78 Chieftain Steering Pot Coupler U-Joint Replacement

[class87]

From: 978Chieftain  (Original Message)
Sent: 10/23/2005 11:55 PM

The Steering Pot Coupler U-Joint on my 1978 Winnebago Chieftain is broken.  I have tilt steering and a Dodge 440 engine.  The part is discontinued.  The 78 appears to be different than the 77 or the 79.

What is the part number and where can I get a replacement?  From what slavage trucks or vans can I get the right part?  I have already tried part counters and salvage yards.  Noone knows from what to get the part.

I have read previous message threads relating to the pot coupler u-joint and they only talk about adjusting the steering box.  References to getting this part at a parts counter do not say for what year that worked.  For the 78 the parts people say they can't get it.

Thanks for any help.  - Ron Ballew, 78 Chieftain, ron@ballew.org ron_ballew@hotmail.com
 


From: elandan2
Sent: 10/24/2005 11:30 AM

Hi Ron,  If you can't find a pot coupling, another route would be to switch to a u-joint type coupling.  Try www.borgeson.com and see what they have.  They can also make shafts of any length.  Rick



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 10/24/2005 7:20 PM

My pot housing is broken at the bottom of the pot where the clamp is (that holds it to the steering geer box).  I need a replacement pot coupler.  My 78 coupler looks like that but on a parts list it has a different part number than the 77 or the 79.  The parts list is for a 78-93 Dodge pickup so it may not be the right number for a 78 Dodge M300 chassis which one 78 Winnebago Brave says it has.  It is a discontinued part.



From: 75Travco
Sent: 10/24/2005 8:53 PM

Arizona Parts had the coupler body  for my 1973 RM-350 chassis.  They still have it listed, Dodge part number 3491 447

  for $12.00.  It looks just like the one in Dennison's picture, but quite different from the one in the Ramcharger link.  The internal parts on the RM-350 coupler are also different from the ones shown for the Ramcharger.



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 10/24/2005 9:52 PM

Well, unfortunately the steering pot coupler on my 1978 Winnebago Chieftain is different than the other 72-93 Dodge Pickups.  I got the complete assembly off of a 1990 Dodge Ramcharger D-250 and the steering gearbox fit but the coupler did not. 

The inside of the 90 coupler was too small for my lower steering shaft end with all the parts on it.  The coupler rebuild kits are different too.  I bought 2 of them, one from a Chrysler dealer for 10.00 and one from EBay for 12.00 and they each had different size metal squares for the ends of the lower steering shaft part that goes inside the coupler.  The 78 coupler looks like the one in the Ramcharger picture, a bell or pot.

The high tech solution from Borgeson will replace the coupler, steering shaft, and rag joint for the 79-93 Dodge trucks but not the 78.  This verifies again that the 78 coupler is different.

I bought a 77 coupler on EBay and I am waiting for it to arrive hoping it will fit, but it was listed for up to 1977.  A parts list I got on EBay lists a different part number for the 77, the 78, and the 79 coupler, so I am afraid the one I have coming in will not fit.  It also lists different part numbers for the tilt steering and the non-tilt steering column.

I guess I need to find a real life 1978 vehicle in a salvage yard but I am not sure what vehicle to look for.  One parts counter said it uses Van parts, but the Van steering box did not fit;  the 1990 Dodge pickup did fit so it uses some truck parts.

Is the 1978 Winnebago Chieftian like a 1 ton Dodge Van or like a 1 ton Dodge Truck?  Which truck, the D-350?  Someone said they got parts off a M440 chassis, whatever that is on.  Is my chassis a M300?  If so, what Dodge truck line is that like, so I can find parts.  Thanks, for any answers to these questions.



From: denison
Sent: 10/25/2005 8:01 AM

I would suspect your 78 Chieftain is on a 500 series chassis, or at least a 400. The higher the chassis series number, the greater the Gross Vehicle Weight rating - so some suspension parts like springs and axles are stronger/bigger/heavier on the 500s and 600s. 



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 10/26/2005 8:01 PM

  If the steering coupler is a real 78 and is round like a bell and has a clamp around the neck of the bell like the picture, I really need it.  I bought a 77 for $48.00 and it don't look like it will fit.  I bought one from a 1990 D-250 and its bell is too small to hold my 78 lower steering shaft T.  The 78 chassis is 1 ton I think.

I just got a message from a dealer saying he has one for $60.00 but the picture looks like a 79 and won't fit I think.  It is squarish.



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 10/26/2005 11:24 PM

In one of the spec charts referred to above it showed the 78 Chieftain 26' as a M400 chassis.  In the member list a 29' is listed as M500 chassis, so, yes, I think my 28' chassis is at least a M400 and maybe a M500.



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 10/31/2005 6:31 PM

Well, I bought a steering coupler listed for up to 77 4WD and it was too big.  So, I'm back to needing one from a genuine 78 Chieftain again.  I visited the rig Friday and looked at the data plate and determined that it is 26' with a M400 chassis.  The chassis was manufactured in Jul 77 and the Winnebago Motorhome part was manufactured in Nov 77, so maybe it takes 77 parts.  It is titled for 1978 so it was probably sold as a 1978 model.



From: 75Travco
Sent: 10/31/2005 8:40 PM

The listing for the coupler body I got from Arizona Parts indicated that it fit 1969 thru 1980 Dodge trucks.  My parts book only goes up to 1974, so I can't confirm the correct number for your 1978 application.  If someone has access to the 1978 parts book, I'd like to hear what the correct part number is.



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 11/2/2005 6:35 PM

I would like to confirm what the correct part number is.  A Dodge Parts place said the part number is 03575231 for the 1978 Dodge truck 1 ton chassis, tilt steering, steering pot coupler.

However I get conflicting part numbers from a 1978 parts list.  It is not clearly identified and there are so many variables,  year, tilt steering or not, 2WD or 4WD.  Also it was manufactured in 1977 but titled for the 1978 model year.  There seems to be different part numbers for 1977, 1978, and 1979.

Also, every parts place says it is NIS, Not In Stock, and they can't get it.



From: denison
Sent: 11/3/2005 7:50 AM

I have the dodge motor home chassis parts catalog that covers up through may of 1977. A lot of the motorhome chassis made at that time would have been under winnebagos sold as 1978 models. The steering section (sect. 19) has an illustration of the "lower shaft with joint", the which joint is the coupler/universal. It is listed as the aeoarate parts, there isnt an obvious number for the couple/universal as a complete assembly. There is a part number listing for the "shaft with universal joint", of 3733192, for the 75-77s. Then there are 7 part names with 7 part numbers, for the pieces that comprise that Universal joint or pot joint. All the following are for the 75-77 chassis, M400 through M600.
Body, strng column univ. joint --3491447
Seal, univ. joint -- 1939486
Plug, univ joint -- 2229212
Bearing, univ. joint -- 2072111
Retainer, univ. joint bearing -- 1939485
Ring, univ. joint seal retaining -- 1939487
Washer, strng gear u-joint anti rattle -- 2204143.

Its common for replacement parts to have different part numbers, because of changes to have a part accomodate replacing more than one original part, and just from data base evolving after 28 years. Also in this case, they may have assigned a number to an assembly which was only supplied as individual parts in 1977. So I dont know if I have been any help here.

The parts catalogs are great, but sometimes you wonder..... They ALL show a mopar p.n. for every single part inside the transmission, and an explodede view showing every part: But you buy a parts kit when rebuilding, not individual bands and clutches and bushings and circlips. On the other hand, most of the editions dont list ANY info on the voltage regulator! ??

You could try an email to dartman67--at--aol-dot-com, except type the upper case 2 in place of the --at-- and type a period in place of the -dot-. He is an online seller of obsolete mopar pieces. Sometimes where there is a demand for a mopar item that no longer exists, he is able to tap into the small-lot re-production industry. There are probably other businesses that do the same, but he is one I have dealt with several times, always to my satisfaction, and his prices are Much lower than the dealers. He is located near St.Paul, MN. I pay him with money orders. 



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 11/11/2005 7:40 PM

I searched partsvoice.com for part number 3491447 and found it on the shelf at 2 places.  I ordered it from the one that would take VISA over the phone: collectorsautosupply.com. They also had some of the parts that go inside of it, so I ordered those too.

I am waiting for the parts to arrive.  I hope they fit.



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 12/1/2005 10:07 PM

Steering coupler did not fit. Shaft on steering box is too small.  Possible that steering box is not the right one and that is the reason the old steering coupler broke.  Decided to order a new steering gearbox.  Looking for a source.

Tried www.winnebagoparts.com to get the right part from a real winnebago dealer.  Wrong choice.  They only sell the stuff for the coach.  Nothing that makes the coach move.  Chrysler dealer wants to sell me parts for a 1 ton Van chassis.  I know this does not work.  Dealer does not even know what a M400 Motorhome chassis is.



From: cooneytunes
Sent: 12/3/2005 12:40 AM

Ron.....Your best bet is going to be a junk yard.....there are plently of M400's and M 500's....get the whole assembly and not just pieces....a van stlyle will be too small....you want a MH or a bread truck...Have you tried Duane Grifith....call toll free 1-877-548-2125 and ask for Duane. I know he has both M 400 & M 500 Dodge chassis...I've gotten parts from him....

Timmy



From: 1978Chieftain
Sent: 12/9/2005 8:35 PM

Ordered a remanufactured steering gearbox from Stear & Gear in Columbus, OH.  It fits the steering coupler that I bought.  Took both to City Chevrolet and they put it on the 78 Winnebago Chieftain.  It fits!  Will pick up the motorhome on Tues, December 12, 2005.



From: cooneytunes
Sent: 12/9/2005 9:15 PM

Ron.........great to hear.......now you can drive it instead of just look at it...... 

Timmy