How To Rebuild A GM Steering Column

Unbolting a Chevelle column is simple. From the interior side, you’ll need to remove two bolts on the plastic-finish panel, five more bolts on the firewall insulating plate, and two nuts that secure the column mast to the dashboard structure. Lift the hood and remove the nut and bolt from the output flange clamp and disconnect the linkage rod from the shift lever if your car is so equipped. Before you lift the column out of the car, remember to pull the column shift indicator cable off the shift collar and undo the wiring harness from the ignition and neutral safety switches.
Unbolting a Chevelle column is simple. From the interior side, you’ll need to remove
Remove the steering wheel with a puller; they don’t come off very easily if you try to yank on ’em. Once the wheel is off, remove the three screws that attach this stamped metal cover. Lift off the cover to reveal the lock plate.
Remove the steering wheel with a puller; they don’t come off very easily if you try t
The lock plate is retained at its center with a spring clip, but the plate itself is under spring tension. The easiest way to remove the lock plate is with this special Lock Plate Removal Tool (shown in a factory illustration). They’re available at parts stores, dealerships, or you can fabricate your own out of bar stock. Crank down on the lock plate and remove the spring clip. The lock plate will come off when you remove the tool. Remove the coil spring and horn contact.
The lock plate is retained at its center with a spring clip, but the plate itself is under

Our turn-signal switch worked intermittently, so we couldn’t wait to replace it with the new GM switch we got from Year One. Remove the screw that holds the turn-signal lever. You’ll need to remove three more screws that secure the switch itself; two are visible now (arrows), and the third is accessible if you place the switch in either turn position. After removing the screws, unscrew the Hazard switch on the side of the column and lift the turn-signal switch up and out of the way. A neat trick for getting the switch harness out smoothly is taping the harness plug tightly to the wires.
Our turn-signal switch worked intermittently, so we couldn’t wait to replace it with
The two-prong contact switches your ignition-key buzzer on and off. Lift the switch straight up (don’t lose the spring clip that’s attached to it). To remove the ignition-lock cylinder, turn the key to Lock, insert a thin tool into the circled slot to break the casting flash, and push down to release the spring latch on the cylinder. Pull the lock cylinder out of the column. Remove the bolts that hold the ignition switch to the lower column (not shown). Don’t forget to remove the washer that surrounds the steering shaft. Now remove the four bolts (arrows) and lift the entire housing out of the column.
The two-prong contact switches your ignition-key buzzer on and off. Lift the switch stra
Here’s what you’ll find on the other side of the turn-signal housing. The rack activates the ignition switch when the ignition key is turned. Lift it out of the housing and remove its preload spring. The lock bolt is driven through the lock plate when the ignition key is turned to the Off position and keeps the steering wheel from turning. Remove it and its spring from the housing, then remove the two Phillips head screws that secure the shift gate. We degreased and re-lubed the gate before reinstalling it.
Here’s what you’ll find on the other side of the turn-signal housing. The rack a

Survey the damage, folks. The sector gear (arrow) was so trashed that we couldn’t operate the ignition switch at all. We placed a small screwdriver on the flat surface of the gear, and tapped it off the metal shaft. Push the new gear on until you feel a positive “click.” The gear should turn freely when correctly installed. When you reassemble the column, make sure the big tooth on the sector gear aligns with the big slot on the rack.
Survey the damage, folks. The sector gear (arrow) was so trashed that we couldn’t ope
Yuck—the lower gearshift housing bearing was trashed and was creating lots of play in the shift tube. After sanding and painting the turn-signal housing, shift collar, and column body with Eastwood’s Underhood Black, we installed a new GM gearshift housing bearing.
Yuck—the lower gearshift housing bearing was trashed and was creating lots of play in
We’ve got a column-shifted car, so we removed the shift lever by driving out the pin (arrow) from the bottom using a punch. Lift the shift collar up and off of the column. Remove the wave washer that sits underneath the shift collar. We already removed the steering shaft in this picture.
We’ve got a column-shifted car, so we removed the shift lever by driving out the pin

Here’s the lower end of the column that protrudes into the engine compartment. Pry off the retaining clip (arrow) with a screwdriver, and remove the metal cap (careful, it’s under light spring tension). Lift off the plastic bearing retainer (the bearing will come with it), and remove the spring. Our bearing was seized, so we pried it off and pressed on a new one. Remove the two screws that hold the neutral safety switch to the column and lift off the switch. Now you can take the shift tube out of the column body. We also removed the firewall insulation plate. It’s a two-piece design, so you’ll probably have to cut the foam insulation to remove it.
Here’s the lower end of the column that protrudes into the engine compartment. Pry of
Installation is a reversal of disassembly (the exploded view helps), and it’s not a bad job if you haven’t lost any of the small parts. We lubed all the bearings and sliding surfaces with white grease before installing them for smooth operation.
Installation is a reversal of disassembly (the exploded view helps), and it’s not a b
Installing the ignition lock is a little tricky. Insert the key partway into the lock cylinder so the locking tab (arrow) doesn’t protrude completely. Insert the whole assembly into the column and make sure the sector gear lines up with the lock’s position. Now push the lock cylinder all the way into the column. Push the key the rest of the way into the lock and rotate it in the column to make sure it functions properly.
Installing the ignition lock is a little tricky. Insert the key partway into the lock cyli

Our shift-rod bushing was trashed, so Year One came to our rescue yet again with a new part. We pried out the rotted stock bushing and installed the new one in its place.
Our shift-rod bushing was trashed, so Year One came to our rescue yet again with a new par
The Chevelle’s ZZ502 generates so much noise and heat that we figured we’d install new foam insulation at the firewall plate.
The Chevelle’s ZZ502 generates so much noise and heat that we figured we’d insta
The new foam insulation isn’t self- adhesive, so we sprayed the mating surfaces with 3M General Trim Adhesive. We bolted the firewall plates in place on the column, and maneuvered the foam pad over the shift lever and joined it with the firewall plates. Loosen the firewall-plate mounting screws a little, because you’ll have to adjust the location of the plate when you reinstall the column in the car.
The new foam insulation isn’t self- adhesive, so we sprayed the mating surfaces with

The rebuilt column is now the nicest part of the Chevelle’s interior. The new turn-signal lever is certainly a huge cosmetic improvement over our worn-out stocker and complements the new paint. Now we’ve just got to redo the rest of the dashboard…one of these days. CC
The rebuilt column is now the nicest part of the Chevelle’s interior. The new turn-si

Having your street machine stolen is a stomach-wrenching experience. Through a desperately needed stroke of good luck, the police recovered our 70 Chevelle. Of course, the model citizens who pilfered Cheap Street managed to mangle a few things on the car, so weve been repairing the damage over the last few weeks. They screwed up the steering column pretty badly, mostly from slide-hammering the ignition-lock cylinder. We cant figure out why, because the keys were in the ignition when it was stolen. That means that the thieves were even dumber than we were for leaving the keys there in the first place.

After assessing the damage, we were pleased to find that the main steering collar and shift tube were left intact. Browsing through Year Ones Chevelle catalog yielded all the parts we needed to repair the mangled steering column and a few other things that needed rebuilding or replacing anyway. Our Chevelle is equipped with the standard non-tilt column used in most 69-and-later GM cars, which proved to be surprisingly easy to rebuild. The cosmetic improvement alone was well worth the afternoons time spent disassembling and detailing the assembly. The only downside is the dramatic contrast it creates with the dingy dashboard and broken instrumentation. Well remedy that soon enough, but in the meantime check out how we freshened up the column.

SOURCES
The Eastwood Co. 263 Shoemaker Rd. Pottstown PA 19464 800-345-1178 610-644-0560 www.eastwoodco.com	Year One PO Box 129 Tucker GA 30085 800-932-7663 770-496-1949 www.nextgenparts.com/mustang