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Short steering column

mike20016

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Joined
Jan 24, 2021
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Location
Alabama
Hey everyone -- I'm trying to get my car finally ready to install the engine, and I figured I'd rebuild my steering coupler which was missing shoes when I bought the car. I'm pretty sure the steering column is original, but not 100% (matches the interior color and is roughly in the same condition as the rest of the interior). The problem I'm running into is that when I try to mock everything up, the column appears about 7" too short. I did collapse the column trying to get the new coupler on, but after searching the forums, I wasn't sure if that was the whole story. As I understand it, the nylon pins are just an anti-rattle feature, so I'm happy to install the column without them for now if possible.

Do I need to take apart my column to get the rest of the length out? Or am I missing something else? I have a manual steering box in the car now, which is what I bought it with.

Edit: car is a 1969 Roadrunner.
 
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They are far more than anti rattle. They hold the shaft at the correct length. In case of a hard front end wreck it will break the pins and go shorter without impaling the driver.

When they are out of the car if you hit the end the column it will break the pins and get shorter.
A power steering column is shorter than manual, but the splines are different diameter than manual.

Was the coupler on the column when you got the column? Does it fit the manual box?
 
Thanks for the quick response and for setting me straight on the pins. The coupler was not on the column when I got the car, but the coupler does fit the manual box. I suppose it's possible that the column is from a power steering car. I suspected it was the original column since it's a blue interior car and the interior was totally clapped out, and the column looks to be in pretty similar shape and is also blue.

Since the column is collapsed, is it possible that that 7" missing is just collapsed inside the column? Those measurements are with the column extended as far as I can by just pulling on the shaft.
 
yes it could of collapsed 7 inches. I did they same on mine and replaced the pins.
 
Hey everyone -- thanks so much for the help. I finally got around to working on the column today, and it installed just fine after re-extending the shaft.
 
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