Steering column question

[nollid]

So this weekend I had an incident with my 1986 K10. The steering column lock activated, and after trying everything I ended up taking the steering column apart and replacing the ignition lock cylinder. Now it will work intermittently and unlock the steering column, but I have to keep messing with the key and lever on the right side of the column that releases the key. Hopefully this is making sense.

I was wondering if I can completely remove the locking bar in the steering column that goes through the locking plate, or is it a necessary component in the steering column? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a pic of my steering column, I can get some more detailed pics tomorrow if needed.