I'm with Travis . . . a picture or two would be a BIG help on this one. I've seen some really "creative" stuff people have done putting buggies together. If it's a just a rod, you could probably get a couple of pillow block bearings that fit the rod and bolt them in place . . . but, for safety reasons, I would consider changing it over to a newer style Beelte steering column with the colapsable "cage" on it.