I did a search and it seems Jim Shea's papers are the place to go ...very informative.
Looking at the shaft above the rag joint I had a spring hanging out of the column where the shaft goes into. I took it out for a ride the other day and there was a clicking (I figured it was the spring) the steering started tightening up on me. The wheel was getting harder and harder to turn. I looked in again and the spring had traveled up where I can barely see it and I can not get it back out. I looked in my shop manual and there is no spring for the t&t wheel on a 68...but Jim Shea's exploded view has one above and below the bearing (i think)...he explains that the manual is actually wrong......
does this sound like the spring has come loose and is just binding up in there or the bearing itself...I do not know the ins and outs of the steering column, so I appolagize if this sounds really stupid...
Thanks,
Jeff

 

Not the greatest pic with the booster in the way, but I hope this helps, heres my 68 tele column connection. I believe its correct. Theres 1 coil of the spring showing in that pic. I remember years ago hearing a clicking sound too, but for me it was the brake lines hitting a part of that lower column connection. Is your lower bearing in good condition ?

 

The parts in my exploded view of a 1968 Corvette telescoping steering column match the parts on the actual Saginaw steering column assembly drawing.

I only see one spring at the lower end of the steering column. The parts in the blowup are in this order:
#22 Clamp with a nut and bolt
#21 Plastic spacer
#20 Some sort of packing (felt?)
#25 Stamped washer
#18 Spring
#16 Stamped retainer
#17 Retainer screws
#15 Lower bearing

If there is some sort of binding that you can feel in the steering wheel, I can only urge that you locate the source of the problem and have it fixed. You certainly don't want things to progress where you could become a hazard on the road. This may require that you pull the steering column so that it can be determined if the source of the increasing effort is indeed the lower bearing and spring. BTW, lower bearing replacement parts are available through various Vette suppliers.

There were lots of changes to the lower bearing area with the 1967 Corvette steering column. Things had pretty much settled down by the 1968 model year. Unfortunately, the 1968 Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual did not catch up to the changes. I am very sure that the parts shown in my blowup are correct for late built 1967s and the entire 1968 model year.

Jim

 

That is exactly how it looks now...before the spring was down the shaft further...laying on the spacer (21 in the diag). I do not see anything of the washer or the packing matereal?

 

Jim ..
Is the photo above (John 68) correct...This makes it look like the spring is set inside of the reatainer. The way I'm picturing it from the diag. is that the spring should sit on the shaft between the retainer and the spacer ...outside of the retainer. Maybe some sort of aid for the telescopic wheel?

 

The spring should fit through the retainer (despite the fact that the blowup may have the spring appearing a little too big) and presses against the inner race of the lower bearing. The lower bearing has two sets of *****. The spring should be pressing against the inner race of the outer set of *****.

Then you adjust the clamp location so that the plastic spacer and washer are positioned with a 0.350/0.400 inch gap between the washer and the lip of the bearing retainer. The spring fits into that gap with the narrow end against the inner race.

The drawing says that there should be packing that covers the spring and fits into the 0.35/0.40 gap. I assume that the packing was oil soaked felt or some type of material to prevent dirt and road contaminents from getting to the lower bearing.
Jim

 

thanks Jim & John 65...
The steering seems to be fine now just sitting in the garage...I will play in the drive way to see if it is fine....I have your papers and it looks like I have found one of my winter projects...
Thanks again,
Jeff

 

Good luck, hope it works out for ya.