1959 Signal body to column moving!!!

[northerngmc]

Just wondering if anyone on here has found a solution to getting the signal switch cone on the column to stay tight on 55 - 59 trucks?

I am refering to the cone that houses the signal light switch on the steering column. I can tighten mine up and then after a few drives it is loose again and when you signal the arm and cone rotate on the column.

[Russell Ashley]

This must be a common problem on these trucks. I bought a used one from a forum member but it had apparently been loose for so long that it was worm beyond using. I bought a new one from BowTie Bits and thought that would correct that problem, but it didn't. The slot in the housing was wider that the tab on the steering column. I cut a small piece of thin steel and formed it to fit over the tab on the top of the column so that when I pushed the turn signal housing over it it was tight.
I had a second problem with my new reproductions part. I noticed (steering wheel removed) that the screw that the lever pivots around was turning when I moved the turn signal lever in either direction. I found that the shoulder on the screw was not long enough so that when I tightened the screw it bound up the mechanisim. I carefully filed the part where the pivot screw goes through enough so that when I tighten the screw it doesn't bind and the turn signal lever moves smoothly as it should. If I had noticed this first I might not have needed the shim.
If this doesn't make sense I can post some pictures that might help to explain it.

[northerngmc]

Yes I would like to better understand what you did for the second problem. Did you make the hole bigger so the screw did not bind?

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by northerngmc

Yes I would like to better understand what you did for the second problem. Did you make the hole bigger so the screw did not bind?

The hole was OK, it was the shoulder on the screw that was not long enough. Here's some pics that might explain it better. This is the old one that I'm not using. This was an original part and it has the same problem as my reproduction had. It binds when you tighten the pivot screw.
This pic shows the housing, screw, and the part that rotates on the screw. The red arrows point to the surfaces that you file down. Hold the file flat on the surface and keep it straight. The housing and the rotating part both have shoulders where they meet and the shoulder on the screw isn't long enough to keep them from binding when it's tightened down. You can see from the second pic how far the shoulder on the screw extends out. File enough off so that when you tighten the screw the moving part can rotate freely. Do most of the filing on the top as filing the bottom changes the relationship of the part to the switch. I only filed the bottom enought to smooth it up.

[northerngmc]

Thanks, that helps.

I couldn't quite visualize how if the shoulder on the bolt was too short how filing was going to help!

So now it will stay tight?