Hello Guys!

[Russell]

Heya, as you probally figured, I am new around here. I am sixteen and just bought my first truck, a 1980 GMC C2500 3/4 ton 4x2 Sierra Classic. She's a nice truck, but has got some work to be done on her before she is in good enough shape to be legally driven here in Canada. Basically, what I need to get done first is replace my master cylinder, replace a broken signal light (got a fence post tip stuck through it, no damage done other than the signal light) replace one of my leaf spring bundles and rebuild the steering column.

The first thing I started working on was the steering column, but I have run into a problem... The signal light assembly's wiring harness. How do I go about removing it without damaging the wiring harness itself? The truck has a tilt column, and the little bolts that hold it up broke, again. It's previous owner replaced it several times throughout his ownership of the truck and now it is my turn to fix it. Some of the little plastic stuff in there got hashed pretty bad from being driven damaged, the rather complex horn system isn't working at all anymore. How expensive are the different little plastic peices, and how would I got about removing those wires from the wiring harness without damaging them?

Included is a picture of my baby taken last Friday night before I got her up here tonight. Yeah, I know the trailer's deck is too light, but the welds all held up good and the axles are more than big enough to carry the truck.

[78SilveradoSWB]

Welcome to the board! You will find a lot of good advice, tips, rumors, and a shoulder to cry on as you embark on your project.

And check out the 73-87 Parts Board too, a lot of good bargains and honest guys to deal with too. If you want to sell or buy parts, this is the place to go. If you can't find a part, some one here can steer you in the right direction.

[apstguy]

Welcome! I'm currently trying to repair my intermitant horn too. The turn signal wiring can be pulled through the column as long as you are gentle. Just make sure you take off the harness protection plate - a metal plate with 4 big bolts holding it in. You can see it at the following website. Here is a complete dis-assembly: http://home.t-online.de/home/O_Scholz/steering.html

[Russell]

Originally posted by apstguy
Welcome! I'm currently trying to repair my intermitant horn too. The turn signal wiring can be pulled through the column as long as you are gentle. Just make sure you take off the harness protection plate - a metal plate with 4 big bolts holding it in. You can see it at the following website. Here is a complete dis-assembly: http://home.t-online.de/home/O_Scholz/steering.html

Sweet deal, this is exactly what I needed to know, I got as far as removing the harness plate under the dash before the mosquitoes chased me in tonight, I am quite happy too, I have the right size torx for tightening those bolts, and I am glad to see that my idea of threadlock is a good one! Thanks for providing this link, and let me assure you that you guys have a daily visitor now, much more active forum than I initally thought! I think that I toasted the horn when I was trying to slowly spread the signal light assembly apart to see what I could do to remove the harness I popped out a little grey cylinder that was attached in there and now falls out all the time, hopefully I can find a new one at a wrecker's place somewhere...

[1FaastC10]

welcome, ZiDigi! you're really gonna love it here. looks like you got yourself a great first vehicle. in the 6 years that i've been driving i've owned 7 trucks of this vintage. they're very easy to work on, and very easy to find parts for, which is just one of the many reasons i love them.

are you sure that trailer is okay? kinda looks like the axles are severley bent in the pic. :p

[old Rusty C10]

welcome to the board and um what the other guys said lol and oh yeah before ya can ask TTT means to the top and LOL means laugh out loud

[Russell]

lol, this isn't my first forum You could have called me a computer addict a couple years ago and I would have been proud =P I am used to using bump as the TTT shortcut, but it doesn't matter to me, oh, and to whoever commented about the axles, those are spares, the actual tires are behind them LOL, gave me a good laugh though, I never even though about it that way!

[Russell]

Alright, I was just doing some reading on the forum and noticed that a lot of people talk about tightening bolts to a certain torque, is this absolutely essential, and if so, where can I find a chart that describes the different tourqes for each bolt? I am mostly working on my steering column, master cylinder and muffler right now... I'll also have to go find myself a proper tourqe wrench... Been using breaker bars and ratchets for everthing so far... Good thing I have only been busy dissassembling and not assembling so far...

Thanks for all the help you have given me already, this has already been a real learning experience, and the truck hasn't even been home 24 hours yet!

BTW, feel free to call me Russell, Russ or Rusty, I only chose this name becuase Russell was used and I didn't think this was that active of a forum...

[LOHRTBT]

Welcome Russell, russ and rusty!! lol

[chevychic]

Welcome to the board!

Pick up a Haynes or Chiltons manual (or both!). That has most of the torque specs you'll need.

[Russell]

Where do you figure I could find one of those? This is my first truck, and I don't have a lot of experience with this stuff yet...

[chevychic]

Any of your local auto parts stores should have them or be able to order them for you.
Or you can order one right online: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...50107645&itm=5

[79BIG10]

Welcome to the board. If you have trouble with the column let me know I've changed mine out as well as torn my old one apart a few times. I got mine off Ebay rebuilt to factory specs for $115 shipped.

[Russell]

I've got it about 90 percent assembled, but I am having problems getting the black steering wheel lock and the plastic horn peice pushed in far enough against that spring to get the c ring back on... Other than that the whole thing is in good shape now, I was right in guessing that the tilt was loose becuase of those torx screws. But now what I am wondering is why the whole column wiggles so much, it seems to be wiggling where the shaft goes through the firewall...

[79BIG10]

Originally posted by ZiDigi
I've got it about 90 percent assembled, but I am having problems getting the black steering wheel lock and the plastic horn peice pushed in far enough against that spring to get the c ring back on...

On this you need a lock plate compressor for this. Auto Zone and others rent this tool out. It shaped like a U with a long threaded shaft and a cup at the end of it. This will compress the gear down onto the shaft enough to install the lock ring. You can see part of it here http://home.t-online.de/home/O_Scholz/steering.html Make sure to place the ring on the shaft before tightening down. Otherwise you will have to undo the compressor. Also make sure to center the U shaped press otherwise you can bend the locking gear. Yeah I have done both of those

Originally posted by ZiDigi
Other than that the whole thing is in good shape now, I was right in guessing that the tilt was loose becuase of those torx screws. But now what I am wondering is why the whole column wiggles so much, it seems to be wiggling where the shaft goes through the firewall...

On this you need to take off the lower plastic bezel under the column then the metal plate as well. You will then see 6 bolts. 4 bolts screwed into the column hold a bracket that support the column itself. This bracket is bolted up to the under dash with two studs. Make sure to tighten these us as well. Let us know if this doesn't help.

[Russell]

Alright, I got frusterated with the way the whole thing was clanking so hard and how the whole upper column moved when I shifted, so I pulled it all apart again (amazing how fast it goes when you know how it all comes apart!) and found that the silver piece that the torx bolts are attached to is broken, and it is broken becuase the shifting bar was stuck on the broken part, and thats why the whole thing was rotating with the shifter. Anyways, I put the shifter into it's proper place, and put the four torx bolts back in, tried to shift, and the whole grey assembly still rotated with the shifter... I haven't got a clue how to remove the end of the steering shaft that has the big ball that lets it rotate in all directions, so I can't get the broken peice out to see how it looks. I took the four golden bolts and the two nuts off the column already but I am not too sure what else I need to do before I can get the whole column out... Any ideas? It would make my life a lot simpler if I was working on my work bench where I have all the tools beside me and I actually have some light to work with...

I am glad that I took this apart though, I have found some pretty big issues that are above the loose torx bolts... Oh, and I got the horn going, I just touched the column to that brass peice that sticks out with the locking plate and it honked, scared the crap outta me! But anyways, I was wondering how I did it (all the electrical had been secured already, so I saw no harm in re attaching the battery, I do dissconnect it while working...) but after about five seconds I heard a rather large click in the engine compartment and the horn quit, any ideas about that?

Turns out that the steering column has been the worst part so far, the master cylinder cleaned up nicely, and the muffler went on without an issue, nice deep powerful growl now, flowmaster rocks, and dual exhaust is very nice =)

Hopefully someone has a couple pointers, hopefully I will be able to pass the help on when I have learnt some more and I can stop asking so many questions, must be getting on your guys' nerves by now...

[79BIG10]

I hate to say it but sounds like you got a broke bearing. Best thing you can do now is buy a new one. I bought mine for $100 shipping good as new all back to GM specs from a guy there. All he does is sell rebuilt columns and gurantees his work. Let me know and I'll give you his email.

On the horn you completed the circuit ( this is what happens whn you press on the horn) to make it honk. When it's pressed the contact under the horn button (the cup looking thing) presses against the brass ring and makes the horn go. On the pop I bet you blew a fuse under the dash. No biggie.

[Russell]

Yeah, I checked the fuse, its toast =P Good thing too, it would have sucked if it had blown while I was on the road...

I've been messing with the column more, and still haven't quite figured out why it isn't working for me. If anyone could give me the instructions for removing the column, I can just go to a wrecker and pull out the whole column from a truck there and cannablize it for my own use. The truck still shifts and steers, just that when I do shift, all my levers move with the shifting bar, the clunking has apparantly always been that way since they installed the bigger tranny in it a couple years back (it was installed professionally, so it isn't a problem with the transmission, just bigger gears moving around in there)

Anyways, I gotta go get some work done in the city, and hopefully I will have some time to work on the column more... Prehaps I won't have to pay 100 USD plus shipping for a new column...

[gchemist]

Welcome to the site.
You have a nice heavy hauler for the winter!!

[gmc7286chevy]

welcome!!

[Russell]

Well, she definitly needs a lot more work before she can haul anything, but I'm gonna do the best I can with the money I have for now, and if I do get a job this summer, I'll actually finish her and make her look as purty as she did when she was brand new...