I am trying to determine if a steering column is correct for a '67 4 speed car.

Am I correct that '67 4 speeds did not have the backdrive lever coming from the lower column that the later cars had? (When did the backdrive function/neutral safety switch begin?)

And does the lower part of the '67 4 speed floor shift steering column (the section just above where the rod enters) have an opening cut out such as the column shift cars do? If so, what is the opening used for?

Finally, is there any difference between a '67 and a '68 4 speed floor shift steering column?

Thanks!!

I'd have to check on the cut-out, but there is no neutral safety switch on a '67.

snydes, my '67 (automatic column shift car) has a neutral safety switch that works very well. Are you saying that stick cars didn't have neutral safety or all '67s? The redneck (no offense to anyone) that owned it for 20 years before me wasn't smart enough to add one, so I assume it was original.

I'm sorry, I meant 4-speed cars didn't have it in '67. I believe '69 was the first year for a neutral safety switch for the manual transmission cars.

Maybe I'll try rephrasing part of this question.

This '67 column (in a 4 speed car) has a squareish cut out on the side of the steering column, just above the lower end of the column, as if a shift lever might have once been there. Nothing protrudes there now.

Would this mean that this once was an automatic or a column shift steering column? Or did 4 speed floor shift cars also use this type of column?

The column in my car (4-speed), which is the original, has on the end of the column where the steering shaft appears, a square cut-out that extends out to the end of the housing. This cut-out would be on the engine side. I would assume that they just used the same metal housing with a column shifted car.

Hope this helps,
Steve

Thanks Steve. My car is like what you describe. It just didn't look right with that cut out there. That saves me from looking for another steering column.

Ditto Steve, I was just under there trying to fit that return spring ( manual drums ), and the original does have that cutout. My car is original 4/orignal int.

BTW, HOW THE.... do you get that spring in. It's ridiculous without dropping the column!

I may be wrong but I thought that the back drive started on the 69 cars with the sterring colulm lock so the key would lock the car in park.

Bert Ex locksmith