What is this part under dash on steering column?

[72farmer]

I just bought a 87 c10 with a LS swap done on it.What is this part on the bottom of steering column?I am intermittently blowing fuses on brake light circuit. I finally have it narrowed down to when I have brakes applied and tilt the column up or down it pops the fuse.
How does the HVAC controls work?Are all the doors/flaps to direct air vaccumn operated?

[ray_mcavoy]

That part on the bottom of the steering column is the delay module for the windshield wipers.

As for the fuse blowing, there is a wire that runs from the brake light switch up through the steering column to the turn signal switch. It sounds like that wire probably has a worn/chafed spot in the insulation that is allowing it to short to ground when the column is tilted.