Steering column question

[67Mach1]

I have a friend at work that needs to fix his steering column.

It's a 69 that at sometime someone pulled out on the steering wheel and decoupled the upper shaft from the clamp at the end of the column, At the compression clamp.

His question is this. He has tried to see about putting it back but something seems to be off inside the column and he cant push the wheel and shaft back in far enough to make the splines go into the clamp.

What could be causing this not to go in all the way?

If you grabbed the wheel and pulled back right now the wheel and shaft seem like they would come right out of hte top of the column?

Is something broken or bent inside?

Or shoud he just go back, man up and push it back down into the column and make the splines match up?


Thanks,
THomas

O

[gkesseru]

Move the lower shaft out of the way and see if the upper column can go all the way down. This will isolate the problem into which half to fix. If it's the lower shaft with the problem, he can easily unbolt the lower shaft at the rag joint and clean up the coupling with the female splines.

[67Mach1]

Originally Posted by gkesseru

Move the lower shaft out of the way and see if the upper column can go all the way down. This will isolate the problem into which half to fix. If it's the lower shaft with the problem, he can easily unbolt the lower shaft at the rag joint and clean up the coupling with the female splines.

Sounds good...

I;ll try to see what we can do. I'm supposed to go help him Friday. Pulled a full column from a truck I junked this weekend that I plan on taking just incase something is seriously wrong with the other one.