my whacked column rebuild

Finally, efficient use of tax money by the Guv.



Good work on the boot clip !

@Goldie Driver,

Thank you. I thought it was going to go right in there. HA! So such dang luck. It was those bent up little wire ends that was the problem. I could get one but it was the other one that was hard because I had to push hard up against that flat washer and then push hard on that wire end while trying to hold onto it with a pair of needle nose pliers. I finally got the little bugger. And it's tight to so I'm not going to fool with it. I put the intermediate shaft in today and took pics but I'm not going to post them so I can do it in order of install and I'll point out things in particular that need attention.

Today I decided to go ahead and put the column in. I already put the intermediate shaft in the other day. Locate the flat spot on the end of the steering sector shaft. This pic is of the flat spot on the rag joint. It's not that clear but the flat spot is in front of the silver nut. keeping the two flat spots lioned up, put the rag joint on the sector shaft.

The above pic is installing the intermediate shaft onto the rag joint. I kept those star washers and cleaned them up. You can see them back on this post like around page 2, or 3. They were under the intermediate shaft base so I put them back there. Then placed the shaft on the rag joint and fumbling with those stepped bolts got them in and put the nuts on and tightened them up. I have to apologize right here because I failed to photo the column going in and how I had to line up it with the intermediate shaft. Put this pic is the nuts are just on the column bracket under the dash with the nuts on by a couple of threads so I could wiggle it around as I got the end of the steering column shaft end and the end of the inter. shaft coupler connected. But here's what it needs to look like when the bolt cut out at the end of the column shaft inside the end of the coupler. This pic is that bolt cut out at the end of the steering shaft, and how it's seen between the place on the coupler where the big bolt goes through that clamp at the top of the coupler. And the big stove bolt is in the clamp at the top of the coupler "trapping" the steering shaft end. You can't get the steering shaft into the coupler without first removing that bolt. Then it slides right in. I had to tap lightly on the bottom of the coupler where the seal is to get the coupler to move up the steering column shaft so that bolt cut out would line up. Then I could put the bolt in. Once you've got the bolt in go ahead and tighten it up. Just snug it up, it doesn't need to be torqued. Just make sure it's tight. This is the bracket that's part of the firewall. It is there along with the clamp plate, or whatever you want to call it, that will secure the steering column whwere it comes through the firewall.

Then put the clamp plate on. Now the nuts that go to that clamp plate are shaped. They are self locking nuts. The top of the nut is beveled. That bevel goes up when installed on the bolts of the clamp plate. Then tighten them up. Now since they are locking nuts they are going to be hard all the way down. Just keep turning until the nut stops then you will know they are all the way down.

The above pic: Then get the shift lever rod, that goes to the transmission linkage, that you dropped when you were removing the steering column out of the truck, bring it up and put the bent end of the rod back into the shift arm grommet on the column end. And put that little spring clip back into the hole at the end of the rod.

There should be a nylon sleeve that is inside the rubber grommet. Don't let it stick out or it will interfere with finding the little hole on the rod that the clip goes in. If so, take the rod out of the grommet, push the nylon sleeve back in so it's flush with the rubber grommet hole, then put the rod back in and try again to stab the clip through the hole in the rod end, and push it in far enough so it is on there where it won't fall out.

As in the above pic. I don't think the clip I used is the correct one. I had the original one but it was bent spread apart, so that it went in but wouldn't clip securely. So I went and got one out of my open stock and used that one. When I find a new one like the original one I'll change this one out.

Now, I'm ready to finish the inside of the truck which I will do tomorrow. I've exerted myself way more than I needed to today so I'm stopping. Oh yeah, go ahead and put the firewall cover plate on. Hopefully you've kept up with the screws that go to it because they are specific body screws. Now the column is in. Yippee!!

When I get it all done I'll put up the pics of what it looked like and the restored column so people can see. But this so far is like night and day from where it was.

I want to show you all something, how I have been driving with my front end so wore out. It's not ignorance, it's called POOR! Look at the right side back of this photo at the big nut on the upper A arm. See it? Right above the brake line at the frame. There's supposed to be a bushing behind that big washer. It's gone! And notice how the circular part of the edge of the A arm right there where the bushing is supposed to be, the metal part of the edge of the circular opening is busted out! And looking at it today it looked like part of the bushing sleeve is also busted out as well. This is from the long bolt shaft hitting it real hard under load driving down the street probably in turns pulling on the bolt shaft.

Did I describe it okay? Can ya'll see what I'm talking about? It's where the bushing is supposed to go, is busted out! I've already ordered a new upper A arm from Moog. It's coming with a new upper ball joint in it already. I probably should be prepared to buy all new ball joints to, you think? I already have all the bushings from Energy Suspension, for a long time now, and all the tie rod dust boots and ball joint boots as well.

You can't believe how shocked I was when I saw that. I thinking now, "Well, thank you God for not letting me have a wreck." This is the side that will get the frame straightened, both sides probably but this is the side that was hit in an accident back in the '80's. I got it fixed a little by a friend who had some chains buried in the floor of his shop and pulled on it.

1. Well, today I spent a couple of hours trying to get ahead on doing the interior part of the column install. I had to undo the big bracket under the column that holds the column to the underside of the dash so I could gain some room getting those dang plugs back into the ignition switch and the neutral safety switch. The neutral safety switch wasn't hard after I got some light on it. The way it's right at the end of the column and on top, and up against the firewall there's like a little shadow where the pins are. Once I got a light down there I could see where the pins were and got the plugs pushed on.

2. Lowering the column gave me the room I needed to finally get the plugs pushed on the ignition switch. That is after I figured out which way they needed to be turned to go on. It had been so long I could not remember. I had to pull the wire down and try different ways to put them together to figure how they went, you know they fit together in the switch. If you have one out of position you'll never get them plugged in. Once I got it figured out they plugged in right together.

3. Then I moved on to the steering wheel and found out the three stepped bolts that come in the Grant steering wheel adapter kit were a bit to short. Once screwed down they were pushing the horn plate down onto the steering wheel, where once the horn button cap thing was pushed on, you couldn't move it up or down. The stepped bolts were turned down as far as they were supposed to go but as it turned out the bolt heads were right on top of the horn plate.

4. So I spent an hour looking for washers for the stepped bolts, that once screwed in will keep the heads of the bolts from pressing on top of the plate trapping it. The horn plate is that phenolic metal sandwich thing the horn power wire fixes to, and snaps onto the horn button with the spring under it. This is so when you push down on the horn button the spring depresses and then as it touches the metal steering wheel, ground is made and the horn sounds.

I'll have some pics tomorrow. I was hurting to much today from all I did yesterday, and I wanted to try and get as much done as I could today.

Well, it was raining all day so I couldn't get any work done. Besides after working hard for two days in a row I can barely move today, I need to rest for a couple of days then hopefully I'll feel well enough this weekend to try and finish up on it. But in the meantime I did get my upper A arm in today. I'll show you a pic of the part that's busted on the one in the truck, then you can compare the two photos and you'll be able to see what's busted out. See all the bushing material, bushing sleeve that is missing from what's in my truck now? This is a cold stamping. It's tuff as hell. It would take tremendous force to break this out, but mine's broke! Well, when you don't have any bushing left, as in the pic below, it's easy for the bolt to smash into this collar and eventually break it. As in this photo. See the big nut on the A arm? Then you have the big washer right behind the nut. Then there's a space, that's where bushing material is supposed to be, and there is none. Then you can see, I guess part of the bushing sleeve, and then that collar on the A arm, the part that's busted out. Now, look at the photo of the new one and compare the two. Bad, huh?

This is the new A arm. Well, I paid Moog for this but you know how it is, there's fifty vendors between Moog and the final destination...me. I mean it's okay, but I can't afford American made much of anything in these kinds of parts. "And look boy's and girl's. Can we spell Commie exploitation"!!

Here's one thing I know is American made. Energy Suspension. These are my new leaf spring bushing set. Now, I did a very thorough search for the correct set. Ener. Sus. said these were for '67-'88 leaf spring bushings for GM full size trucks. They said they measure 1 3/8". These measure somewhat less than 1 3/8", more like 1 1/4" - 5/16" Not a solid 3/8". Now, the one's for the K10 4x4 measure 1 1/2". I have had a problem with Ener. Sus. putting the wrong bushings in the right bag. I hope this isn't another one of those times. Well, better to send them back and switch them out now, here at the house, than when the truck is in the shop and I'm paying for storage waiting for parts.
Do ya'll know what size your eye measures, you guys with K5, K10, 4x4? I can't get a good measurement on mine unless I take one leaf spring end loose, push the bushings out and measure the eye. Just eyeballing them, mine look bigger. I wouldn't be surprised if I had the 1 1/2" leaf's, one's for a 4x4. Why? Because my truck has been strange like that. Stuff that's not usually on a light duty pickup is on mine, from the factory. Here's the part number for these if any of you would want a set for your truck. Well, heck. I was hoping the instruction sheet would come out clearer than this. And this pic is what you get in the set for the back at the link and shackle. I bought three sets because Ener. Sus. said, in the full set is enough for each end of the spring. It doesn't include the link bushing set, just the leaf eye's. Well, that doesn't do much good if all three aren't replaced at the same time.
You know what's in that tube, don't ya'. No, it's not that! It's that dang silicone that if you get it on you it's nearly impossible to get it off. I use M.E.K. to get it off.

Today I finished putting in the horn contact plate. Yep, this thing. Here's the step bolt that provides a way for the horn contact plate to slide up and down on so as to make contact with the steering wheel, it's metal and as it makes contact with the steering wheel, it grounds and the power goes through the circuitry and the horn hocks. But my problem was the step up on the bolt is to short and when the bolt goes as far as it can go it traps the contact plate under the head of the bolt. Screwing it down with the bolt as it is. In this pic I am trying to pick up on the plate and it's trapped against the steering wheel.

So, I got a washer that is some aircraft hardware I have, and tried two at first. This is two washers, and it was to many. Yeah, it was allowing the plate enough room to rise up off the steering wheel, but I didn't need it to be that high. So I took off one washer. One was perfect, and I put the bolts on. And now the horn button is just high enough off the steering wheel like it should be.

So, the last thing to do was to change out that spring clip I put on the shift arm at the end of the steering column I did the other day. This pic is the correct one that goes on the end of the shift linkage. It clips on right there at the first hump after the end of the clip. If you can make it out, it's on the end of the linkage where it goes in the shifter arm. I couldn't get the camera in there it was to tight for me. I was already laying down along the inner wheel well and just aiming the camera in there. This pic is of the one I had in there. See, it's to big. I was afraid it might jam the linkage at the arm somehow. You know how it is, it's "Murphy's Law". And I'll guarantee you with my luck, it will happen at the worse possible time to. And now the steering column rebuild is done and I'm ready to go!!