Steering Column Swap

By Paul Drews

  If you guys got as excited as I did about the November Four Wheel & Off Road Magazine article page 142 installing tilt steering column in an EB, read on.

 I figured my ‘67 steering column gave up the ghost 2 years ago when steel filings started to come out of the gap between the top of the column & the steering wheel adaptor. Without a clear idea of what I wanted to do, I’ve scrounged thru bone yards looking for a vision. I didn’t visualize buying a 15 year old column with 100,000+miles on the bearings & re-fabing to maybe work plus I don’t really want a column mounted ignition.

 The November article motivated me to “get off the porch”. I called Jeff’s  Bronco Graveyard all excited. Yes, we’ll send you a complete tilt column with mounting bracket for $450.00.Whoa!

My vision wasn’t $450.00, so I thanked ol’ Jeff and called (Ididit Inc. (steering columns). Having  had done some previous research on Ididit, I knew that they were the premiere name in steering columns in the Street Rod world. I called Ididit after having downloaded their website catalog and ordered a steel unpainted tilt column. For an EB, you have to order a 31" long column, GM style. The Ford columns are 2-1/4" OD and the GM column is 2" OD, so Ididit will include bushings no charge to fit the 2-1/4" Bronco column dash mount bracket. I also ordered an adjustable floor mount bracket and a Ford-GM electrical adaptor. Bottom line cost was $150.00 less than Jeff’s. During my conversation with the Ididit gent, I was told that GFM Prototype, the column featured in the Peterson’s magazine article, buys their columns from Ididit. 

  Removing the old column is a quick job: cut off the steering shaft, remove the dash cover, cut the wires,  remove two column bracket bolts and she slides out. Be sure to use your electrical tester & mark all the wires to the old column before you cut them.

  You’ll need the bracket off the old column. Remove the bracket by drilling out the two spot welds. Locate the bracket position on the new column by measuring against the old column.

Mig weld two bushing halves onto the bracket (remember that the new column is 1/4" smaller OD than the old one): you’ll be welding onto the bottom of the new column only. Ididit says that there’s no problem welding on the column, but the less heat the better. Attach the turn signal arm into the new column. Clamp your newly-bushed bracket onto the column on a table so that the arm is parallel to the table. This will ensure that your turn signal and tilt arm will be in the correct position when the column is mounted, and your wheel will tilt straight up and down. Tack weld your bracket one tack at a time and let cool in between: you don’t want to bend your new column, prep and paint with gloss black Rustoleum.

   Bolt in your new column. I used the floor mount bracket also for good stabilization. The wiring adaptor kit comes with a nice  wiring diagram & connections to make a factory-looking install. Best of all, the wiring re-connection doesn’t have to be done on your back under the dash: make all your connections before the dash cover is installed for easy access.