How to make a custom steering shaft on the cheap!

[Jean]

I’ll take a picture of the clearance to my X5 manifolds for you tonight.

Thanks ! That's the last piece I haven't done yet for my swap. Would really like something off the shelf, ready to go and proved to work.

[jpod999]

Thanks ! That's the last piece I haven't done yet for my swap. Would really like something off the shelf, ready to go and proved to work.

Sorry Jean I keep forgetting, I’ll try and remember to snap a shot for you tonight.

[jpod999]

Truly awful photos, but this is the best I could do for now. The next time the car is back up on stands I'll snap some better ones.

[Jean]

That's not too bad, right? This is with obd2 modified manifolds + 10mm subframe spacers , correct?

And I know it may seem redundant, but from what I've seen the angle of the "neck" on the racks is different, what specific rack are you using?

[jpod999]

Yes, these are the X5 manifolds modified by Garagistic and I am in fact using the subframe spacers. I have a 330 rack from an E46.

[Jean]

Yes, these are the X5 manifolds modified by Garagistic and I am in fact using the subframe spacers. I have a 330 rack from an E46.

Sweet! I have those manifolds and spacers, and their mounts as well :)

You liking the e46 rack? off eBay or rack doctor?

[jpod999]

I bought the rack from rackdoctor. I haven’t been able to drive the car yet but it removed one full rotation lock to lock- that’s a win in my book!

[Jean]

I bought the rack from rackdoctor. I haven’t been able to drive the car yet but it removed one full rotation lock to lock- that’s a win in my book!

PM sent :)

[DManten]

Really nice tutorial! Would like to add an additional tip for people doing this. If you are welding the shafts together, and you wish to add the middle diameter shaft into the U joint shafts, you have to remove the smallest diameter shaft. I first weld up and I left the small shaft in the medium sized shaft and the glue BMW used melted and polluted the welt making it impossible to weld nicely. So remove the small shaft from the medium shaft before welding the medium shaft and the two U joints shafts together.

Proof I actually followed the tutorial -> picture.

Also, what ever you use to join the two u joint shafts together will be load bearing as the medium shaft has a lot of play in the u joint shafts. So the two shafts are connected by whatever you use to connect either the u joints shafts together or the u joints shafts to the medium sized shaft and back to the other u joint shaft again. Just something to keep in mind.