What is the best yard steering column to get for my 52 F1? I don't want to go for an after-market because I plan to paint it to go with the interior. I want one without a column shift, with tilt, integral wipers, dimmer, turn signal, key switch. I sound picky but, if you have to dig for one, you might as well get the one you want.
Thanks in advance, Bike

 

When you are looking, keep in mind that that alot of the newer cars have 4 speed trannys (not a problem if you have a 4 speed auto in your truck) Personally I like the Saginaw columns (Used by both GM and Mopar) I don't have as much experience with the Ford columns. The length of the column is a big deciding factor. Our cabs aren't very big. Mock something up with a paper plate nailed to a dowel and get a rough idea of length and placement. When you get your column make sure you get a bit of pigtail for the electrical connectors that plug into it (this will save you countless hours later)

Sometimes adapting the shift linkage can be a real pain also so keep an eye on how the linkage attaches to the column. Fabricating linkage is one of those things that is frustrating for me and turns out to be alot harder than it looks.

I'm using the column from my donor car (72 Caddy) its tilt, telescoping, etc but its a bit too long. I have plans to swap it out for one from a 1963 Riviera that I have laying about. The Riviera column has a great chrome shrouding on it...woohoo

Bobby

 

I used one from a mid 80's Jeep Cherokee Grabbed the U-Joints and shaft also,Cut and used one set of joints. It mated right up to the Toyota box that I used, and it is the correct length 32". I'm in the process of doing the wiring for the lights wipers and the ignition

 

Biker,

As mentioned in your recent thread on the wiper motor donors - if you grab a late 80s Jeep Cherokee, you can grab the (GM based) column, intermittent wiper switch and wiper motor out of it. See Cowman's gallery for pictures of all of it. If I remember when I get home tonight, I'll post the portion of the FAQ article in here that deals with the steering column....

Later,

 

Biker,
I used a 88' ford f150 column for my 54', it has tilt, shifter (auto), turns, and ignition. No wippers or dimmer. The column is 32" long. I spose you could check few years later for the dimmer and such.
pics in gallery if you care.
Good Luck
Mike

 

Biker,

As promised, the portion of the FAQ article dealing with steering columns (again, based upon about 250 seperate discussions found in this forum);

Steering Columns
Changing steering columns is a very popular modification. It is done mainly for the tilt column feature, but also for more stylish appearance, built in signal lever, and automatic transmission gear indicator. Some things to keep in mind when looking at possible donors:
· Do you want the tilt-column feature?
· Do you want the ignition key in the column, or on the dash?
· Are you running an automatic or a manual transmission?
o Do you want the gear indicator on the column?
o How many speeds for your gear indicator?
o Will the gear indicator settings line up with the transmission shift linkage you’re using?
· Can you get an aftermarket steering wheel adapter for this donor?
· Which type of wiring harness will you be working with? (GM, Ford, and Mopar columns are wired differently)
As with the windshield wipers, you have several options for updating the steering column.
Replacement Columns
If you’ve got the budget, then slick, brand new paintable or polished stainless steel/chrome units can be bought in various lengths from Ididit, Billet Specialties, Flaming River, and Snake River Rod & Customs. They range in price from about $275 up to almost $600 depending upon how tricked out you want it. As for vendors, try Jegs or Summit first. In addition, if you’re going with column shift, they can supply a cable assembly that connects your transmission to the column. Summit carries one made by Lokar.

Generally speaking – if you’re running a Mustang II style front suspension, you’ll likely want a 32 or 35 inch column length. Otherwise, a 30 to 32 inch column length should do the job with a conventional steering box. Keep in mind that Ididit measures from the front/top of the wheel adapter down to where the inner shaft ends at the first connection (i.e. a rag joint or Borgeson type joint) on tilt/telescopic columns. Both Ididit and Flaming River show you on their websites exactly how to measure the length for one of their columns.


Ididit Will Also Want the Thickness of the Steering Wheel Adapter
(Illustration Courtesy John Niolon)

Adapting Columns from Other Vehicles
Another option is to read this section and go wrecking yard shopping. The downside of going this route is you could end up with a steering column in which most of the wearable parts are already worn out. Rebuilding a used steering column is not cheap or easy. More than one person has dismantled a steering column to rebuild it and not been able to put it back together. There are an amazing number of parts inside these buggers. However, if I haven’t scared you off yet, then here are a whole bunch of possibilities.
1948-1952 Trucks
· 1969 Lincoln Mark III – tilt, no ignition.
· 1978-79 Ford F or E series – tilt, integral gear indicator, no ignition switch.
· 1990 Ford Van – key on column.
· 1970s GM Van – tilt, no key, sleek design.
· 1970s Camaro – no shifter on the column.
1953-1956 Trucks
· 1976 Ford Torino – tilt
· 1969-1972 Chevy truck/Blazer – no key on column (in heavy demand w/Chevy crowd)
· 1969-1981 GM Vans and motor homes
· 1984 Chevy pick up
· 1973 and newer – key on column
· 1977 through mid 1980s Chevy/GMC Van
· 1978 through mid 1980s Ford F or E series – tilt, integral gear indicator, no ignition switch
· 1983 Ford E-150 – some have AOD gear indicator, ignition on column
· mid-1960s Cadillac
· 1986-1988 Cadillac – tilt and telescopic
· mid-1970s Camaro – no shifter on the column, steel housing to the floor
· 1982 Pontiac Sunbird
· 1986 Jeep Laredo – GM wiring scheme.
· Late 1980s – early 1990s Jeep Cherokee – GM wiring (same donor will get you a wiper motor and intermittent relays for a 1953-1955 F-100)
· 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis
1957-1960 Trucks
· 1978 GM - tilt
· 1979 Cadillac
The above list is not a complete authority on what fits. It’s simply what our forum members have used. A steering column listed under one range of truck years above may work perfectly fine on the other ranges of years. The Chevy then Ford vans and pick ups seem to be the most common donors used by this group. But just about everything has been used by at least member. Try to go with something as late model as possible for reduced wear and ease of locating replacement parts.
One special consideration, forum member Cowman used a 1990 or so Jeep Cherokee donor (the one with the boxy lines) for both the steering column (comes with GM wiring) and the wiper motor (and the relays between the two that gave him intermittent wipers) in his 1954. In this neck of the woods, there are tons of these things in wrecking yards without a lot of hot-rodders or anyone displaying any real interest. In my mind, this is a very interesting alternative that folks should seriously consider. Here are a few pictures from (Chuck) Cowman's gallery.


Jeep Cherokee Steering Column Installation
(Photos Courtesy Chuck Cowman)

General Steering Column Notes
· Use Borgeson (www.borgeson.com) joints to connect it all together. 30 degrees maximum on a 2 joint system. Check their website for tips or do’s and don’ts regarding couplers.
· Ford, GM and Mopar all use different wiring color codes and connectors in their columns. Keep this in mind when ordering a wiring harness for your truck. There are several threads in the 1948-1960 forum that provide the color codes for the different manufacturers.
· There are several threads in the 1948-1960 forum dealing with connecting your column to your box and getting around those exhaust headers.
· The neutral safety switch on Ford and Mopar units is in the transmission, GM has it on the column.
· For those of you that end up going with a GM column, apparently Julianos (www.julianos.com) offers a plastic sleeve that covers all the junk on the column (ignition, wiring, etc.). The jury is still out on whether it’s any good. Speedway and Zigs may have similar sleeves.
· Once again, if you’re a little queasy about tackling this swap, head on over to John Niolon’s website or check out the Tech Articles section of FTE. Yes, John did a “how to” on steering columns too with pictures, lots of pictures.
· Provided your column pokes out through the firewall about an inch or two (and it has to due to your transmission linkage), the shorter column you use, the easier it’ll be to route around headers etc to that steering box.


Regards,

 

If you go with a salvage yard keyed column--be sure to get one with a Key!!!

The salvage yard guy had to rekey my column and I watched. I gotta tell you I would have NEVER figured out how to take the thing apart!

Ultimately, I didn't like the way the salvage yardcolumn looked and I bought a stainless Flaming River.

 

Thankls fellows. I need to make a trip to the yard with my shopping list, that's why I asked. I'll use the list from the article the ferguson posted and see what I can find. I need to get the basics in place so I can figure how everything will fit together.
Bike

 

Don't use a Mopar column (83-89 Chrysler 5th Avenue)! Even though it is a perfect length, I did and I regret it. Nobody makes a wiring harness for it, it has no neutral safety switch, the shifter lever is on the wrong side, and it has non-integrated brake lights and directional signals which requires you to run separate turn signals and brake lights on the rear. I'd do mine over if I wasn't beyond the point of no return.

Vern

 

This should be a deal killer for anyone! Makes life much simplier.

 

Curiosity query: Do any of the donor key in column come with a simple shaft cover? Most I've seen have molded plastic or vinyl covered metal covers designed to integrate into the dashboard that would not look right or fit right in our trucks???

 

AX--I spent many an hour looking at the bone yard for a column that would work and I never saw one with a simple cover. Everything was integrated into the dash. i purchased an ABS cover from Juliano's but never installed it as I gave up and bought my Flaming River stainless column.

I have seen alot of GM columns installed in our trucks and they are certainly functional. They do, however, look somewhat out of place, IMHO. The best install I have seen was a GM column and Roddoors lower dash extension kit. Looked really sharp!

Tim

 

Flaming River columns are a pretty reasonable alternative, especially if you go with a paintable one. In re Ax and f1 I have used scavenger pipes from PepBoys as a full length column cover. The flare fits the base of the column head and a simple plastic bushing locates the bottom.

 

Ditto on the reasonable alternative. when I was shopping for my new column, the stainless Flaming River was ALOT cheaper than the polished aluminum Ididit.

 

AX...
I went to the yard today and found a column out of a 90-ish Cherokee (the plain model not the Grand) and it should do nicely. Its very simple, has tilt, wipers, dimmer, turn, and key. Even the wheel is a very plain vinyl spoke. The column is round and doesn't have the square plastic cover. It has no shifter which is what I was looking for since I'm running a 5 speed. I'll keep you posted once I start the install. Also picked up a set of F-150 swinging pedals with the clutch master cylinder and line. Not bad for one trip.
Bike