my vette's telscopic steereing colum wont ever lock down in place.
could someone please explain to me how the telscopic system actually works and show me a diagram or something.

Thanks in adavance!

Nick

 

Here is how your telescoping column works. Underneath your horn button is a round locking lever. It should lock when you rotate it clockwise. It should unlock the telescope feature when you rotate it CCW.

Disconnect your battery and do the following. Take a screwdriver and reach under the horn button (#9, #10, #11) and pry it up and off. Use a phillips screwdriver to remove the three screws #8 and the upper horn contact #7 and the shims #6.
Now you should see two very small phillips screws (9420455) that hold the round locking lever (459083) to a part called the star screw. It is the star screw moving in and out that loads and unloads a locking rod that is down inside the upper steering shaft.

The locking rod acts on a wedge. When it loads the wedge it ***** the wedge and locks up the upper shaft from sliding. Rotating the star screw CCW so that it unloads the wedge allows the upper shaft to slide.

There are two common possible problems.
1). You just need to remove those two small phillips screws which releases the round locking lever. Now use a large phillips screwdriver to rotate the star screw CW and lock the upper shaft from sliding. Place the round locking lever so that the finger bump is at 1 o'clock. Reattach the lever to the star screw with the two small screws. Rotate the lever CCW and see if the shaft again telescopes. Tighten CW and see if it locks properly. Readjust if required until the locking lever works correctly. Reattach the shims and upper horn contact. Then attach the horn button.

2). If the star screw doesn't adjust properly and the upper shaft just continues to telescope. The following is a common problem. Sometime in the past someone removed the column from the car without the steering wheel. The locking rod fell out of the upper shaft. The steering wheel, horn and telescope parts were reassembled without the rod. If the rod is completely lost, your column requires a 0.22 inch diameter rod that is 3.7 inches long.

Some of the major suppliers do list the locking rod. If you get one from them, measure it and make sure that it is 3.7 inches long. The rod(s) were longer on some of the older telescoping columns.

Good luck and happy new year,
Jim

 

Either the locking screw needs adjustment or in my case install the two philips screws locking the screw and locking lever that the previous moron left out.

 

Do you know a website or place that sells the locking rod?
THANKS FOR THE HELP!

 

Here are three sources. The rod should measure 3.70 inch length.
Zip Products
1977-82
SC-734 Tele Lock Rod

Doc Rebuild
1978-82
Upper Shaft Lock Rod 6521532

Corvette Central
77-82
T&T Column Lock Rod 563349