So I picked up a tilt column for a good price( I hope) knowing it did not have a lock cylinder and not knowing anything else. The 3 screws holding the top cover on were loose so it has been messed with and not sure what has been done and missing and have some questions. Like:



where to find internal parts? Like a new sector,lock drive shaft
Are the parts for the tilt column different from the column shift and regular floor shift columns. I have a column shift and a floor shift that I will not need if I can get the tilt one together
What are te 2 wires with the spade type connector shown in the picture attached by my thumb and the bare wires are by where the lock cylinder should be. I was told the column came from a 70 and the car is a 72

 

Picture #2 with the spade plug, I've seen that for optional items. I believe the wiper mist option used that, and I think it may have been used on the rim blow wheels. Not sure what else though. The Olds Chassis Service Manual has a pretty nice diagram of the column exploded. That might help you figure out what's missing. Is this a tilt floor shift column, or regular column shift? If you need parts don't tear the floor shift unit apart if you can help it. Those have much more demand than column shift ones. John

 

Are those all the parts?
Do you have the lock plate and cover?
Those are tilt only, the cover is different and it screws on differently to the lockplate. The cancelling cam is tilt only too, I think I've seen those at Year One.
The sector gear is tilt only for sure and has been discontinued by GM. The racks usually stay pretty good, not sure if that is for tilt only beacuse mine was okay, plastic sector gear was in pieces. At Autozone in the Help! parts section with the door handles and junk they have the standard column sector gear, spring and rack packaged together if you want to compare. Search sector gear 7805158 and you may find a place online that has one, the Camaro place I got mine from are fresh out.
Year One has some parts, other suppliers do too, Corvette and Chevelle places are good places to look, have to search around is all I can tell you.

That plug is most likely for cruise control, do those bare wire ends go to it? A rim blow wheel I don't know about, aren't the demand wipers in '71 only? The demand wiper shift lever lever lead does use the plug and shield like that though? There should only be the turn signal switch wires otherwise.

Check this out, shows all that fun stuff.

http://www.buickperformance.com/tilt...lumnwobble.htm

 

Get the factory service manual. I just restored a tilt column and would have been lost without it.

tiltcolumn.gif

 

The wire in figure 2 is for cruise control. The upper part of GM tilt columns are virtually identical from 1969 through the early 1980s (until the dimmer switch moved to the turn signal lever). Your missing parts will need to come from a wrecking yard. Tilt and non-tilt are different. Here is a link with some useful disassembly photos:

http://buickperformance.com/tiltstee...lumnwobble.htm

 

The column does not have the lock plate or canceling cam. From What I can tell is basicly missing most of the components from the lock plate and everything in the top cover. Bottom part where the tilt is nice and tight and in tact. I was hoping that all of the internals we interchangable but did not have time to research it as I stumbled upon the column and thought I would take my chances.

So basicly it sounds like I need to find another tilt column to repair this column?

Is there a company that restores these columns? Is it worth the time and effort to hunt for the parts or just more cost effective to go buy a complete tilt column?

 

Restored A-body tilt columns start at a few hundred bucks and go up from there. Whether or not it's worth fixing yours depends on how much you value your time and how much you enjoy junkyard hunting. Personally I enjoy a day cruising the yard looking for parts.

 

Thank you Joe, Will all GM tilts have the same internals no matter what body? What about thrucks with tilt? There is a column kind of local from a 73 camero with tilt. Will those internals work?

I enjoy yard hunting as well but finding the time is the problem for me.

 

Yes, that Camaro should work. Trucks with the wiper switch on the dash should work also. Just avoid the low-end cars (Vega, Monza) that have a lever you need to press to turn the key to LOCK. Those have different internals.

 

So, I found and purchased a tilt column from a 71 skylark that is a column shift. i am hoping the top cover and internals will work. they look the same. i am going to use the cover from the skylark because the cylinder hole is in better condition. The top from the column shift and the bottom from the floor shift will be joined together and all repainted.

I will post pictures soon. So in the mean time I hope the sector, and drive shaft and any other pieces from the column shift collar will work with the floor shift collumn