70 B Body shift tube install

[wwheel]

I am rebuilding the steering column on my '70 RR with floor shift and manual steering. The question is which countersink on the shift tube does the shift housing set screw go into? If I push the shift housing as far down as I can on the shift tube, the set screw hits as shown in the first attachment. Just below the first countersink and not anywhere near the second. In that position, the tube sticks up in the shift housing as shown in the second attachment. The housing actually binds on the taper of the shift tube and what limits anymore movement. I cannot go down any further.

If I then position the housing on the shift tube so that the set screw actually seats in the first countersink, the tube is the height as shown third attachment. The problem here is that you are supposed to bend the tube ears over and lock them on to the housing. Can't do that in the first countersink position as shown.

So what should I do? Seems like the best situation is to position the housing so that it nests in the first countersink. It isn't going anywhere with that. Just afraid that the tube won't be positioned correctly in the column.

Thank you for you help!

 

[pnora]

What tube ears are supposed to be bent? That does not sound right to me.

 

[Beekeeper]

What tube ears are supposed to be bent? That does not sound right to me.

Yep the tube is bent out as in folded over on each corner of the slot in the tube just enough to prevent the collar from sliding up and down on the tube. the first pic is correct Just bend the two corners at the slot out a little but if using a set screw which a 69‘ doesn’t have and gets bent out for sure I don’t see the need to bend the tube at all.

 

[wwheel]

Thanks for the replies. I read in the '70 service manual about bending the tube corners and also on Cuda Cody's You Tube steering column rebuild. His was for an E body and has some differences from mine. But he also had the set screw and he bent the corners as well. When I took this column apart, the corners of the tube were NOT bent and the housing was positioned down low on the tube as in the the second pic. That was why I was confused when putting it back together. I agree, doesn't seem like you need to do both. BTW, If the housing is positioned on the set screw, the tube is too low in the housing to be able to bend the corners.

I will use the set screw countersink and move on. Doesn't sound like the height of the shift tube in the column is that critical. Thanks.

 

[pnora]

Yep the tube is bent out as in folded over on each corner of the slot in the tube just enough to prevent the collar from sliding up and down on the tube. the first pic is correct Just bend the two corners at the slot out a little but if using a set screw which a 69‘ doesn’t have and gets bent out for sure I don’t see the need to bend the tube at all.

It is what he said bent over which confused me. I do not remember bending anything over.