Im gonna show you how to modify your auto on the column steering collars to convert to an auto on the floor or 4 speed column. I got these pieces from davescuda to do my 4 speed column in my Scamp. I didnt get any before pics of the collars together, but we all know what they look like
Here is a list of basic tools you will need.
Grinder with a 60 grit flap disk
Cut off wheel for your grinder or an actual cut off tool
Assorted files for smoothing areas that are hard to get to
Assorted grits of sandpaper 80,180,220,320
Paint stir stick to help in sanding the collars once filler has been applied.
I chose to do the shifter part of the collars to do first, so I could think about how I was going to tackle the indicator pieces. I marked the shifter where I wanted to cut so I didnt have to grind alot. Be careful on all of these pieces because they are round and you are cutting with a flat disk, thats what you will use the grinder for. Also be careful with these collars they are ALUMINUM!
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Here is a pic of the piece cut off.
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After grinding the shifter part off, I ground a little more to allow for filler.
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I cut a piece of metal I had laying around to use as a backer for the shifter piece to be filled and JB Welded it in place.
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Here is the ignition part of the column collar.
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Once I cut it off I used the grinder to smooth it out and try not to use alot of filler.
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Now its time for the final collar to be modified. If you look close you can see that I had already cut one side to give you a reference point where to cut.
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Here it is all smooth ready for filler.
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I got carried away today and didn't get any close up pics of the collars with filler individually. Here is a pic of All Metal filler applied to all 3 collars. You can use fiberglass or regular filler, its up to you. I only had to skim coat every thing to get rid of some grinder marks and to fill the shifter hole.
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I used 220 grit sandpaper to sand the collars original paint to smooth it out.
I used 80,180 & 220 to sand the filled spots on a paint stir stick to keep everything smooth. If you use your hands to sand filler you usually tend to "dig" into your filler and have to reapply it.
Once I get everything how I wanted it, I sanded the collars with 320 grit sandpaper to make sure I got every square inch to get ready for primer, I wiped it down with a grease and oil remover to get good adhesion for the primer, let the grease/oil remover dry before applying primer! I spray bombed the collars with two medium coats then I let them dry. Once dry I inspected them for any imperfections because primer shows stuff you cant possibly feel or see. After that I spray bombed them satin black. Here are the pieces individually.
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Here is a pic of it all together, but not in my car yet.
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Here is pic of what you would see when sitting in the car.
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Here are the pieces I cut off to give you an idea.
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I hope this how to will help someone to do theirs in their car in the future. Its taken me about 5 hours total from beginning to end to do this conversion.
I hope this How-to will be worthy to be moved to the Tech Archive and become a sticky for someone to learn from.
Thanks 360Scamp
