I have a 1985 Ford F150 that needs a new steering column. I ran into a cement pole reinforcement, and completely DESTROYED the steering gear box. I replaced the steering gear, power steering pump, and the entire front steering components (tie rods, etc.) I still have some wandering on the road, so I had my trusted mechanic check it out for me and line it up. He told me the rag joint was ok, but the ENTIRE steering column is loose, and it needs to be completely replaced. I have been trying to locate a steering assembly in a junkyard, but have been unsuccessful. I have been told only the years from '81-'86 F150-F350 would work. And for some reason, it has to be tilt wheel and AOD equipped, because that is what my truck has.

My question is, what parts do I EXACTLY need to replace? My local Ford dealer can still get the upper and lower steering shafts, are those what my mechanic meant when he said I need to replace the ENTIRE steering column?

 

There is an upper bearing or two, a lower bearing, and the steering intermediate joint. It would be faster and cheaper to find a good coulmn in the JY to swap in, but if not, just be really good at keeping track of a bunch of little parts and make sure you don't need the truck for 2 or 3 days.

Justin

 

Not 100% sure but I think any automatic column will work mechanically. Might have to do a bit of rewiring for cruise/no cruise. If you're going into a column to repair/replace parts I highly recommend getting a Ford Truck Shop Manual because the columns (especially tilt) are pretty complex.

 

Hey,

I'll have to run the part no. thru the dealer to confirm vintage, but I have a column with cruise, etc.... Not sure if it was auto or not--PM me if interested. I'm in NYS. I was going to ebay it, but if you'd like to buy it and ship it....

BigSix1

 

Any auto column will work. You don't need tilt unless you really want it.

Up to 91 will also work, but they look slightly different around the shaft but will functionally work. You can also put the earlier wheel on the later column.

Steering columns are easy to find around here, and I can get you one if you can't find any locally.

 

AOD and 3 speed columns are NOT the same. The "detents" aren't exactly the same and have a different spread. You can still work with such a swap but it's annoying. The detents are the notches you feel when you put the truck into various gears. The transmission has a set and so does the column, they need to match.
I put an AOD into my C5 truck. I've adjusted all sorts of different ways but the shift indicator never will read exactly right. More importantly I can choose to adjust to where I can put the truck into Park or into 1. But not both. If you put a C6/C5 column into your AOD truck expect the same problems. Realistically I never use 1 so I can live with this but it's still annoying.
The wiring is different for tilt just because of the cruise controls. Non-tilts didn't get the cruise option. I found that when retrofitting a cruise steering wheel with the buttons onto my plain column I had to use the cruise "On/Off" button the honk the horn. I suspect there's a fairly simple workaround for this but I haven't bothered to look into it. I've never been in the habit of using cruise control and don't have the rest of the cruise system on my truck anyway. I just liked the woodgrain wheel trim.

 

I've been toying with the idea of replacing the steering column of my truck with one off a fullsize car (Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car) - they have much nicer tilt setup where tis just the wheel that tilts, and not half the column, and the tilt lock runs off a separate lever so much tighter and driver-friendly setup, especially if adjusting the tilt while driving. You also get the flash-to-pass high beams, wiper controls, and cruise, and the ignition lock cylinder system is near bulletproof... Anyone tried such a swap?

 

I would like to swap my tilt-mess for something like a Flaming River or Borgeson column, preferably a tilt-type that is mechanically locked in the top position, such that it stays there and can't be messed with.


I am in and out of a dozen or more trucks every day, and it is unreal how many tilt-steering Ford trucks have so much slop in the column that they are scary to drive.


Honestly, I don't think a junk-yard column is a good source, as they are gonna be just as worn-out, if not more so, than the one on the truck.


Has anyone successfully installed one of the high-end aftermarket columns ??

Thanks.

 

The AOD and 3 speed columns are the same. What is different is the connecting rod between the column and the transmission shift lever. They not only vary by transimession type, but also 2wd/4wd. Also, the shift indicator is adjusted by tightening or slacking the nylon adjuster on the indicator cable...loosen the 8m nut that holds the retainer to the column and slide it up or down until the indicator reads where you want.