This work is licensed under a
Creative
Commons License.
Copyright 1996-2004 Dan Wentz
Tilt Steering Columns |
quick liNksmaintenanceSpecifications modificationsF-Series historyCanadian Ford & Mercury Trucks Early F-Series in Film & Television Online ToolscommunityMy 1950 f1 |
Tilt columns have been popular options in cars and trucks for a long time. You can join in the fun by putting one in your truck. In addition to the comfort of a tilt wheel you also have the option of integrated self-canceling turn signals, ignition on the column, and gearshift on the column. What's available? The 2 most common tilt columns are from GM vehicles (various) or aftermarket from Ididit. There are lots of vehicles out there with tilt columns and you may find one that's the right size and looks good. Use what will work for you. BonusBuilt.Com suggests: Late 70's Chevy van. Yes, we're suggesting a GM part. The column is about 35 inches long, which is perfect for any 48-52 Ford Truck (cab is the same on all models). The column has no gearshift or ingition. Only tilt and turn signals. The column is smooth metal all the way down and is therefore very good looking--you know there's nothing to cover it up in the truck so looks are important. Here's the bad news though--if you can find one in a junkyard expect to pay over $100 for it. That's still better than paying $500 for an Ididit column, which is essentially the same thing. How do you do it? The hardest part is finding a column in the first place. After you have a suitable one you attach it to the dash with what's called a column drop. These come in different sizes so you have to know how much drop the column needs--it's mostly a matter of taste combined with your size. They also have to mount to the floorboard. The hardware to do all this is available in all the specialty catalogs. After the column is mounted in the cab you have to hook it to your steering box. This usually requires a couple Ujoints and various lengths of shaft. Check out Borgeson's catalog--they sell most of this stuff. You have some electrical stuff to do after that (horn, signals, cruise control, ignition). It's not that hard. Costly, yes--but not hard. Any common problems? If you don't hook up the steering right you could have an interesting time driving. If you use the wrong size column drop your steering wheel could end up in an awkward position and make driving uncomfortable. |
|
Copyright 1996-2004 Dan Wentz |