column on my truck got rough to turn. got a new rag joint in it. are the bearings in there rebuildable, or do i need another column.

 

They are replaceable, almost press out by hand and are of the tin can type that are cheap to replace. Seems the botton one fails first.
Check the alignment of the column to steering box and correct if needed.
I had a couple spare columns that I removed the bearings, kept the smooth turning ones, flushed clean then repacked with grease.
Call me cheap but they are holding up going over 600K miles.

 

You might want to check the front cab mount. You could have rot there and the cab has dropped causing binding. Wont cost anything to look.

John

 

2-C3DZ-3517-A .. Steering Column Bearing

2-B1AZ-3518-A .. Steering Column Bearing Plastic Sleeve.

1965/72: One bearing and sleeve fits to the upper steering column flange, the other pair at the bottom of the column.

These parts are easy to find, as they fit Ford passenger cars, including 1965/68 Mustangs, 1963/65 Falcons, etc.

1964/72 F100/350 2WD's use the same cab mounts upper and lower, front and rear. These mounts are available from FTE sponsors like Mac's, Blue Oval Truck Parts and Auto-Krafters. The links are listed above, at the top of the page.

 

This is a little off subject, will a late model F150 column fit a 1968 truck, i want to put a AOD in and would like to use a column shift

 

I'm not sure. I know they changed the electrical connector. Not sure on what they did with the connection to the steering gear box.

 

I will prob just use a B&M truck mega shifter

 

Thanks guys. pulled column out, and bearings were all dried up, and falling out will have to replace. Thanks for the part numbers.

 

on my 71 i had a few years back i snapped something inside my column from trying to go from reverse to park. it seems they like to go to neutral first and then toss it up into park. my buddy also had that happen to him with his 74, so it seems the steering columns in these trucks break from time to time. it was something deep inside it that i couldnt take apart after yanking the sucker out of the truck. the shift lever would move and the linkage wouldnt. oh well just figured i'd share that little bit of info.

 

It's certainly not a bolt-in. The column under-dash mounting bracket is different, as is the steering link connection at the bottom of the column. You'd have to do some adapting at both ends...

 

i was wondering that to would a 1978 bolt in to a1968 i would change the wireing plug and figure out the hazzard wireing to adopt to colunm

 

Look at the connection to the gear box and where its mounted to the dash. If those are the same it can be done. I read an article where someone used a newer tilt column. I do not remember the year he used. But he had to trace out the turn signal and horn. The newer column had the HAZ switch on the column.

 

I think a '78 would work, maybe even be a bolt-in. It's the next generation of F-series after that which has a really different column (along with just about everything else...)

 

Under 'public profile' listed vehicle as 70 pickup; if so, posting couple links, if an earlier model appears from the article in the 1st link the parts needed for the rebuild are same; need to do the research??

The Ford 3-Speed Manual-Shift Column Explored - FORDification.com

Ford Truck Technical Drawings and Schematics - Section C - Steering Systems and Related Components

In re: to the column to dash mount for later model columns seem to recall member mentioning swapping brackets since secured by tack welds?

 

This thread is from 2007. The OP hasn't even been on FTE since March of '13. I think maybe he's already got it solved by now...