Help with a Tilt Tele Column
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 97
Likes: 3
From: Sanford FL
Hello Shark
I was skimming through the notes on your issue with the steering column and reviewed the photos of the column parts. The housing for the key cylinder, not the iginition switch, the ignition switch is located towards the bottom of the column and two blocks of wire connects plug into it. People miss interpreted the ignition switch for the key cylinder/tumbler, which is the part that the key is inserted. Anyway, that housing that is shown in your pictures is for a 1969 - 1971. No differrence in the housing between the early 1969 and the late 1969 - 1971. 1968s had the key cylinder is in the dash. 1969 Corvettes was the first year the key cylinder were in the steering column. Second of all tilt was not available in 1968. First year for tilt telescopic columns in Corvettes was 1969. 1968 had only telescopic column but no tilt. Make sure everything lines up correctly, starting with the lower shaft that connects to the rag join to the steering box. There is a flat spot in the splines at the bottom of the lower shaft. That flat spot is to be at the top, 12:00 pm or am does not matter. Next step is to align the upper shaft, the short shaft that has the white spheres, simular to a u-joint. BEFORE you connect the lower shaft and upper shaft with the spheres, there is a tube, telescoping tube, the LOCK ROD goes inside that tube, it has the spines on the upper end of it and there is a KEY wedge, MAKE SURE the key wedge is installed properly, on the end of the telescoping tube where are treads. There is a fine grove line on the end of the tube flat face. Some times it is hard to see but, it is there. Insert the telescoping tube, it will only go in one way, into the upper short shaft with that grove line at 12:00. so that that the grove line on the telescopic tube and the lower shaft at the end with flat spot in the spines are both at 12:00. If you don't get this aligned correctly will cause problems with your turn signal cancelling can. Now connect the two shafts, upper and lower by-way of the spheres, make sure eveything lines up. Next make sure you install the rubber bumper and the two white nylon bushings, one on each end of the bumper onto the tilt shaft. Ain't done yet. Now install the steering wheel hub. Looks like a paper weigh and has a pin for the horn connact leg to touch so the horn works. Look at the face of the hub really close were the nut tightens down. Were the nut tightens down there is a raised ring and on that ring there is a groved line just like on the telescopic tube. That HAS to line up with the telescopic tube grove line and the lower shaft flat spot. If you have have problems you're welcome to call me 407 920 2931. I build columns for the C3s I have a lot of information from Jim Shea and ALL his notes. I build the columns to Saginaw Steering Gear specs NOT NCRS notes. NCRS does not have specs on C3 steering columns. There are some guys that advise on the auction sites that they restore columns to NCRS specs which is not true. There is NO NCRS specs. Their columns are not even close to how the columns came out of SSG. SSG was building thousand of columns every week for Corvette, Firebirds, Monte Carlo, Cadillac, etc.... they did not have time to make them look pretty. There was overspray on some of the mechanical parts, Jim Shea will tell you that. Let me know if I can help.
I was skimming through the notes on your issue with the steering column and reviewed the photos of the column parts. The housing for the key cylinder, not the iginition switch, the ignition switch is located towards the bottom of the column and two blocks of wire connects plug into it. People miss interpreted the ignition switch for the key cylinder/tumbler, which is the part that the key is inserted. Anyway, that housing that is shown in your pictures is for a 1969 - 1971. No differrence in the housing between the early 1969 and the late 1969 - 1971. 1968s had the key cylinder is in the dash. 1969 Corvettes was the first year the key cylinder were in the steering column. Second of all tilt was not available in 1968. First year for tilt telescopic columns in Corvettes was 1969. 1968 had only telescopic column but no tilt. Make sure everything lines up correctly, starting with the lower shaft that connects to the rag join to the steering box. There is a flat spot in the splines at the bottom of the lower shaft. That flat spot is to be at the top, 12:00 pm or am does not matter. Next step is to align the upper shaft, the short shaft that has the white spheres, simular to a u-joint. BEFORE you connect the lower shaft and upper shaft with the spheres, there is a tube, telescoping tube, the LOCK ROD goes inside that tube, it has the spines on the upper end of it and there is a KEY wedge, MAKE SURE the key wedge is installed properly, on the end of the telescoping tube where are treads. There is a fine grove line on the end of the tube flat face. Some times it is hard to see but, it is there. Insert the telescoping tube, it will only go in one way, into the upper short shaft with that grove line at 12:00. so that that the grove line on the telescopic tube and the lower shaft at the end with flat spot in the spines are both at 12:00. If you don't get this aligned correctly will cause problems with your turn signal cancelling can. Now connect the two shafts, upper and lower by-way of the spheres, make sure eveything lines up. Next make sure you install the rubber bumper and the two white nylon bushings, one on each end of the bumper onto the tilt shaft. Ain't done yet. Now install the steering wheel hub. Looks like a paper weigh and has a pin for the horn connact leg to touch so the horn works. Look at the face of the hub really close were the nut tightens down. Were the nut tightens down there is a raised ring and on that ring there is a groved line just like on the telescopic tube. That HAS to line up with the telescopic tube grove line and the lower shaft flat spot. If you have have problems you're welcome to call me 407 920 2931. I build columns for the C3s I have a lot of information from Jim Shea and ALL his notes. I build the columns to Saginaw Steering Gear specs NOT NCRS notes. NCRS does not have specs on C3 steering columns. There are some guys that advise on the auction sites that they restore columns to NCRS specs which is not true. There is NO NCRS specs. Their columns are not even close to how the columns came out of SSG. SSG was building thousand of columns every week for Corvette, Firebirds, Monte Carlo, Cadillac, etc.... they did not have time to make them look pretty. There was overspray on some of the mechanical parts, Jim Shea will tell you that. Let me know if I can help.
