when I can" project car. I was looking at the factory GM service manual before installing the new box and new rag joint, when I noticed something. Please look at the part labeled #4, and then the corresponding description.
It is some kind of a ground for the horn. I see no such piece on my old coupling, which I will show pics of shortly. I do have a problem with the horn which is on the list of projects to work on. I want to determine whether any of you fellows has something on your rag joint that looks like the ground strap in that drawing.
Now, the old rag joint has one copper and one steel bolt for attaching to the flange on the lower steering shaft, just as the new rag joint does. Here is the (dirty) copper bolt.
Shifting the angle a bit, you can see that the copper bolt passes through a metal bracket, the other end of which goes to the steel bolt on the other side, allowing that bolt to pass through as well.
The new joint has no such bracket.
My question is whether this metal bracket is serving the same purpose as that ground strap in the image? If so, I will transfer it over.
There are other differences in the design of the new and the old rag joint, but I am assuming that they are inconsequential in terms of function.
