Just replaced the steering rack in my early 1970s mehari. The universal joint in the bottom of the steering sort of came apart in my hand when putting it all back together. It is a very odd looking joint and I wondered if anyone has come across one before?
The bottom of the steering column has a U-shape as does the top of the short part which goes through the floor onto the pinion. There is then a ball with grooves into which the U-shaped pieces fit
We discovered that if the shorter piece which goes through the floor to the pinion is put onto the joint at a right angle, when the joint is straightened, the two pieces lock together. When taking the photos today, I actually discovered that the ‘ball’ making the joint is loose, as it fell off!
