I am currently swapping out my automatic steering column with a standard column. I am putting a 1973 2wd F-250 standard column in a 1974 4wd F-250 with an automatic column. My question is what length was the 1974 F-250 4wd stick column? I have noticed that the automatic column is about 3" longer than the 1973 column I am replacing it with. Was there a different column used on the 1974 4wd stick models vs. the 1973 2wd stick model? I wonder if the shorter column will work just fine. Or if the longer model is better due to the lower bearing being extended 3" further out and therefore supporting the steering shaft better. If anybody has any advice please let me know. The reason I am swapping is because I switched over to the 4spd transmission and decided that I hated the steering column with all the automatic stuff on it and would like to make it look factory.

 

I can measure the length of my 74 F250 fwd column if that will help. It's a 4spd. manual..

 

That would be great alaska. Please let me know what you find out. Thanks

 

I'll try and get it done today. I'll try to be as acurate as I can but I'm not gonna pull the column out of the truck! Do you want overall length? Shaft diameter? I'll get all the dimensions I can think of. Geff

 

I need the overall length of the outer tube minus the steering collars. So basicly from the joint between the tapered collar and the turn signal collar all the way to the end of the tube. Actually, all I need to know is the dimension from the outside firewall to the end of the column housing. It should be roughly about 4-6" or something similar.
Thanks alot.

 

Hi. I went out and did some measureing (had to wait till 11:00 for enough daylight to see anything) sorry I didn't get it done yesterday but I got side-tracked by this cute, long-legged readhead I know so the day kinda went off on a diffrent tangent than I had originally planned.. Any way here's what I got:

From the engine side of the fire wall to the end of the splined steering column shaft that connects to the "U" joint is 8". The dia. of the shaft is .750 in. I don't know what the spline count is.
The length of the steering column TUBE from the engine side of the firewall to its end where the white plastic steering shaft tube bearing snaps into the tube is (pant) 3" The tube dia. is 2.250 inches.

On the cab (inside) of the fire wall to the base of the taperd tube collar is 22" to the base of the steering wheel is 27 & 1/2".

I figure this makes the "coloumn length" 36". 8" + 27 1/2" + 1/2" fire wall thickness = 36"..

Hope this helps. Another option I have considered is a company called " I DID IT" (maybe it's all one word) They make trick steering columns for street rods, billet aluminum, tilt. They had a 36" length one that I think would fit with very little fabrication... Something else to add to the list, gotta quit watching those custom car shows...

 

The length of the steering column also depends on whether you have standard steering or power steering because one is longer than the other so I was told. For my truck it was an automatic with power steering and I put a mustang 4 gear in it so I ended up using a 1 ton steering column that had power steering and also that way I didn't have the gear shift on the column.