What am I doing wrong? Steering Install Q ***EDIT***

[devildogmech]

Hey all,

So I've got a 79 C-10 Big 10. Had the Steering column rebuilt, cleaned and painted the box, shaft and installed a new rag joint....

I've got everything installed except for the column. The column is too "proud" and sticks out about 3/4 too far to mount  to the dash.....

I installed the box first..... Installed the rag joint and shaft..... Made sure the rag joint was all the way down and seated in the box..... Mated the column to the shaft, slid together easy. Bolt holes are lined up.......

And the column wont mount up......

Ideas?

https://youtu.be/yMt9epXFEso?si=ka00vcMAEcy3ZzrI

[berserk]

Obviously something is stopping it from seating, I would start the process of elimination. First unhook the steering shaft from the box and see if the column bolts up. If it now fully seats the problem is in the engine compartment in the shaft or box.

If it still doesn't seat I would pull the gauge cluster so you can look through the dash at the top of the column etc. and see what's stopping it.

And a long shot but are you sure you have all the original parts? Where did you get them rebuilt, are you sure they weren't just replaced with an already rebuilt unit that may actually be wrong or different in some way?

[devildogmech]

I had the column rebuilt by a VERY reputable shop. They sent me pics of the rebuild process and even sent back the old, non-reused parts. I' VERY confident that it's MY column.

And since I cleaned and painted the shaft and box.......

Yeah, I have no idea.... Maybe the rag joint is supposed to compress somehow? If I mount the column and then try to fit the rag joint, there is no room to wedge it in.

FML

[bd]

How much axial movement do you have in the intermediate coupling?

[devildogmech]

What? Axial Movement? Intermediate Coupling?

The Steering column is a brand new rebuild and is perfectly tight.
The Steering shaft is original and fits the Column stub perfectly, with no play.
The Rag Joint fits very tight to the box and shaft.

I don't know what other play you could be talking about.....

[bd]

There should be end-play in the steering shaft intermediate coupling (image) roughly equivalent to 1/2 - 2/3 the length of the stamped cover.  How much do you guesstimate?

[devildogmech]

Yup, 3/4"-1", and it's completely collapsed. I have zero gaps or any free endplay or space.... I have no clue what I'm doing wrong....

[bd]

Frankly, I don't see that you are doing anything wrong.  I suspect that a wild card was introduced during rebuild.  I'm not blaming the rebuilder, but weird things occur on occasion, often quite innocently.  Have you talked to them, asking for their insight?

For example, the shaft comprises two integrated pieces fixed by plastic shear rivets, making the shaft collapsible in the event of a collision.  I wonder if the rivets were previously sheared and the shaft was inadvertently lengthened during handling?

[VileZambonie]

Take the steering shaft out, & mount the column. Measure the distance and compare it to the saft. Maybe the steering shaft slid up a bit.

[JohnnyPopper]

Very odd...

Since the column was shipped out and returned by your vendor, your shaft and gear box were cleaned by you, I can't see where a wild card could be introduced. But crazy things can happen, per bd.

Did you rebuild the intermediate coupler or just disassemble/reassemble. I would look there first.

There are no variables left unless there were different columns/shafts built for different applications. Your confidence in having the original is compelling but I wouldn't rule out a mix up.

[devildogmech]

SOLVED IT!!!!

I Emailed the shop that rebuilt the column. So, the collapsing mechanism inside the column is VERY stiff when brand new. Me pushing DOWN from the steering wheel end of the column was just not enough force to get the mechanism to slide together.

They told me to take a dead blow and GENTLY tap the steering shaft end of the column. No kidding, it was that simple. Three gentle taps and the column collapsed and everything went together.


The issues you run into when you're no reusing 40+ year old parts!

https://youtu.be/EsYZ0WMeTQY?si=vxDcJvE0qBT1s81m

[Shifty]

Glad you figured it out...

[bd]

GOOD JOB!!  The simplest solutions can be the easiest to miss.  In hindsight, measuring and recording steering shaft protrusion from the base of the column before disassembly is a good repair practice that is not mentioned in service manuals.