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Hello everyone, I disassembled my 1970 non tilt column to clean up, paint, and replace the lower and bowl bearings. My problem is when I put it together the shift tube is being pushed toward the lower end compressing the lower bearing spring too much. If anyone has a tip for making this right it would be much appreciated. Thanks for your responses.
Here's a '70 Cutlass/etc column pic. Original column and has never been apart. I measured another original, "unmessed with" column as well. Both have similar gaps where indicated in my pic...one is 7/32" and the other is 1/4". I used the smooth ends of drill bits to measure the gaps.
QUESTION: Did you remove the shift tube completely from the die cast piece it was pressed into??
Looks like you have a repro spring and end cap retainer collar/clip....wondering if that repro spring is made thicker or has more windings? With repro parts, you never know.
Thanks for the reply 70Post. I measure 5/16 gap on mine right now. Reason I was thinking this is a problem is it originally had no gap. The arm for the back drive linkage was right up on the jacket. I did pull the shift tube out completely and it is repro spring and bearing retainer. The pic is what it looked like before I took it apart.
In the pic you just posted above...it still looks like there is a gap but quite a bit smaller.
It's been awhile since I've messed with removing a shift tube from the die cast piece it's pressed into and reinstalling it. I was wondering if you possibly didn't press the shift tube back far enough into whatever piece holds it inside the column (called the "bowl" in the Chassis Service Manual).
I looked at a couple '70-2 TILT columns I have here that are partially dis-assembled (with the shift tubes still in place in the bowls..never pressed out) and they have much larger gaps...one is slightly over 11/32 and another is barely under that. Of course, the tilt columns don't utilize that lower spring but you would think the shift tube and "arm" that comes off the end of the tube are the same pieces as a non-tilt column.
Last edited by 70Post; February 8th, 2020 at 07:51 PM.
I will disassemble it again for like the eighth time and make sure I can't move the lower bowl towards the base of the column. It all looks good initially but by the time I torque the 4 housing bolts to 5 ft lb spec in the chassis service manual I end up with this gap. It actually happened when I first reassembled before I removed the shift tube too. I am a bit puzzled.
Thanks for the suggestions.
February 8th, 2020, 07:15 AM
