Re: Steering and SUspension upgrades
I used the double U joint because, with the F-body rack offset 1 inch toward the drivers side, there was barely room for that joint before running into the driver side frame rail (the input shaft is angled toward the driver side, when viewed from the firewall). There was no room for 2 seperate U joints with a short section of shaft in between. With your setup, you might have room.
How many u-joints are needed depends on how much the input shaft on the R&P is angled back toward the firewall. On mine it wasn't. It was pointing straight up (when looking across the truck from side to side). So, figure total angle between the input shaft and the firewall is 80- 90 degrees. Each borgeson joint gives you 35 degrees max deflection, so 90/35 = 3 joints needed (you don't want every joint to be at absolute max deflection).
Based on that, you might think I could have eliminated is the stock u-joint at the top end of the steering shaft, at the firewall. However, that does not account for the fact that the steering unput shaft is not perfectly alighned (left to right) with the point where the steering shaft passes thru the firewall. So, the top U-joint provided the bend toward the driver side needed to accomodate that offset.
You have lots of fun ahead of you, a good deal of which will be mocking up (and re-mocking up) the steering shaft. We all appreciate the time you're putting in on this.
Good luck!
