Not a lot in the history about steering columns. Does anyone know if there are any special tools to take apart and put back together a steering column? Also, any places I should grease or oil or avoid?

Well I finally bought a lock plate remover last week after years of fighting with them by hand, and it was worth every penny. Had to replace a lock cylinder and that tool made it no big deal. I would get one, and a steering wheel puller if you dont have that too. Other than those regular hand tools should be enough.

What "droptop" said, and add:

A "magnet on a stick" to retreive the screws or washers that'll inevitably fall inside the column. :mad:

A healthy dose of patience. Just work slow and don't force anything. It'll come apart. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

There are complete sets of instructions on disassembling both the tilt and the standard (non adjustable) steering columns. Go to www.corvettefaq.com/a-car.asp (http://www.corvettefaq.com/a-car.asp) there are three written description papers #1, #2, #3 on each type column as well as three line drawings called repair pics #1, #2, & #3. There is a blowup of each column as well.

These papers should be very helpful. What is the purpose of your disassembly project. General refurbishing or is there a particular problem?

general refurbish and cleaning. Little paint for the shaft that comes thru the firewall. Rag joint change. New firewall pad too.

looks like mine is not listed. 67 chevelle manual.

Manual transmission with column shift? Manual steering? I am not sure what is missing.

The disassembly and repair instructions (Page #2) for the standard (non-adjustable) steering column that I have posted does not show the special lower end required for the three speed column shift steering column. I have another book that does show the manual transmission shift lever adjustment. I can scan it and eMail it to you if you want.

I will update the page on the corvettefaq.com websight to show the column shift adjustment.

I assume that you have a standard (non-adjustable)steering column. My tilt column instruction book does not even show the manual shift option. If you have a tilt column with manual shift, it is a very rare combination. The lower end of the column will be identical, standard or tilt.

sorry, half asleep when i posted last night. manual steering, column shift automatic. Non-tilt steering.

Sorry, I must be half asleep this morning myself. My instructions are for the 1969+ function locking, energy absorbing steering column. The 1967 and 68 energy absorbing column is a lot simpler and easier to work on though.

Even though it doesn't apply to your car, you did bring forward that my instructions didn't cover the 3-speed manual column shift combination of parts. I will still be updating my posting at corvettefaq.com.

I have put the column back in the car loosly. I couldn't find much to do to it other than some white grease here and there and some fresh paint. Of course I scratched it up putting it back in. :(

I have a question though. In the shaft that extends into the engine compartment, there are two plastic pins that appear to hold the smaller shaft in the larger shaft. If you wanted to pull the steering could you remove those and have it slide back out?

JIML82,

Maybe you answer my problem. I rebuilt my 65 auto column recently and now it rattles and makes alot of noise. Before I rebuilt it, it was quiet. Of course it had alot of dirt and grit down inside and was very hard to shift. I can get the rattle to stop by holding the shifter lever. It is something inside of the steering hub.

Intermediate shaft question: Those two "pins" that you see are actually the tips of hot plastic that was injected into the junction of the solid upper shaft and the tubular lower shaft. The plastic did several things:

1). It locked the shaft at a controlled design length yet could collapse in a severe frontal collision.

2). Even though the two shafts were manufactured with very precise tolerances, the plastic filled all the space between the shafts and prevented them from having any type of lash or looseness.

3). Since the shaft was held in place at a controlled length, if a fastener(s) were left off at the assembly plant or during a service procedure, the shaft couldn't migrate to a shorter length over time and steering could be lost.

As far as the 1965 column rattle: I don't have any direct information on that column. Saginaw Steering Gear got into the column business with tilt columns in 1962. The standard (non-adjustable) columns were put together by the car divisions at the assembly plant. In 1967, Saginaw began manufacturing 100% of the GM energy absorbing steering columns.

My first thought is that there is a spring inside the column that pushes back on the shift lever. Could you have forgotten to replace that spring?

Otherwise, the shaft bowl has to rotate to transfer the shift lever motion to the lower lever on the column. There is most likely a wave type spring between the bowl and the steering column jacket. That might be an area to look at.

Lastly, there must be an upper bearing holding the steering shaft rigid. Is it possible that some of the balls have become dislodged?

JIML82,

I know of all three issues you pointed out. Yes the lever spring and wave spring are installed. The upper bearing had some bearigs missing, but I replaced them. I do have a Grant wheel on it and could not use the spring behind the mounting hub. However, it is very tight where there is no forward or backward movement of the steering shaft. Thanks for your help, nonetheless.

It would seem to me that if you can't preload the upper bearing you are going to have side to side lash in the system. Without the spring to load the bearing race, you will have lash. You might not feel an axial looseness because the steering shaft is still probably fixed in place by the lower bearing.

Maybe you could find a short spring that is still the same diameter as the original and make it fit behind your Grant steering wheel.