Ignition switch conundrum

[XXL]

OK, as you may have noticed by my current line of questions in other posts, I'm fishing here...

As I understand it, the ignition switch in 67-72 trucks is the same one used way up into the 80's or so. Is this correct? And so the 73+ column-mounted ignition switch works the same way? That is, the switch makes contact on the starter wire and the truck fires up??? And so if I could figure out a way to meld a later-model steering column outer sleeve (the part behind the wheel that has the ignition switch in it) to a 67-72 column, then I'd have a workable setup???

What I'm trying to do is find a home for the ignition switch now that my dash is completely smooth. I am thinking about mounting it in a custom dash bezel but as ProSt68Trk and others have pointed out, having all this activity going on in the instrument bezel kind of defeats the purpose of smoothing the dash. I'm thinking that I could graft the protrusion from a 73+ column onto my existing culumn (it's pot metal... TIG weld it maybe? Heck, JB Weld it???) and snake the wires down through the center and tie them into the existing circuit. Then I get in and turn the column mount key and I'm off.

Anyone got any input on this? Ideas? I'm nuts?

Kenneth