Steering colum question

[eightbanger]

Can the colum be moved down or forward through the firewall further to gain a couple more inches of space between me and the steering wheel? this is my first truck and maybe i've been spoiled with the room you get in cars....but I keep feeling like I want to shove my seat back more to get a bit more elbow room.

Don't get me wrong, im not complaining,,,,cause I luv my Chevy.

[72swb_327stroker_?]

is this the stock truck column?

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by 72swb_327stroker_?

is this the stock truck column?

Yes, as far as I know.

[72swb_327stroker_?]

here ya go!
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=191143
this is in the faq index thread, it was created by the gods of this forum.
check it out loads of experienced help!

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by 72swb_327stroker_?

here ya go!
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=191143
this is in the faq index thread, it was created by the gods of this forum.
check it out loads of experienced help!

Thanks mate, this is just what I was talking about.

Nigel..

[PanelDeland]

Beat me on the search,72swb good work!!

[72swb_327stroker_?]

no problem bud!
glad to help

[eightbanger]

OK, I've read everything that putter said, and even started the task but when I got it all disconected the colum would still not move down, had a look under the hood and found that the gear linkage won't let it move any more than 1/2"...will I have to modify the linkage? ie: bend it or something.
And the bit I don't have any idea about is the pins and intermediate shaft, were are they and what do they look like? Putter also said that if they had stopped 1/2" sooner they would not have had to touch them, and that's how I would like to do it.

Sufice to say I put it in the too hard basket....for now.

[PanelDeland]

I haven't done this(3 on the tree) but the pins are further down than your pics show.You will probably have to adjust your shifter.

[72swb_327stroker_?]

hey 8banger,
the pins are on the smaller lower shaft that slides into the bigger of the 2 piece intermediate shaft. the pins are kinda hard to see, especially if the wheel is turned the wrong way. in Putter's thread there are some good pics of them on page 2... about 3/4 of the page down. they are plastic pins designed to fail and break in order for the steering column to collapse in a serious accident so as not to throw the column into the passenger compartment. factory airbags would have been a better solution
just drill em out like rivets... you've done most of the hard work, now get in there and finish it so that you can drink a beer and look at it with a smile on your face

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by 72swb_327stroker_?

hey 8banger,
the pins are on the smaller lower shaft that slides into the bigger of the 2 piece intermediate shaft. the pins are kinda hard to see, especially if the wheel is turned the wrong way. in Putter's thread there are some good pics of them on page 2... about 3/4 of the page down. they are plastic pins designed to fail and break in order for the steering column to collapse in a serious accident so as not to throw the column into the passenger compartment. factory airbags would have been a better solution
just drill em out like rivets... you've done most of the hard work, now get in there and finish it so that you can drink a beer and look at it with a smile on your face

I will get back to it for sure 72swb, might have to wait till the weekend though, must say I don't see me doin it in an hour..think i'll put aside a day...that should cover it i'll just keep thinking of that beer when for when its done, remember it's that little bit harder for me living here in the UK, I can't get parts that easy if I cock this thing up.

Thanks again mate...your one o the good guys!

[72swb_327stroker_?]

thanks for the compliment!
glad to help!!
hope it comes out right....
and i'm glad to see your representing us in the uk with that fantastic truck!!!
keep on truckin

[Putter]

Look at the photo below. This is where the pins are found. YOUR pins are very likely covered in decades of dirt and crud. Mine were almost impossible to find by just looking. I had to scrape on it first. You will almost surely have to remove this portion of the column to do the work. Once you have it out, hit it with a wire brush, or similar crud-removing tool. You should see the pins. Some are metal, some are plastic. Just drill them out with a slightly larger drill bit, then soak every crack you can find with some lube (or crud-buster). Then just stand it up on one end and give the other end a good whack or two...or 3, 4, 5, 6, whatever it takes. Once it breaks free, you can move it in & out with your hands. The rest is cake.
Mine was a pain in the butt. I had to collapse it to make a van tilt work.
Subtle71's was easy, since I knew already what to do (his is the one we moved inward).
So, it most likely isn't that you are doing it WRONG, it's just that you haven't done it right yet.
Keep pecking at it. It'll give up sooner or later!

[eightbanger]

Thanks Putter! sorry to have made you go over this again...I wana get this thing right first time.

[Redneck-Mafia]

Hey, these guys are dead on!
I just finally finished this and doing it solo, it was an all day sucker.
If you can get in there with a Dremel extension with a drill bit or smaller drill, you won't have to remove the shaft. I removed it and found I should have left it attached to the column and removed the whole thing (easier). The shift linkage stays in the same place just leans forward more. You can "center" your column (gear display window) but not in park! BTW, block the wheels! It's hell to catch running downhill after you knock it out of gear!

The only problem I ran into is the neutral safety/ reverse light switch. Moving the column down 4" puts the hole outside the firewall, keeping it in the cab only moved the column 1/2". I connected mine to the wires and bolted it to a peice of metal under dash for ground and run without reverse lights currently. On another thread they tell of using a '81 or earlier van column with tilt and the NSS hole is located higher up, or cutting a new hole for the NSS about 4" above the original one. Moving closer means moving down too, you may want to use a tilt column to get the wheel back "up" to normal position.

Good Luck!
Dave

[BigSky71]

Originally Posted by Redneck-Mafia

....cutting a new hole for the NSS about 4" above the original one. Moving closer means moving down too, you may want to use a tilt column to get the wheel back "up" to normal position.

That is what I resorted to, modding the column to move the NSS up. I think I moved mine about 3.5". And yes, moving the column that far does move the wheel down, now I have to shorten my seat mounting brackets!

[northerngmc]

eightbanger, is your truck a 3 speed column shift or an automatic?

Just curious, has anyone successfully completed this on a 3 speed column shift?

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by northerngmc

eightbanger, is your truck a 3 speed column shift or an automatic?

Just curious, has anyone successfully completed this on a 3 speed column shift?

Mines automatic, but it does have two slots in the colum, and putter said that having the two slots meant it was a van colum....so I guess my colum aint origianal.

[Gray Ghost]

I've got my write up here....did two of them in 8 hours. I wish I had known that was the nuetral safety switch, I could have moved mine 3". I've never seen a column move more than that. As it was, I gained 2" in the 70 and 2.5" in the 67. MUCH more comfortable to drive....

http://www.hannawoodworks.com/67SCC1.html

[dazza]

Before I go beating the hell out of the shaft to get it to move.....

I've drilled the pins through all the plastic until I hit the inner shaft. Is this where I stop or do these pins go all the way through??

2 pins total or 4 small plastic pins?

Thanks...

[Redneck-Mafia]

Originally Posted by dazza

Before I go beating the hell out of the shaft to get it to move.....

I've drilled the pins through all the plastic until I hit the inner shaft. Is this where I stop or do these pins go all the way through??

2 pins total or 4 small plastic pins?

Thanks...

4 pins total. 2 each side. do not drill thru the inner shaft.
Good luck!

I stand corrected by eightbanger! Thanks for setting us straight.
Dave

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by dazza

Before I go beating the hell out of the shaft to get it to move.....

I've drilled the pins through all the plastic until I hit the inner shaft. Is this where I stop or do these pins go all the way through??

2 pins total or 4 small plastic pins?

Thanks...

Look at the pic above of the shaft, the plastic pins run through from one side to the other you just drill straight through...you can also heat them up with a blow torch and melt them out if you find that easier.