DavidandJoansVette

I seem to have typical p/s leak issues. Switching to Borgenson steering has a lot of appeal and the various vendor price seems reasonable. HOWEVER one issue gives me pause- the sentence which says the column must be shortened or collapsed 1 to 2 inches for the pieces to fit. So my question is how difficult is the shortening to accomplish ? Thanks in advance ,

brent319

it is very easy. I put some vice grips on the shaft as a stop/marker and smacked it down into the column. I think I put a 2x4 over the end and beat on it a couple of times if I remember right. I really like the upgrade.

cagotzmann

And how easy is it to return to factory should a person decide to go back to factory original ?

Doesn't collapsing a steering column break something (injected plastic ) inside similar if it happened in a collision.

Kim72

I've had Borgeson steering for a very long time. Trust me, you won't go back.

David Mc

Mine collapsed fairly easily. (meaning the plastic pins are doing nothing but providing a friction fit)

The13Bats

This is a hang up to me also, i have not seen jim sheas opinion on it and he is the vette steering guru,
Im big into modding but gm designed the column in a certain safety way,

How would tampering with it effect liability in the event of an accident?

If there wasnt a kit being sold and just "some guy" said he planned a mod that requires the column shortening in this way on this forum he would get called a hack job bubba, but because its a sold kit that makes it okay

as a modder i dont believe its any big deal to bust the part and colaspe the column and if i do get in a crash how well will i fend either way but another hurdle is would it be worth it to me,

Ive had and daily driven vettes all my life and even manual steering wasnt horrible to me, perhaps tina might not have liked parking it though,

When the stock steering is really up to par its not bad, we cant gauge it with 30 40 50 plus year old warn parts...

Bikespace

I'm still working on it in my 79. I had to pull the steering column out to get it to collapse, and to use a Dremel to fix the damage done with a few missed hammer hits while it was still in the car. It collapsed easily enough when mounted in a vise, but there was no way I could have hit it that hard in the car with the engine still in place. Now I'm just waiting on parts to fix the problems I found when I pulled the steering column.

redcruz1120

Not hard. The key is to make your marks and take your time tapping. i used a small piece of wood and had to take small taps cause the engine was in the car. as far as going back? i doubt you'll want to.

jcloving

I used a 5lb sledge. I measured carefully the amt to move and tapped it in slowly.

I love the Borgeson upgrade. I did the hydroboost at the same time. Excellent upgrades for the C3. The Hydroboost really opens up the engine bay.

DavidandJoansVette

Hydroboost?