[mwillis]

I tore into my steering column a little further tonight. The lever that locks it into position is mangled and it no longer holds the up position. That is, you have to push the tilt lever to tilt it up, but it will pull to the lower position by simply pulling down on the wheel. The lever I have pictured is on the bottom side of the column and pivots against a spring to release and tilt. Spring pressure engages the lever to hold position. Where can I get one? They obviously make them, since rebuilt tilt columns are available for the low, low price of $1100.

Thanks,

Willis

 

[silver69]

Take it to a reputable machine shop, they can weld and broach the teeth back on or mill a new piece for you - its what I'd do anyway.

 

[mwillis]

I got one of the guys at work to TIG the bad places on the teeth, and it's dang near useable as is. I'll work on it a little with the dremel to clean it up, and I think I'm going to replace the spring, too. I'll post some more pictures when I get finished and give an update of whether my efforts paid off.

Willis

 

[mwillis]

Well, as I often do, I forgot to take any pictures of the finished product. I did get it to work. Had to get a buddy of mine from work to help me figure out a problem I had. The bronze piece that actuates the ignition switch had gotten bent during my work and I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't slide all the way in. Always nice to have an extra set of eyes to look things over. I cleaned up the TIG work and had to enlarge the grooves slightly so that the pin that locks into the grooves would fully engage. It works beautifully now. I'll definitely not be using the wheel as a handle to pull my my fat ??? up and out of the car.

Willis