73 Steering collum too short!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,038
Likes: 0
From: Grants Pass Oregon
73 Steering collum too short!
My 73 has been wrecked....Doh!, Unfortunatly I wasn't in the car at the time. The drunk chick that played crash dummy for me left the scene before I arrived and was never seen or heard from again. However she must a had a coupla broken ribs because I had to straighten the spokes on the steering wheel and my collum is to short to fit back into the bolt slots where it attatches to the mount under the dash. Any easy ways to pull the collum back out or do I have to remove it and dissasembole the durn thing? 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,198
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Connecticut
Sorry about your car. 73's are the best. Is it too short inside the car or outside? Inside and you might have a tilt/telescope steering column, turn the ring behind the horn button to release it. The outside shaft is sesigned to be collapsable, and can be persuaded back out, but why would it be too short unless the frame is bent. It's not that hard to remove the whole column. Two bolts at the bottom of the dash, two more at the firewall inside the car, and two on the "rag joint". What kind of damage to the front end? Joe
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,038
Likes: 0
From: Grants Pass Oregon
Short Collum
The steering wheel is too close to the dash board. The frames been lined out and its not bent. It appears that the collum has somehow been pushed through the fire wall by a half an inch making it just a smidge too short to slide up into the two U shaped slots ears on eather side of the collum. But it doesn't pull back. Its not a telescopic steering wheel. I just thought some one had delt with a colapsing steering collum. 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 113
From: Saginaw Michigan
You need to obtain another steering column. The column was originally attached to the dash by means of two aluminum capsules that engaged slots in a steel mounting bracket. If the column is now too short for the capsules to engage the column bracket slots, you need a new steering column!
Maybe now is the time to upgrade to a T&T steering column.
Maybe now is the time to upgrade to a T&T steering column.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,456
Likes: 2
From: Coming home from Luckenbach Texas
Why was a "drunk chick" driving your car? And where were you?
Oh, the collapsing steering column is a safety feature. If it wasn't for that, the "drunk chick" would be wearing a steering wheel deep inside her chest.
Oh, the collapsing steering column is a safety feature. If it wasn't for that, the "drunk chick" would be wearing a steering wheel deep inside her chest.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,038
Likes: 0
From: Grants Pass Oregon
Drunk Chick
I was throwing a superball party at my house. I was trusting and a lot of people were there. I hang all my keys on a screwed to the wall "KEY" hanger. A girl I didn't know was having an argument with someone and ran out the back door. By the time I heard the yelling and responded she had grabbed the Vette keys from the hanger and took off throwing dust and gravel into the air. I followed in another vehicle and when I arrived at the scene she was gone but parts of my car were strewn for about a 1/4 mile down the road. The "Drunk chick" had walked away from the theft and crash, 
never to be seen again. My car has sat for 6 years as a reminder not to leave my keys hanging by the door and allways install a kill switch in my corvettes.
never to be seen again. My car has sat for 6 years as a reminder not to leave my keys hanging by the door and allways install a kill switch in my corvettes.
Originally Posted by page62
Why was a "drunk chick" driving your car? And where were you?
Oh, the collapsing steering column is a safety feature. If it wasn't for that, the "drunk chick" would be wearing a steering wheel deep inside her chest.
Oh, the collapsing steering column is a safety feature. If it wasn't for that, the "drunk chick" would be wearing a steering wheel deep inside her chest.
