Hi All,

Need your help yet again. On Monday I'm going to buy a complete tilt steering column for my 66' from ididit. Question is, someone who owned the car before me put a 67' dash in my 66' car. I think I have a 67' steering column too becasue I can barely make out the collapsable mesh under a cover on the column if I get down there and look with a flash light. I also have the 67' steering wheel too. I know it's a little confusing, but I want to buy the right column the first time.

Question: Should I order the 66' column or the 67' column from Ididit? Will the wiring all match up from 66 and 67? I know there has been discussion on this before, but I'm still unclear and need your help!

Thanks to all,
Tod

Do you have a very late 66??

My Elky has (had) 67 seats, 67 malibu steering wheel, 67 upper dash strip and knobs.
66 column and instrument cluster layout, 66 trim.

Not sure right now but I think it is a 7B car from Fremont

(is within 1500 cars of the end of the run for 66)

beings the 66 and 67 are different, read that as not interchangeable, due to the fact 67's columns are larger. If you have a 67 dash I would suspect a 67 column would be in order.


Rocky

Thanks to all.:beers:

Is your car an auto or manual? I wonder which year pedals you have? Yes, they are different. I am pretty sure if you have a 67 column, you would have to use 67 brake/clutch pedals. Same if you used a 66 column, you would have to use 66 pedals.

If you do have a 66, & use a 67 column, if it hasn't been done already, I am pretty sure the hole in the firewall would need to be enlarged.

If it were me...I'd call Ididit and ask for a recommendation, just to be sure. They manufacture two different columns for those model years for some reason.

I agree with BillsCamino. Call Ididit. I had questions about what I had to order along withe the column and thery were very helpfull. Befor you order check out CCP. They are the only place I could find that discounts Ididit. You may have to wait for them to order from Ididit but it would be worth the $100 savings. Just my 2 cts. worth.

I agree with BillsCamino. Call Ididit. I had questions about what I had to order along withe the column and thery were very helpfull. Befor you order check out CCP. They are the only place I could find that discounts Ididit. You may have to wait for them to order from Ididit but it would be worth the $100 savings. Just my 2 cts. worth.

Thanks! However, I live near Ididit (about 1/2 hour away) so I'll be driving there to pick up my column and new steering wheel. I was thinking about asking them to lay the two columns side by side so I can compare.

Sure would have been nice to have a car that was more original, but sometimes I guess our cars choose us!:thumbsup:

Tod,
Keep us posted on what you find out...:thumbsup:
BTW, is your car floor or column shift? If I keep my wagon, I'm thinking about doing bucket seat, console, floor shifter (auto)...SS style. I've got all that already. I'll be looking into doing an Ididit column too. THX
I've got a couple '66 dashes...for A/C... if you get ambitious. ;)

Tod,
Keep us posted on what you find out...:thumbsup:
BTW, is your car floor or column shift? If I keep my wagon, I'm thinking about doing bucket seat, console, floor shifter (auto)...SS style. I've got all that already. I'll be looking into doing an Ididit column too. THX
I've got a couple '66 dashes...for A/C... if you get ambitious. ;)

The car is currently a floor shift 4spd. However, the column in the car was either an auto or three speed on the tree (if they made them at all) originally.

My biggest concern is the brace under the dash that attaches to the fire wall (Not sure whats it's called) but that "upside down" U-shaped thing is a different size for the 66' and 67' model year I was told. I think I should be fine with the 66' unit, but without having Ididt see my car (another 6" of snow last night) they may not be able to help.

I'll keep you posted, if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.

Tod:beers:

Is your car an auto or manual? I wonder which year pedals you have? Yes, they are different. I am pretty sure if you have a 67 column, you would have to use 67 brake/clutch pedals. Same if you used a 66 column, you would have to use 66 pedals.

If you do have a 66, & use a 67 column, if it hasn't been done already, I am pretty sure the hole in the firewall would need to be enlarged.

The car is currently a floor shift 4spd. However, the column in the car was either an auto or three speed on the tree (if they made them at all) originally.

My biggest concern is the brace under the dash that attaches to the fire wall (Not sure whats it's called) but that "upside down" U-shaped thing is a different size for the 66' and 67' model year I was told. I think I should be fine with the 66' unit, but without having Ididt see my car (another 6" of snow last night) they may not be able to help.

I'll keep you posted, if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.

Tod:beers:


You are correct, that brace/housing is different. This is the issue I was referring to when I asked what pedals you were using. 66/67 brake pedals are not interchangeable within that housing. The 66 brake pedal is offset, the 67 is centered. You may need to clear up which housing your car has, either 66 or 67, before ordering a column. I can post pics of the pedals if you need them.

Hopefully I am not making matters more confusing, but you do want this correct the first time. It took me a few years of mis-matching components between the two years before finally getting it right!

You are correct, that brace/housing is different. This is the issue I was referring to when I asked what pedals you were using. 66/67 brake pedals are not interchangeable within that housing. The 66 brake pedal is offset, the 67 is centered. You may need to clear up which housing your car has, either 66 or 67, before ordering a column. I can post pics of the pedals if you need them.

Hopefully I am not making matters more confusing, but you do want this correct the first time. It took me a few years of mis-matching components between the two years before finally getting it right!

That would be great if you could either post some pics or send me an email (tods3@yahoo.com). I could then go to the polebarn and take a look at which set of pedals I have. Yes, I do want to do this right the first time, thanks so much! I guess I didn't realize they had a different pedal set-up since they are so close in years and share a lot of other things.

Thanks Again, can't wait to see the pic's.:beers:

Tod,

Here are two photos of brake pedals from a 66 & a 67 which will enable you to determine which pedals you have. The one on the bottom in the full shot, & the right on the close up is from a 67. If you notice, the swivel is centered. The other is from a 66, & the swivel is offset. The offset is what keeps the 66 brake pedal from mounting in a 67. Now I have never tried to mount a 67 brake pedal in a 66, so I can't say for sure if it will physically fit inside the housing.

Also keep in mind that the 67 pedal shown here is actually from an automatic car. The bend on a 4 speed brake pedal is a bit more pronounced, but the principles remain the same. The 66 pedal shown here is a correct factory 4 speed brake pedal.

Remember I told you I tried to mix & match parts to get my set up to function. I cut this pedal to fit a 4 speed pedal pad & tried to get it to work with a 66 clutch pedal in my 67. While it actually "worked", it was never correct, nor did it feel right. The clutch pedal was never seated in the right spot when at the top of its travel. Finally I did the smart thing & tracked down a correct brake & clutch pedal set from a 67. They are one year only pedals, & made a world of difference.

To summarize, I think you can basically match up the pedal in your car with the swivel shown at the top & you will know which year they are from. If your brake pedal swivel is centered, your pedals are from a 67. If the brake pedal swivel is offset, it's from a 66. That will tell you which year the housing is, as again the 66 pedal will not mount into a 67 housing. Then you can order your column! :thumbsup:

Hope this makes sense!

Tod,

Here are two photos of brake pedals from a 66 & a 67 which will enable you to determine which pedals you have. The one on the bottom in the full shot, & the right on the close up is from a 67. If you notice, the swivel is centered. The other is from a 66, & the swivel is offset. The offset is what keeps the 66 brake pedal from mounting in a 67. Now I have never tried to mount a 67 brake pedal in a 66, so I can't say for sure if it will physically fit inside the housing.

Also keep in mind that the 67 pedal shown here is actually from an automatic car. The bend on a 4 speed brake pedal is a bit more pronounced, but the principles remain the same. The 66 pedal shown here is a correct factory 4 speed brake pedal.

Remember I told you I tried to mix & match parts to get my set up to function. I cut this pedal to fit a 4 speed pedal pad & tried to get it to work with a 66 clutch pedal in my 67. While it actually "worked", it was never correct, nor did it feel right. The clutch pedal was never seated in the right spot when at the top of its travel. Finally I did the smart thing & tracked down a correct brake & clutch pedal set from a 67. They are one year only pedals, & made a world of difference.

To summarize, I think you can basically match up the pedal in your car with the swivel shown at the top & you will know which year they are from. If your brake pedal swivel is centered, your pedals are from a 67. If the brake pedal swivel is offset, it's from a 66. That will tell you which year the housing is, as again the 66 pedal will not mount into a 67 housing. Then you can order your column! :thumbsup:

Hope this makes sense!


Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this me, I really appreciate it! I've always heard the two years (66'-67') were different, but now I understand why. I'll take a look on Wednesday and let you know which pedals I have (If your interested).

Tod:beers:

Yes, please let us know what you have, I am curious to see if this was a end of the model year change for 1966.

Just to elaborate further, the reason for the change was the energy absorbing columns were introduced for the 67 model year. This change affected the design of the dash, pedals, firewall, & obviously the column. The column mounting bracket was also changed to a two piece design.

In an earlier post you said you have the collapsable column as the mesh is visible. Which column bracket does your car have, the one piece or the 2 piece? The 2 piece is the one in photo below. That may also help clear this up.

Either way, I am happy to help!

Yes, please let us know what you have, I am curious to see if this was a end of the model year change for 1966.

Just to elaborate further, the reason for the change was the energy absorbing columns were introduced for the 67 model year. This change affected the design of the dash, pedals, firewall, & obviously the column. The column mounting bracket was also changed to a two piece design.

In an earlier post you said you have the collapsable column as the mesh is visible. Which column bracket does your car have, the one piece or the 2 piece? The 2 piece is the one in photo below. That may also help clear this up.

Either way, I am happy to help!

That bracket in the picture you posted is the one I have!!!:thumbsup: Someone asked what model number my car was so here are the numbers from the cowl tag, however, I'm not sure if this is the correct tag or not. I do know that the exterior of my car was white at one time and the interior was light blue...which does match the tag. But, on the door tag the first three numbers of my car are 135 (6 cyl. car?), the cowl says 136. I'm not sure what to believe??? Also, the unit # is 29,776 on the cowl tag and the VIN is .....A178615, this doesn't add up??

Cowl tag info:
06C- (Third week of June?)
1367- malibu 8 cylinder, 2 door sport Cp. ST 66 (Year 66)
ATL 29776 (Lakewood Atlanta: then unit #)
731-B (Medium Bright Blue and bucket seats) CC- (Emrine White)
2MC (Not sure what this is)

Any further help is GREATLY appreciated! Which tag would you believe?

Tod:beers:

I took a look at my pedal assembly today (Darn it's cold in Michigan:mad:) Anyway, it seems I have the 66' pedal assembly. The brake pedal is offset at the top as seen in your picture. You're right, there was a noticable curve in the brake pedal for a four spd. as compared to the auto.

Also, I noticed that the rods coming down on each side of the steering column (where the mounting bracket attaches) from up above are VERY close to the actual column. I think that if I get the 66' column, the nuts that attach to the mounting bracket will have more room to mount. Right now there is only ONE nut holding the column in....I couldn't believe it!

So, looks like someone in the past installed the 67' dash and steering column for some reason. I'll probably be crucified here, but I actually like the looks of the 67' dash more....More (fake) chrome and shiny stuff!

Thanks
Tod

Well now you know which column to get! :thumbsup: I just hope that your column bracket will work with the Ididit unit. I have no experience with the aftermarket columns.

FWIW, I actually like the understated looks of the 66 dash much better. The chromed plastic look gets old, IMHO. The radio & glove box bezels on the 66 are much cooler!

Keep us update on the column swap. I hope it goes smoothly!

FWIW, I actually like the understated looks of the 66 dash much better. The chromed plastic look gets old, IMHO. The radio & glove box bezels on the 66 are much cooler!

Keep us update on the column swap.

:yes: :thumbsup:

Well now you know which column to get! :thumbsup: I just hope that your column bracket will work with the Ididit unit. I have no experience with the aftermarket columns.

FWIW, I actually like the understated looks of the 66 dash much better. The chromed plastic look gets old, IMHO. The radio & glove box bezels on the 66 are much cooler!

Keep us update on the column swap. I hope it goes smoothly!

:yes: :thumbsup:

I cant complain about the 66 dash either.