OK, I just did this on my truck last night, it took about 2 hours as advertised. There is NO WAY that I can see that ben-jamin is going to pull this out the back without disassembling the tilt mechanism. You can get a broken one out, all right, but you can't get the new one in. Anyway, I modified the instructions given by jwdenny a bit based on my experience last night. Here is what I did:

1) Remove steering wheel.
2) Remove the turn signal lever.
3) Remove two-piece plastic column cover that hides column where it meets dash.
4) Drop column down and remove ignition switch. Put column back up but do not tighten bolts.
5) Remove ignition lock cylinder.
6) Remove lock cylinder gear (snap ring pliers required). It is down in the hole that you took the lock cylinder out of.
7) Disconnect turn signal switch harness and then pull turn signal switch out and let it hang by wires.
8) Remove ignition lock cylinder collar (slide it over the turn signal switch).
9) Press actuator and rod towards dash so you can remove the actuator gear (the thing with the gear teeth on it that is linked to the actuator and rod).
10) Remove the snap ring on steering shaft.
11) Remove the little round metal bar (multiple bends in it) and two clips that operates the tilt. PAY ATTENTION HERE - there is a little spring like out of pen that is behind it with a metal cap on it. Remove that so you don’t lose it.
12) Drive the pin out of the tilt lock lever on the underside of the column. There is a spring underneath it with a plastic pad so pull those out too so you don’t lose them.
13) Thread a bolt or screw into the inside threaded pins that hold the tilt together and pull them out. You should put the tilt all the way up before you do this so you unload the spring.
14) Slide the tilt collar towards you on the shaft enough to get the actuator and rod out.
15) Pull the actuator and rod out. Put in vise and drive the little pin out to separate rod and actuator. Reassemble with new actuator. TIP – use a pair of pliers to press the pin back in so you don’t have to hit on it with a hammer.
16) Put a light coat of grease on the slides where the actuator goes and put the assembled actuator and rod back into column.
17) Put a light coat of grease on the swivel where the tilt collar goes and press the pins back in. TIP – You will be fighting the spring to do this so it helps to stick a screw in one side to hold it in place, then line up the other side and put a pin in. Once you have the pin in on one side, replace the screw on the first side with the other pin.
18) Reassemble starting with step #12 and go in reverse. TIP – Put a light coating of grease in the lock cylinder collar where the actuator gear and cylinder gear go.

 

JAS88- i should be repremended for giving my short-cut and then not in full detail especially to someone doing this for the first time. yes i did remove the tilt, i just removed the switch without letting the column down; and i do have the luxury of experience and the exact tools to do this task.
As for age, well i do know exactly who Morgan Fairchild is and would be glad to fix her truck if she should ever need
but i would buy Eva one...............................or two...

 

Well, OK, but I don't see how not dropping the column, which is not time consuming at all, saves enough time to where you could do it in 1/2 hour. If I did another one today, with it fresh in my mind, and collected all the tools I needed first (meaning out of my box, I have everything needed) and worked it straight thru, I could see getting it done in an hour. I am a former GM mechanic (why I only drive Fords now) so I know what is required. I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine at Covert Ford in Austin and he said they charge 1.5 hours minimum on such a job. I would love to watch you do one in 1/2 hour, not saying you can't, I just would like to learn your shortcuts.

 

i agree with jas88, drop the column, i just had trouble with mine and it was a huge pain in gludious maximus. it too hard to get your hands around i there unless your only 12.

 

BTW, when I say to drop the column, I don't mean remove it from the truck. I just mean remove the two 13mm bolts holding it up to the dash and let it hang down so you can access the ignition switch. You could remove the whole thing and do the job on the bench, but then you have to put it in a vise to hold it still and you are going to be putting quite a bit of pressure on it to deal with the spring load from the tilt, so better to let the truck hold on to it for you IMO.

 

thats what i did and it still took a while. some things just arent quick

 

It sounds like you guys have it down pat! I'm going to print off these instructions.

Thanks again for your help guys!