hi guys can a 2 wheel drive steering column work in a 4x4 what duz it take the truck iam working on is a 76 4x4 and the column is a 78-79 2 wheel.iam going from standard non tilt to automatic with tilt thank you

 

I have a done very similar swap since my 75 4x4 has a 78 4x2 column in it. There are several differences including the length of the shaft, the type of coupler used and the way it mounts on the outside of the firewall. I was willing to deal with all these issues because I already had the column from a parts truck sitting around and I have a custom steering system and had to rebuild everything from scratch after a wreck anyway. Basically the 2wd coulmn is about 2" shorter and has a rag joint on the end of the shaft to hook directly to the steering box which is behind the center of the tires. Your stock one is longer and has a yolk for a u-joint on it which connects to another shaft that extends to the box which is farther forward on the frame. Obviously something will need to be streched so I hope you're really strong, or at least a good fabricator. You also need to figure out how to get the yolk from the old shaft onto the new one. Then you need to deal with the bracket on the firewall where the column passes through and is clamped. This bracket needs to be cut down so that it doesn't wrap as far around the outside of the column because it interferes with the shift linkage. That's another side effect of the shorter length.

Soooo, to answer your question, yes it can be done. Is it straight forward? Not hardly. Is it worth it? That depends on your situation but unless you're dealing with a custom setup you're probably better off just spending a few more bucks on the right one.

 

hey thank you very much you just saved me a major headache iam glad i got out bid on ebay on that 2 wheel drive tilt column ill keep looking for the right one thanks again

 

No problem.