Jay Nygaard

Hi everyone, I'm excited to be part of the community! I can't tell you how many times this forum and everyone's wisdom has saved my hiney.

After disassembling the steering column, I ran into this problem while removing the steering wheel lock plate. The shaft coming out of the t&t column that goes in and out does not catch anything within the shaft. Even with applied pressure from a long screw (or me sticking a long, skinny screw driver in there ), the D-wedge doesn't seem to do what it's supposed to do: lock the shaft in place.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Let me know if it would help to hear more details. This has been a fun and stressful restoration process for my wife and I (it's definitely her car!), and though there are other bearable issues that arise, we could sure use a steering wheel.

Thank you!

bazza77

your using a long screw to try and push on the D-wedge ?

what about the rod that's supposed to sit on top of the wedge and the big lock screw/wheel pushes down on that?

is the rod in there ?

Jim Shea

As mentioned above, make sure that the locking rod is in place. Then use a 5/16-18 UNC set screw or a #20 Allen screw to push on the rod to lock the upper steering shaft from telescoping.

You will not be able to exert enough pressure with just a screwdriver to lock up the two steering shafts.

Jim

Jay Nygaard

I didn't realize how much pressure that thing would need...! The push pin-rod resting on the D-wedge is in place.

When I wrote the original post late at night I made a goof: we were putting the lock-plate back onto the shaft, not taking it off. My wife's grandfather was helping me out and somehow he got the pin holding the lock-plate out without the remover tool...! And when putting it back together, the set screw would not go back into the shaft. It's like the threads weren't in place, maybe after using the steering wheel puller? Anyway, we were able to force it down after a while with enough force and it goes in and out much easier, not super smooth, but easier.

I will try again with the screw in place shortly and let you all know how it goes.

Thank you both!

Jay Nygaard

Well that did the trick - putting the original lock bolt in place kept the wedge in place to lock the shaft. Success! Now i will probably need to grid down a bolt that the lock plate tool can fit over.

Once again, thank you!

bazza77

find one that uses an allen key ! the tool will fit right over it

TimAT

Stop by a hardware store and get a socket head capscrew.. IIRC it's 5/16 USS thread.