shorting a collapsible steering shaft

I just picked up a collapsible steering shaft from a Dodge dart. its roughly 41 inches long. i need it to be about 34 inches long. the top part is a 3/4 double D shaft that slides into a round shaft.

IS there anyway i can smack it with a hammer to "collapse" it down to 34 inches and still use it? thought i'd try that before cutting the top off and welding it to a new shaft.

IS there anything inside the shaft (i.e liquid) to act as an absorbent. right now it doesn't slide freely so i don't know if rust is preventing it from moving or something inside the shaft is.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Bryan

 

The shaft should collapse as far as the double d is machined into the round part of the shaft with little problem. The mass jacket/tube will collapse to just as it would in a wreck. Hammer and a 2x4 are the tools I use to do it....

 

Whack away, there's not liquid in the shaft just two little nylon sheer pins

 

I took the D shaped parts apart (nylon pins)shortened each half and reassembled and welded. Of course the colapasability is lost.