HwyFever

1969 coupe L-46 350/350 4 speed manual. I need to rebuild the tilt/tele steering column to remove up/down play in tilt portion. Seems that previous owners may have used the steering wheel as a lever to pull themselves out of the car resulting in a lot of slop in the tilt mechanism. Is rebuilding the steering column something a home DIYer can do or where do I send it to have it rebuilt - preferably in the SoCal, USA? Thanks in advance for the advice.

TimAT

Not difficult. Takes a couple special tools, (they are available at your local auto parts store), and some time. You'll need a new retailer for the C-clip, 99% chance yours will fall apart when you remove it. And I'd get a copy of Jim Shea's steering papers. http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?cat=5
It will take some time, but not all that tough.
There are 4 bolts that hold the lower pivot on the column tube with a plate. Usual thing is those bolts come loose and the whole upper part of the column gets sloppy. Pull those bolts one at a time and apply Loctite, put them back in and torque and done.

GunPowder

one of the easier jobs....

Check out Jim Shea's papers: http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?cat=5

kansas123

Excellent advice

HwyFever

Thank you gents for your replies and advice. I will get Mr.Shea’s papers and give this project my level best. Indeed, tackling projects is part of the beauty of owning a Corvette right? Just in case Mr Shea’s paper or advise from the others on this forum doesn’t help, is there a business or person that I can send the column? Looking for a backstop if needed once I remove the column. Thanks again.

TimAT

Where in So Cal are you? I know a few guys out there that will be able to come up with names of places to repair for you. But honestly, unless it's so far gone you need to replace some of the big parts, it's a DIY thing.

bazza77

Its not a hard job , as mentioned there's one special tool you need , also you will need an allen headed bolt for when it comes time to put the lock plate retainer back on .Jim Sheas papers really do explain it well. My first one I did was a 77 , a one year only column . Its one of those jobs that once you finish it , you sort of think , what was all the fuss about !

Here's another thing to watch , its not a vette column , but its close enough to be a help . There's two things that can be wrong with yours , loose bolts as Tim describes above ,or worn pivot pins . If its loose bolts ,then you get to pull nearly all the column apart to get to them , a few drops of Loctite and you can put it back together . The actual steering shaft has to come out of the tube for access , so you might as well take it out of the car and put it on your work bench . On page 8 below is the plate that the 4 screws screw into , it has a Z stamped into it .

http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w...ck_Rebuild.pdf

bobby70

hey guys just thinking how hard is it to compress that long spring.

bazza77

Yep , that's the strong arm time of the exercise . My work bench is up against a solid wall so by putting the splined end on the wall you can use a Phillip head screw driver in the locking cap to push it in .

Steve Kistler

I have a 79 and literally disassembled it a half dozen times and tried all the things everyone talked about. I went all the way down and I never could get it solid until the final time I replaced the knuckle with new pivot pins ($150) and both bearings plus the steering shaft bearing using the Jim Shea papers. Back to like new and started exactly as you described. My KD steering wheel service kit has everything you need. Good luck.

Big2Bird

There is lock plate tool that is like $15?.

bazza77

The long spring is the load bearing spring in the tilt mechanism.

Steve Kistler

A large Phillips screwdriver fits the end cap perfectly to compress the tilt spring. I completely rebuilt my column in the car. I did remove it for the lower bearing kit and checking length. If you don’t want to do it several times follow the Shea papers precisely. I speak from experience.