This is not a bad project and can be completed in a long afternoon with only
two tricky parts.
As you say the steering wheel, and steering column will have to come out and
access is made easier with the speedo and tach removed. I'm pretty sure this
requires removing the steering lock if you have one and that is tricky part
number 1 if you still have the shear bolts holding it on.
I find removing the clamp (just the other side of the bulkhead in the engine
compartment, two bolts hold it together) is the easiest way to free the upper
part of the inner column from the lower. This clamp is what prevents you from
getting skewered in the event of a frontal collision.
Make careful note of all brackets, steady bars, clips and felt pieces as you
take them off under the dash.
Once you have the column on the bench you will meet tricky part number 2,
removing the old bushes. You can remove the old bushes by removing the "ears"
where they protrude through the tube of the outer column and my technique is to
use the inner column as a drift to shove out the old bushes. The more of the
ears you can cut away, the easier the old bushes will come out.
The upper part of the outer column where the switches mount is just crimped
onto the lower part of the column. It wont take much manhandling so my advice
is to wrap this joint well with insulation tape or something that will come off
easily to discourage this joint from coming loose or even coming apart while
you remove and insert bushes because I have no idea to fix that.
The new bushes just get pressed in using a suitable piece of dowel, make sure
you fit the inner column before you fit the last bush. Align the bushes so the
ears protrude through the outer column as before. I chose to lightly lube the
inner column before I re-inserted it.
The column goes back in with no issues, if you have a steering lock I would not
personally bother with shear bolts. Before you assemble the rear bracket, get
all the wiring and the metal channel in place under the column and on top of
the felt before you fit the upper part of the bracket. If you dont do this now
you will never get that mess back together, especially if you have overdrive
wiring in the bundle.
Make sure you get the indicator cancel do-dad is in the right place (centered
on the switch) or the indicators will cancel even less than usual.
We have been through this before on this list so if you get stuck just come
back, many have been through this procedure in the past.
Stan
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-6pack@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-6pack@autox.team.net] On Behalf
Of Lizirbydavis@cs.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2006 7:27 PM
To: 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: steering column wobble
I need to install steering column bushings, etc.. TRF sells a kit. Can
someone describe what's involved. I know I'll have to pull steering wheel, the
speedo and the tach. What else can I expect? Is this difficult? I'll also
need to fix some wiring problems. When I installed OD a couple of years ago, I
found I was unable to stuff the OD wiring along with the existing lighting
wiring under the column. For now, I have it taped externally. Any hints as to
how to cram all this stuff under the metal locking cover? I don't see how it
will fit.
Joe Davis
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