Did you check the woodward site out? They also have weld on couplings. maybe you can trim a little off that flared end and put a weld on coupling over it? You can allways try calling him and asking if he has something that will help you out.

I did consider that. We have a local smileys performance(speedway) so I figured if I got a little bit of dd shaft I could put it in about 6 inches into the stock shaft and use plug welds. Similar option to Woodward but cheaper and parts are pretty much in house( no wait). I like the idea too because the column will still remain it's "collapse" feature if I ever nail something head on.
I'll keep this updated that way there's at least a reference for the next guy. Thanks for the help guys

Is that the size needed to replace a stock rag joint on a first gen?

That's the size I needed, I would definately measure yours first as I am not sure if mine is stock or not.