I guess this means I’m committed to a new steering column. As of tonight the truck is out of service again for a few days. Here’s a photo of its ugliest feature. Everything that looks rusty and nasty will be stripped and repainted before going back together:
This shot shows where the column opening in the dash is all scratched up from where I cut off the upper corner of the lower steering column bell so I could shorten the column long ago. All damages will be sanded down and reshot with lacquer that matches the dash:
Here’s the factory (Monte Carlo) intermediate shaft u-joint that will be replaced with a Borgeson joint:
And for anyone that’s ever wondered what these look like inside, here are the components after getting it apart. The two square blocks fit on the pin and ride up and down in the steel housing. The assembly is held together with a snap ring and a (usually torn) rubber boot:
After taking the photo I drove the pin out of the shaft and knocked the sleeve off, so it will be easier to cut once I determine the final length.
This has to be the longest bell/tilt mechanism I’ve ever seen (8 ¾”), which explains why I cut it up years ago to gain some additional belly room.
I did check out KevsClassics. He sure has a great reputation, but does mostly tilt columns, and I wanted something off the shelf so I have my back up ride returned to service quickly. I am going to see if he wants my old tilt column for parts (for the cost of shipping). Thanks Dean for putting me on to him.
So I ordered the stuff I showed earlier plus the required Borgeson joint to hook it up. Tomorrow I get to assemble & install a new garden windmill and hang plastic pegboard in the sewing room. Once that’s done I’ll be back to cleaning/painting parts and waiting for the new stuff to show up.