The "new" column didn't shift, and the wheel on it is not the right wheel, and the horn apparatus on the '61 does not work with the '68 column.
I took the column out of the '61, took both of them apart, and compared everything inside. The '68 column is longer, but for the most part very similar. I could put the column shift parts in the '61 column with very minimal work, or I could adapt the '68 column to fit the '61 dash. I could even probably shorten the '68 column too.
One disadvantage of keeping the '61 column, is the signal light switch was designed by Rube Goldberg, and it may be beneficial to keep the later stuff.