USING TILT STEERING OUT OF A 70S VAN ON MY c10 66

[lenguini]

Greetings all,now in the world of the unemployed !!I guess Ill take some more time on the 66 project.
Got a tilt column bolted in place temporarily and now trying to set it up.the column shaft (using the colapsable type) out of the firewall is at an angle to the right...all still bolts up to the late model power steering box but not looking right in my opinion.Havent purchased an adapter plate for the box yet,just using a couple spacers for now.

Any suggestions ? this is driving me nuts !!

Thanks in advance.

[padresag]

and you will more than likely leave those spacers in there until the frame cracks there.
give us a picture of your problem
ron

[lenguini]

Originally Posted by padresag

and you will more than likely leave those spacers in there until the frame cracks there.
give us a picture of your problem
ron

hello fellow b.c.er, Ron what are your feelings on my problem ?

[padresag]

Originally Posted by lenguini

hello fellow b.c.er, Ron what are your feelings on my problem ?

sorry was over on the mainland paying for my new suburban which will be home tomorrow.
is that top spacer thicker than the bottom one, therefore pushing the top end of the steering box out a little further. another thing o look at ; has the frame been whacked
ron

[lenguini]

I dont know this pic will come up here if not It will be on my profile page.
Thanks,
Ed

[lenguini]

Ill try again here with the pics...no plan on leaving the spacers in.The plate will be installed before it ever leaves the shop.

Thanks,
Ed.

[63sbssbbw]

The angle is due to the box spacing.
Others can chime in as to whether or not the dampener(or whatever its called) will hold up at that angle.
If not,you can run a U joint there.
T

[Chevy Fleetside]

This is mine. 70's van column with later model box using the Rez Kit. I did use a u joint as you can see.

[lenguini]

Hello and thanks for the help,I appreciate it.Like you say,must be my makeshift spacing behind the box.
I was looking at your install and you had welded nuts on the column at the wheel to replicate the stock mounting.
Now...I want to push my column as far forward as possible for belly room and then weld nuts onto the column as well. Is there anything internally that your aware of in that part of the column may be damaged if weld heat gets to intense ?

Thanks,
Ed.

p.s. Im assuming you used 5/16 ? How tall were the nuts you used and did you drill the column or do the bolts bottom at the end of the nut ?

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by lenguini

Hello and thanks for the help,I appreciate it.Like you say,must be my makeshift spacing behind the box.
I was looking at your install and you had welded nuts on the column at the wheel to replicate the stock mounting.
Now...I want to push my column as far forward as possible for belly room and then weld nuts onto the column as well. Is there anything internally that your aware of in that part of the column may be damaged if weld heat gets to intense ?

Thanks,
Ed.

p.s. Im assuming you used 5/16 ? How tall were the nuts you used and did you drill the column or do the bolts bottom at the end of the nut ?

I used regular nuts and then cut the bolts real short. I would say the thing to damage in there would be the colum wires but they run on the outside so I wouln't worry about it. You might be able to drill some holes if you want.

[lenguini]

Thanks for the info on the welding.

I would like to point out to all when doing a frame off and you go to line up your column,check your measurments and make sure your cab is sitting square on the frame !! I have moved the cab to where it should be...and guess what ! The column assembley is strait now !

Thanks all,
Ed.

[kieth]

We used the column from a 91 suburban, including the steering box and wiring harness for the engine, steering column etc. I have a rather large belly and we found that we had to enlarge the hole in my 66 cab to allow the steering column to move forward (the neutral safety switch is now very close to the firewall, then we spaced the steering column out from the firewall with some HD mudflap material about 3/4" thick. We also wanted to preserve the stock columns mounting bracket so we joined the old bracket and the new bracket together, this kept all the functions clutch, brake, switches etc in their norman configuration but allowed us to use the newer style wheel. One thing we lost was the column shift indicator but that has not been a problem in day to day operation.

Here are some pictures:

1. Merging the 2 column brackets 91-66: (just click on next to view the thumbnails)

http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...49353720_dNwFi

2. collapsable steering column mods kept the safety in the wheel and allowed us to adjust its length:

http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...498252_TktvCfB

3. this series of pictures shows what we had to do to get the wheel in place, make more room in the cab, and get the right geometry.

http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...498634_cFvxQKn

4. How the new wheel looks in the cab........we kept the locking feature of the column, I know it is not really secure but it will keep a honest person out.

http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...738832_FCsG9GR

5. How it ended up looking finished:

http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...206070_VBbz2pG

http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...206736_rjGkFPB

[lenguini]

Greetings Keith,looked at your build pics..nice job,truck looks great ! What are the height of the rims ?

Thanks,
Mr.Ed

[kieth]

Originally Posted by lenguini

Greetings Keith,looked at your build pics..nice job,truck looks great ! What are the height of the rims ?

Thanks,
Mr.Ed

17X9 Cragars, 265 70 rear

255 x 60 front