62 C10 STEERING WHEEL on 70's van column???

[robber grin]

Can a OEM 62 steering wheel work on the 70's chevy van column I have for my 62?

I have used the column before in previous builds but never with a OEM steering wheel - always with some aftermarket piece on an adapter.

I have read through many posts on here and other sites, but I have yet to find anything on steering wheel compatiblity.

I will throw a flake wheel on if I can't but would rather just run the gennie wheel if possible.

Looks like the shaft and splines are right but I haven't tried it yet.

Are the horn and turn signal cancelation functions the same?

I haven't a clue and would appreciate some guidance... cleaned and painted everything yesterday and will dig deeper into this today after work.

thanks
bob

[slepysal]

Short of trying it I dont know. I would give it a try as long as you don't force it . I will be doing the same swap soon but with a grant wheel

[robber grin]

Well S~S as you said the only way to find out was to try it - and it seemed to work just fine.

I pulled the cancellation "cam" off the bottom of the 62 wheel since the van column has the cancellation function in the plastic portion of the horn plate. Pulled the horn plunger out of the 62 wheel since the van column brass/plastic horn plate had that already on it.

I will need the funny looking plastic washer for the horn button since mine is in three pieces.

Have to drill the shaft for shear pins then blow it apart for some rattle can touch ups.

It's cool to be able to turn the wheels again with the steering wheel!

thanks
rg & ray~ray

[slepysal]

Man that looks good! Any tips on how you installed the column?

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by robber grin

Well S~S as you said the only way to find out was to try it - and it seemed to work just fine.

I pulled the cancellation "cam" off the bottom of the 62 wheel since the van column has the cancellation function in the plastic portion of the horn plate. Pulled the horn plunger out of the 62 wheel since the van column brass/plastic horn plate had that already on it.

I will need the funny looking plastic washer for the horn button since mine is in three pieces.

Have to drill the shaft for shear pins then blow it apart for some rattle can touch ups.

It's cool to be able to turn the wheels again with the steering wheel!

thanks
rg & ray~ray

Hey, r-g, betcha with ps AND the big wheel, turning will be so easy that my 5-year-old grandson can turn the wheels! Seriously, if it ends up too easy, try aligning it more towards the newer alignment specs, esp with LOTS of +caster. I've found, by a bit of intuition and lots of trial-and-error that it makes these upgrades more stable & less sensitive-feeling. Enjoy that tilt and ps!
Sam

[robber grin]

Originally Posted by slepysal

Man that looks good! Any tips on how you installed the column?

It goes together pretty much like the original unit does... same basic scheme.

I split my firewall seal plate to make it easier on installation and added some extra screws to tack it down tight.

Firewall band clamp at the firewall mounting tab as before and wanted to use one at the top where the two screws were - but couldn't get it over the bracket that supports the column to which we mount the emergency brake cable too.

I cut two notches in the front of the bracket where the two screws would have gone to allow for a firewall tab band clamp to go over the bracket and column sleeve but could not get it in a position where I could tighten it once it was "in place".

I put a hose clamp there for the moment or until I can come up with a better solution. Maybe a muffler clamp... dunno for sure yet. I may go ahead and weld two nuts in place and dump the clamp idea entirely.

The bracket was hitting the NS/BU switch so I notched it out to clearance it (on the kick-panel side) and also buzzed off the clutch pedal return stop's mounting tab while I was there. I'm done with the clutch pedal and saw no reason to leave the tab there though it would have not hurt anything to do so.

Left everything loose enough to slip the entire column up and down until I found what looked like a "natural" spot for the "final" placement that allowed for some movement in the collapsible shaft area (which still needs re-drilled and pinned/glued).

What I'm going for are good mechanical upgrades that don't take any of the truck's soul away. Clean & simple just like in 62.

I'll take some more pics tomorrow when I blow it all apart for upper clamp solution (hopefully) and paint touch up.

Thanks guys - good night.
bob