My money would be on the c clip also. I've actually driven mine VERY slowly around the driveway with the c clip out. Just as said, you can pull hte wheel right out, but it also goes right back in, you just have to hold it there.

 

A long time ago the steering wheel came off a 57 Chevy w/ aftermarket st. wh. about 60 (traffic lights leaving town) on 4 lane 2 way hwy. because there was no nut on top. Wound up in the median. At least I was able to put it back on for the about 50 mile hwy. drive home.

Jim
Sounds good! Very good info.!


I have adj. the tele. running on mine & some time ago on an El Dorado w/ a similar column.

 

I went and looked at a 68 vert the other day as a project. I loosened the tele lock and had the same thing happen. The whole wheel and shaft puled out about 8 inches. I looked at the seller and asked "Has this happened before?" He looked at me somewhat dumbfounded and said " No..... I think you pulled to hard." I laughed and walked away.

 

Glad, you stayed cool in that situation. Don't forget to use some leather conditioner on the drivers seat.

Gald your both fine.

 

What the hell were you and your wife doing in that car, that you all of a sudden pulled so hard on the steering wheel????

 

NOTHING ... just cruising ... honest

 

Jim

Finally had the time ( and courage ) to look at my column today ... the c-clip is still in place !!! It's as if - somehow - the wedge got so loose that the inner shaft ( attached to steering hub ) got loose enough to allow the separation ... is that possible ???

Mike

 

Mike,
Are you sure that the c-clip was fully installed? It should have been in place with a plastic retainer on top of it.

I have a loose yoke shaft, wedge, c-clip, locking rod, and upper shaft. When I assemble them, and the wedge is in place, it will not pass under the c-clip and allow the upper shaft to come out of the steering column, (even with the locking rod missing.)

Jim

 

Jim (others),
Re 1978 Corvette Steering/turn signal reassembly
I’ve been digging thru all your postings about the Corvette steering assemblies. Thanks so much for your work, and sharing it with the world. I do need a few more details with getting this all back together. As I posted earlier, I took my sons steering wheel off all the way down to the turn signal assembly. It had stopped working and I was troubleshooting as to what part failed. When I removed that ‘C’ clip and the springs pushed the “shaft lock plate” up, I knew I was in trouble….but anyway

I found the turn signal problem; there is a flat metal arm the goes from the lever to the plastic turn signal switch…it is broke. I found it at Ecklers (39212) for $16…do you know if GM still has this part? I would like to go ahead and fix it and not have to wait for shipping…..

Now, about getting this all back together….I cannot compress the spring/lock plate assembly enough to get the “C” clip in…when I press it all down, the shaft with the groove for the clip seems to move down also and I cannot clear the groove….I looked at the “steering column lockplate compressor” tool (including the instruction for making one) and believe this is what I need. What I don’t understand is what it attaches to so I can compress the plate/spring. I am reading your paper “ttcolumndr_1rev15jn2009.pdf” but don’t have the drawings/pics that it refers to? It looks like some how I use the inner shaft to screw into and lock it in place with the telescopic locking ring? But don’t see all that…I will be trying this all in the morning and maybe it will make better sense when it is in front of me..

Thanks again,
Brian

 

You need to lock the upper shaft from telescoping by installing the original star screw and tightening it against the locking rod and wedge inside the shaft. With the upper shaft locked, the compressor tool will work effectively. If the star screw interferes with the tool, go to a hardware store and purchase a 5/16-18UNC set screw to lock the shaft. (Just remember to remove the set screw and replace it with the star screw when you are finished.

The crossover arm is GM #7827038 and is still available through GM dealers.
Jim

 

hehehehehehe

 

I'm confused, concerning the turn signal canceling ring. I see conflicting pics/diagrams:
-The plastic canceling ring has 3 raised grooves that fit in the steel plate, 2 long and one short
- the ring also has a flat that matches the flat on the shaft.
Problem is the Canceling ring can go in either orientation:
a) the short raised groove up (puts canceling cams to the left at 10oclock)
or
b) the short raised cam down (puts canceling cams to the Right at 5oclock)
(yes, I screwed up not noting it before taking out, I assumed it would only go in one way)

The pic3 shows the clip going in from the top and the 2 long slots at the bottom...
my clip will only go in from the bottom...so i'm confused

thx,
Brian

 

If you follow the above picture showing the compressor tool pressing down on the locking plate you can't go wrong. It also shows the correct orientation of the upper shaft to lower shaft and the correct orientation of the upper shaft to the locking plate.

The locking plate goes on the shaft with the hub of the plate sticking up toward you. The cancelling cam fits into the underside of that locking plate. The three brass contacts are sticking up through the plate towards you. Those three brass contacts will touch the large conical spring and makes the horn grounding circuit.

Jim

 

Thanks Jim,
It is all back together, my sons off to work to make money to buy parts..
I will order a new "Signal Switch Arm" and I will also need a new "Carrier Snap Ring Retainer" (mine has some tabs broken off and it is very brittle..

Once those parts are in I will have to do it all over again....

A question on the spring and the horn contacts. The spring rests directly on the contacts, It looks like that spring would catch the horn contacts, am I missing something?
While assembling it I could hear the horn? relay clicking as I bumped the spring putting it in and out..but no horn
the horn has never worked.

part b of this project will be getting the hurn working at the same time I fix the turnsignal switch..

thank you all for your help

 

Geez! Glad that worked out ok. You must be doing something right! I have a nightmare every week or so about that happeneing on my daily driver Caprice wagon. Never has happened, but I still have the same dream. Headed off the road, steering wheel spinning free in my hands.

 

Funny, I had a similar thing happen to me about 20 years ago...I was driving my '57 Chevy Belair hardtop about 30mph, and the wheel and steering shaft came up out of the collumn about 4 inches. I had no steering whatsoever, and was fortunately able to bring it to a stop without hurting anything. I stopped about 2 feet short of a telephone pole. Since then, I rebuild/replace steering boxes on any old car. Cheap insurance. Glad no one was hurt, and the car wasn't damaged.

 

If you decide to have your column rebuilt correctly, call me.
Larry 817 296-1819

 

i had a similar experence with a 95 mustang gt. the steering shaft under the dash seperated, its a two piece shaft, one slides into the other, and they slid apart leaving me with a wheel that just spun free. lucky i was only going 15 mph,about to pull into my driveway,scarred me to death. ford said they would not help me. but i do know the sick feeling of no steering.i have a 68 t top vette with telescopic column, so i will take alook at mine someday. good luck to you. p.s. good lookin out jim shea cheers tom g.

 

With respect to your question a couple posts back.

"A question on the spring and the horn contacts. The spring rests directly on the contacts, It looks like that spring would catch the horn contacts, am I missing something?"

The big spring will rotate with the steering wheel hub, the toothed locking plate, as well as the lower horn contact. They all rotate together. So once in place, the big spring should always be in direct contact with one (if not all three) of the brass contacts sticking up through the locking plate. The plastic retainer should also prevent any part of the spring from touching the metal locking plate and causing the horn to blow continuously.

Jim

 

The cancel cam does not go on either direction!!!!! On the shaft that the cancel cam fits over there are two flats. One is deeper than the other except on '69 and maybe early '70.
The cancel cam has a bit of a built up spot in the center. That built up spot goes on the longest flat. The center of the lock ring has a raised spot on one side. That raised area goes up! Putting one together correctly makes thing go alot better. Questions....I got answers. I understand 69 1st design, 69second thru '71, 72-74, 75-6, 77, 78 first design, 78 second design, 78 third design thru 79 1st design, 79 second thru 80 and 81-82. All are different in many areas. corvette columns....that's what I do for a living.