'69, BB, bolted rag joint

Swapping LH exhaust manifold. Have to move steering column. Have finally gotten it off, but wound up totally unbolting two connection bolts in rag joint. It was my understanding I was supposed to be able to unbolt coupler at threaded end and slide lower shaft up and out of way to be able to get manifold off. I can push the shaft up into rubber boot only about 1/2 way needed. The shaft appears to be two pieces, one inserting into the other. There are two small (1/8") holes with what appear to be plastic or soft metal pins/dowels in the lower shaft.

QUESTION: Is the lower shaft suppose to SLIDE back up the upper piece? Are those actually inserts that are supposed to be drilled out? (It has had some paint or grime build up on it, but if it is supposed to actually slide on itself, it is totally frozen.)

Any thoughts?

The intermediate steering shaft is made of a two shafts. A solid shaft at the pot coupling end, and a tubular shaft down at the flexible coupling end. Where they overlap, plastic was injected into those two holes that you describe. This plastic "locks" the two shafts together at a preset length. It also eliminates any possible rotational lash or looseness at that junction. The plastic is also designed to shear and allow the two shafts to telescope over each other in case of a serious frontal collision.

I am not positive about the GM A-car design but for the most part, GM steering columns, shafts, flex couplings, etc were designed so that they will not easily slide apart such that steering is lost. In other words, if one critical bolt or nut was not installed or tightened, the steering shafts couldn't just migrate apart and suddenly, the steering wheel would be spinning in your hands.

With the C3 Corvette, you are required to either loosen the steering column and pull it back into the driver compartment. Or you have to loosen the gear on the frame and pull it forward about an inch so that the flexible coupling can be removed from the gear or steering column.

I can try and research the GM A-Car design sometime soon.