There are several reasons to use the Rabbit column the most important being the factory U-jointed connection between the column and the steering box. Another advantage is the ability to have intermittent wipers and a nicer looking factory steering wheel.
I have started a running dialog about my modification and have some pictures of other people's solutions as well. Also noteworthy are that the Thing's ignition switch can be swapped into the Rabbit column and the rabbit switches use the same size electrical connectors as the Thing making the swap even more factory like.
11-10-01: I have been motivated to do a rabbit steering column swap myself for some time now. While out at Pick Your Part in Hayward I found a good donor vehicle which was a 1984 Rabbit. The column was complete and the rest of the surrounding dash had been dismantled so access was perfect for a quick removal which is primarily why I made the decision to get it. The best part is that the engine compartment had also been cleared of some hardware which made undoing the connection at the steering rack a breeze and I was also able to get the U-jointed shaft. That shaft, of course, is exactly why the rabbit column is good for when you do a body lift. Once installed in your Thing it is a simple matter of determining what length to make the shaft between the U-joints. Initially I intend to install this column into an unlifted Thing and will make up the U jointed shaft accordingly.
11-13-01: I started playing around with the Rabbit column today to see how it would fit in my Thing. I dissected it down to the individual components and noticed that there is more than a passing similarity between the two designs, which got me to thinking that the Rabbit components might actually fit in the Thing. I did a quick trial fit to see if this was the case and it appears that the Rabbit ignition housing complete with switches and plastic cover can, with one slight modification, be fitted onto the Thing column in place of the original parts.
Using the Rabbit components gives you the ability to wire in the intermittent wipe relay. Another benefit is that the Rabbit windshield sprayer doesn't use compressed air so you can wire in an electric pump and enjoy life. Of course you will have to carefully remove the existing wires from the plastic connectors and put them into the proper locations in the corresponding Rabbit parts. With that done just add a couple of extra wires and you are all set. You will no longer have to worry about the air tank valve malfunctioning and leaving your spare flat and can get rid of the air line that connects the two.
After taking the column apart it became evident that there will have to be significant modifications to fit the same as the stock column in a lfted car. One problem is that while the outer tube has no crush zone built in the actual steering shaft does. It turns out to be a two pieced telescopic shaft which could fail in off road driving. My thinking at this time is that the two columns will have to be grafted together in a manner that will meet my requirements for the conversion. In addition I might try to get the steering wheel centered relative to the drive since there will be universal joints to take up the angle to the steering box. In the meantime I will adapt some of the Rabbit components to my '74 Thing in order to get some of the benefits of the newer design.
11-15-01: Today I started the swap and have posted the mechanical portion of the conversion. I will work out the electrical portion and get that up soon. One thing to note however is that the ignition wiring fits the same as before so at least the car can still be started in the meantime. As mentioned before the swap was very straightforward in that you basically just exchange parts. All in all it took less than 2 hours from start to finish with a lot of picture taking along the way. I expect the electrical portion to be more time consuming the first time through as I figure out the wiring.
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| Before and.... | ...after. |
Fred Holley's lifted Thing
©1997-2003, Thomas M. Ainlay
