Hey Party People! It's been a long time since I've visited you all! But, I accredit Donkey, my 87 F150 long-bed I6 with the NP435 running **** to all of you! If only she'd pass California smog.....

I just bought a 84 short-bed with the 302, carb'd, with non-tilt steering and the C6 automatic. I need to know how I remove the section of the steering column that sits between the steering wheel and the piece the gear selector is attached.

Here's the reason: The tumbler broke on the old owner and it looks like, somehow, he removed the broken tumbler by sheering off the shaft of the tumbler that connects to the ignition actuator. If I look down the bore where the key tumbler would sit, I can see the slot that the tumbler shaft would insert into, but immediately behind it is some piece of metal which won't move. As a result, I can only get the new tumbler about 1/2 way in....so it doesn't work.

I think if I can remove this piece of the steering column, I can futts around and figure out how to either get that broken piece out, or how to make it work....but it seems that no matter how many screws and bolts I remove from behind the steering wheel, it refuses to budge.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Excuse any typing errors, but it's Friday, and that means Tillamore Dew Whiskey night!

 

Take plastic cowling off, top clips off, bottom is 2 screws.
That will show the ignition key assembly.
Drill out, remove and can be replaced with a bolt when repaired.
The key tumblers can also be removed with a thin Allen key in a hole in the ignition IF you have something in there to act as a key.

 

A/T, no tilt wheel:

 

I recently switched out the lock cylinder in my 1985 with a non-tilt steering column, and leading up to it, I found a LOT of misleading information! Most often I read that there was no release pin of any kind, and that the only way to remove the cylinder is to drill it out, or break off the chrome part and pick the assembly, and other strange destructive remedies. It required none of that. All I had to do was pull the steering wheel and remove the contact assembly for the buzzer, which was held in by one easily accessible screw. Then with the cylinder in 'run' position, you press down a pin now easily accessed next to where the buzzer contact piece had been, and viola, it come right out. If you didn't have the key, it would still be easy to drill out the pin and just pull it out that way. It's made of brass, so it shouldn't be a big deal.

However, looking at what you wrote, it really sounds like your cylinder is already out, yet your mechanism deeper in the column still isn't moving. There's a good chance at that point you'll need to tear it down further to see what's going on...

 

I can't remember having a problem getting the first section off. I remember taking screws loose from around the turnsignal switch, and it comes right off.

And you do have to break the tumbler out if you do not have a key. Or you can take it all apart to get to the release pin. There is no way to properly push the release pin if you do not have a key.

 

Yes, you need the key if you want to push the pin and remove the tumbler in an elegant fashion.

Here are the official procedures from the Ford shop manual:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post10245747