Steering Column needs to be rebuild

[Gpaw44]

Thank you for your responses!

 

[Broken85]

If you have enough skill to get the whole column out today the truck I think you can do the build yourself. All you need is a big table and a lot of patience. I tried to do mine while it was still in the truck and regretted it immediately. If it has all the bells and whistles (tilt, intermittent wipers, cruise control) it is a bit of a chore but not impossible. Some great videos have already been posted above.

 

[YakkoWarner]

I need to have this done also - but have the added complication of some sort of hardened steel anti-theft armor over the column that has destroyed most of a set of Kobalt drill buts with barely a divit to show for results. I'd really like to find a non-tilt column and just be done with the whole mess since I never use tilt anyway. I can't imagine there would be much left to rebuild after torching off that steel overcollar.

 

[3 Ton]

The rear window switch for my burb was $160 from LMC.

 

[CalSgt]

I need to have this done also - but have the added complication of some sort of hardened steel anti-theft armor over the column that has destroyed most of a set of Kobalt drill buts with barely a divit to show for results. I'd really like to find a non-tilt column and just be done with the whole mess since I never use tilt anyway. I can't imagine there would be much left to rebuild after torching off that steel overcollar.

We need pictures...

 

[YakkoWarner]

We need pictures...

I'll take some tonight when I get home from work. I don't know if the column armor was installed strictly for anti-theft (not a bad idea in principle) or to hide already-existing damage.

 

[Bloodhound1981]

I need to have this done also - but have the added complication of some sort of hardened steel anti-theft armor over the column that has destroyed most of a set of Kobalt drill buts with barely a divit to show for results. I'd really like to find a non-tilt column and just be done with the whole mess since I never use tilt anyway. I can't imagine there would be much left to rebuild after torching off that steel overcollar.

Something like this? This is on my old column, I installed it in the '90's when trucks still got hot wired. It was no fun to remove.

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[Ricko1966]

I need to have this done also - but have the added complication of some sort of hardened steel anti-theft armor over the column that has destroyed most of a set of Kobalt drill buts with barely a divit to show for results. I'd really like to find a non-tilt column and just be done with the whole mess since I never use tilt anyway. I can't imagine there would be much left to rebuild after torching off that steel overcollar.

If you want to take the collar off,use a 4 inch grinder and a cut off wheel can probably cut it right at the seam deep enough to cut the bolts,if you can't just grind the heads off the bolts,he ll, I'd first see if I could cut screw driver slots in the bolts and back them out with a screwdriver,preheat the thread area with propane in case they used loctight.

 

[YakkoWarner]

If you want to take the collar off,use a 4 inch grinder and a cut off wheel can probably cut it right at the seam deep enough to cut the bolts,if you can't just grind the heads off the bolts,he ll, I'd first see if I could cut screw driver slots in the bolts and back them out with a screwdriver,preheat the thread area with propane in case they used loctight.

I took a couple pics when I got home from work:

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Keyswitch side

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Overhead

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Turn signal side

As best I can tell, the locking bars slide over vertical flanges along the upper and lower seams and keep it from sepearating into its 2 halves. There is a matching lock bar on the bottom but couldn't get the camera with the big flash in there to shoot it - it is dark out there. The lower lock bar is sort of visible in the keyswitch side photo.

Unfortunately there are no bolts/screws to grind...the lock bars have blind holes with what seem to be hardened roll pins driven into them from both sides. That is what they appeared to be when inspecting with a magnifier lens, but they could be some other sort of pin. They resisted all attempts to drill out, and I couldn't drill towards the blind hole from the other side to push them out (you can see how little progress I made on one of those in the turn signal side photo). I don't own either a plasma cutter or oxy-acetylene rig, and I can't imagine how many cut off wheels would be needed to abrasively cut those locking bars off.

I certainly don't even want to try doing it in the truck, metal filings would be everywhere. I feel like the safest bet would be to just swap the column (prefferably with a non-tilt) and then I'd be free to get as medieval on this as possible without risk of making the truck undrivable. I don't know if this was installed to cover/protect an already damaged column or if the plastic underneath is completely fine. If it IS completely fine, I'd rather not ruin it trying to get this armor overlay off.

 

[Ricko1966]

Drill bits and cut off wheels are completely different animals. I'd hit it with a cut off wheel,just to see how tough it really is. If you can cut it with a cut off wheel without too much trouble,I'd cut slits directly across from where the pins were driven in,then drive the pins back out from the other side. Then you can remove the lock bars. Have you tried drilling on the lock bar itself, it 8s probably way softer than the pins drill holes on opposite sides and drive out the pins.

 

[YakkoWarner]

Drill bits and cut off wheels are completely different animals. I'd hit it with a cut off wheel,just to see how tough it really is. If you can cut it with a cut off wheel without too much trouble,I'd cut slits directly across from where the pins were driven in,then drive the pins back out from the other side. Then you can remove the lock bars. Have you tried drilling on the lock bar itself, it 8s probably way softer than the pins drill holes on opposite sides and drive out the pins.

Yes - that was one of my ideas - drilling into the lock bar across from the holes to drive the pins out. 3 new bits later and I barely scratched the thing.

If I can figure out a way to protect the rest of the interior from flying grit I'll give the cutoff wheel a go, but I don't want to get fine metal flakes into everything.

 

[CalSgt]

Well Sir…


As far as I can tell the armored cover shouldn’t prevent disassembly, My column doesn’t have the C/C turn signal stalk though so that may be different.

Remove:
Wheel
Lock plate
Turn signal lever (older ones are just held on by a Phillips screw)
Turn signal switch
Tilt lever (older ones are threaded in)
IGN. Cylinder

Then the portion of the column with the armor should be able to be removed with the armor intact.

If you want to get rid of the theft deterrent just replace it with aftermarket, the kit I got at summit had that piece, a rack, a pinion and a spring. It was an affordable repair kit.

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[YakkoWarner]

Well Sir…


As far as I can tell the armored cover shouldn’t prevent disassembly, My column doesn’t have the C/C turn signal stalk though so that may be different.

Remove:
Wheel
Lock plate
Turn signal lever (older ones are just held on by a Phillips screw)
Turn signal switch
Tilt lever (older ones are threaded in)
IGN. Cylinder

Then the portion of the column with the armor should be able to be removed with the armor intact.

If you want to get rid of the theft deterrent just replace it with aftermarket, the kit I got at summit had that piece, a rack, a pinion and a spring. It was an affordable repair kit.

You must be registered for see images attach

Interesting thought - I just assumed it would require removal to disassemble the column. All I want to do is get at the 4 bolts in the base to tighten the floppy tilt mechanism, not trying for a total restoration. If it can be done with the armor in place even better.

 

[Ricko1966]

Interesting thought - I just assumed it would require removal to disassemble the column. All I want to do is get at the 4 bolts in the base to tighten the floppy tilt mechanism, not trying for a total restoration. If it can be done with the armor in place even better.

I wish I had known that 37 posts ago,I thought you just had some serious desire to get the Armour off. LOL.