I have a 78 Pace Car and the black tip of the turn signal lever is broken off. I have been trying to find this and I am not having much luck. I checked w/ Dr. Rebuild and the 78 turn signal they had was a straight lever. The lever in my car has an approximate 30 degree bend in it towards the steering wheel. The only one they had like that was with cruise and of course it was not in stock. I guess it is possible that the column could have been replaced at some point. I found this on ebay and it appears to look like the lever in my car but is off an 82. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Corve...67358098QQrdZ1

My column is a tilt/telescopic w/out cruise.

Could any Pace Car owners let me know what their lever is like. Also if anybody could give me advice on places to look for the part that would be great! Even if I could just find the black tip that would work.

 

I have a 79 with Tilt/Tele and no cruise and it has the same turn
signal lever You are describing.I have never been able to find a correct
replacement. I have bought several that are supposed to be"correct"
but they always turn out to be straight. I too will be watching this
thread to see if anyone can help with a source for this elusive piece.
Dennis

 

I did some research on this over a year ago, trying to nail down the 77 one year only lever used for turn signal, high beam and wiper/washer. But everything I wrote up from 78-82 has to do with levers and cruise control. I think I concluded that standard levers (turn signal and no cruise) were similar to early levers like 76. They screw in and those were for tilt/telescopic columns. Levers for standard columns use a screw. Check it out and if that makes sense...let me know.

 

I checked my 1983 Parts & Illustrated Guide to Corvette parts and it lists #14009242 as the lever with **** for tilt/telescopic without cruise control for 78-82 Corvette models...if thats any help.

 

Hammer = bend

I didn't know Pace Cars came without cruise control. I thought the only options were CB radio, FE7 suspension, engines and transmissions.

Check under your hood to see if you have a cruise control transducer, it would be a little brass/cadmium box near the washer fluid reservoir. Your speedometer cable would go straight into it.

-Steve

 

Even as We speak I am holding a # 14009242 lever in the original
never opened GM package and it is a straight lever, not the one with
the bend in it. Just for Your information it has no threads on the end
and no holes in the end to attach it with screws.It does have a groove
cut in the end and appearently is held in by some type of snap ring.I
have looked for a long time for the correct lever with the bend in it
without any success. Dennis

 

Does your lever have a bend in it or is it straight?

 

Hey fellow pacer.
The cruise control RPO K-30 was an option for an additional $99.00 retail charge.

I havn't had the luxury of taking my turn signal stalk out of the column yet. Mine HAS cruise control and the stalk DOES have that bend in it too. If you have a friend headed to Carlisle, let them look for you. If not, some parts company must have a 'non-cruise' stalk in stock. Perhaps GM restoration parts thru your local Chevy dealer? Its amazing what they can still get as NOS.
Mike

 

Well, I suspect the 14009242 could be a service replacement that superceded the original non-cruise tilt/telescopic. An original number would probably fall in the number sequence of 9xxxxxx. I'll check another source.

So are you suggesting this is not correct?

 

Just to get things correct:

Starting the 1977 model year, (and for all years through 1982) all turn signal levers "plugged" into the dimmer pivot that was built into the left side of the steering column. This was for both the standard (non-adjustable) as well as the T&T columns.

The 1977 lever controlled the windshield wash/wipe, the headlamp dimmer, and the turn signals. I assume that there were different levers for the standard column or for the T&T. The cruise control option became available that year and was turned on and off by a button on the end of the tilt lever for that one year only.

In 1978 and for all years through 1982, the windshield wash/wipe was again controlled by a switch on the instrument panel. So the lever on the steering column controlled only the headlamp dimmers and the turn signal switch. Again, I assume different levers between standard and T&T columns. There was still another lever that had a button on the end and wiring for optional cruise control.

1979 was the last year for the standard steering column. Only the T&T was offered starting the 1980 model year.

Sorry that I can't help with which levers were bent or not.

Jim

 

I think You are exactly right.The #14009242 is the generic service
replacement which will work just fine when replacing the original one
with the bend in it,"it just don't look right" but GM could care less how
it looks.I suspect if You had replaced the turn signal lever in the early
eighties the correct one with the bend in it would have been available.
But then what do I know(not much). Dennis

 

I went through this when I rebuilt the colum in both of my pace cars. The bent lever for use with cruise or without is for the 78 and early 79 cars only. Late 79 to 82 uses the straight lever and 77 is a one year only.
I had a good time to find the correct pivot that is in the colum, I have a good parts man at the dealer that found one from memory that actually went in a buick regal.
You can use the replacement straight lever, but you have to use the pivot that works with it from the late 79-82 cars.
The bent lever is very hard to find and very expensive, I found one on e-bay a while back that was correct, I tried to buy it to have as a spare and quit bidding just over $100.00. It sold for around $150.00 best I recall.
I hope this helps with the confusion, and not adds to it.

 

As a matter of fact it does help and I have 2 early 79s one with
cruise one without and as you point out both have the bent lever.
As for the one on ebay,I probably would have quit bidding before You
did! Dennis

 

Could it be possible to take the plastic end off one lever and put it on a bent one? My lever is fine the plastic broke off the end of it?

 

I confirmed this with an NCRS parts guru...the 14009242 is a replacement for the 1978 application and first saw service as the PRODUCTION piece for 1980 Corvettes. It became the SERVICE part for 1978 Corvettes without cruise control and with tilt wheel after the original lever, GM #470342, was discontinued in February, 1980.

So, the #470342 is the original part number lever for 78 Pace Cars with tilt/telescopic but no cruise control.

 

Would it be possible to bed the new piece to look like the old lever?

 

I have a 78 and got the bent lever from Chevy dealer, a few years ago I had problems when I was under the dash and got out from under and broke the lever. When I took it apart some of the plastic parts were "dry" or old and broke so they rebuilt it. the lever just snaps in.

 

Well I learned something today. I have some drawing material for the Saginaw C3 T&T steering columns. They usually go by model years.

The 1978 and 1979 T&T columns have the hole for the turn signal lever in the steering column dimmer pivot sticking out from the plane of the instrument panel at an angle of 21 1/2 degrees.

The 1980 dimmer pivot angle was changed and increased to 46 1/2 degrees.

So the 78-79 column had a turn signal lever with a bend in it so that the tip of the lever ended up closer to the steering wheel because the dimmer pivot was at less of an angle.

The 1980 column has the angle of hole in the dimmer pivot increased from 21 1/2 to 46 1/2 degrees, thus a straight lever comes out of the column at a steeper angle and probably the end of the straight lever ends up about the same place as the earlier bent lever.

Many times, the customer (in this case, Corvette) may request that a certain change be "pulled ahead" to balance inventory or for other reasons. So even though my drawing may say that the steering column with the 46 1/2 degree dimmer pivot was to be a 1980 model year change, that doesn't mean that it couldn't have been "pulled ahead" during the 1979 model year thus initiating the "Late 1979 model year" change over to the straight turn signal lever.

One of my papers calls out two dimmer pivot part numbers. I will stick my neck out and indicate that most likely 7833283 is the original dimmer pivot with the 21 1/2 degree angle. 7833704 would be the later dimmer pivot with the 46 1/2 degree angle. By the way, GM Parts Direct no longer lists 7833283 as an available part number. The P&G websight still lists 7833283 as a good part number.

It probably makes sense to GM, if you can't get the bent lever any longer, then why not cancel the original pivot that was used with the bent lever.

 

Nice work Jim!

So in summary, all 78-79s (except possible late 79s) with T&T non-cruise had bent directional signal levers.

Now, if one can't get the correct bent lever for their Pace Car, they can change out the dimmer pivot to the 46 1/2 degree angle part and accomplish the same thing in terms of distance from the steering wheel but then sacriface originality.

Have I got it?

 

I am glad I asked the question we are all learning a little something here!