Steering Column Mod

[Diablo de la Noche]

My steering column is in sad shape. The bones are good, but the column shifter and all associated guts are gone, just leaving a gaping hole in the right side. What I was thinking of doing, is shaving off the hinge points and filling in the hole. This would save me a lot of $$ and I could document it just in case nobody has tried it yet.

So, the question is, has anyone tried this one yet? Or am I treading on dangerous ground? Any pointers?