shortening steering column

[63deluxfleet]

i was wondering how to shorten my steering coulmn i have a 63 c10 and its auto on the floor and i have no power steering either. and no tilt a stock column used to be a column shift but not any more. any help would be appreciated. thanks

[65ChevyUtah]

I took my stock column and cut it and used the bottom half of a 74 steering shaft as a sleave and rewelded it where it atached to the steering box. Hope that makes sense.

[shrunken66stroker]

Hey, basically take the column out of the truck completely. Mine was already out since the truck was torn down to the frame. It will come out with the pedal assembly attached and you can leave it that way. It's probably easier to take the steering wheel off first and you'll need a wheel puller. I used my wheel puller that I pull off a harmonic balancer or dampener with. It's a universal kit that you can pick up at any parts store if you don't have one. After you pull the wheel off, pay attention to how everything comes apart. You'll have to take the turn signal off and the trim rings behind the wheel on the column will have to come off too. One of them has a slotted twist lock on the back of it so take note of how it unlocks and what position it's in so you can put it back on right. Be careful with the wires and harness connector too.
Now you have a bare column to work with. There's a 6 or 7" long collar that goes over the column with two screws in the bottom of it. A few inches of the bottom half will have to be cut out to fit back on right after you take the three inches out of the column.(see pics) There will be only one screw in it after you're finished. The column itself is just a straight three inch cut out. Take your time and make sure you have enough room for the trim ring that you cut to go back on with the screw in the bottom. I MIG welded the column back together and it was really simple. The weld is easy, just make sure the column is pretty straight and after your done it will be covered up anyways. Re-assemble everything in reverse order of how it came off and you're done. You'll also have to take the same amount you cut out of the column off of the end of your steering shaft. I'm converting to power steering and since I have to replace the rag joint at the end, this is a perfect time to do it. The power steering kit I'm buying has a new rag joint and a steering shaft coupler to adapt it to the power steering gear box. If you're not planning on converting then just shorten the shaft and weld it back together or you may be able to get a new rag joint for the end and just reconnect it that way.
If you have any other questions. I'll be around this weekend. This is a really long winded explanation of an easy job. The whole thing took maybe 2-3 hours total. I hope this helps.

There are a few pics on my thread. Check it out. If you have questions PM me.