column shift tube delete

mshred said
YES I DO! LOL
when converting my column, my dad insisted we get rid of that tube...and when my dad gets set on it, we do it lol...anyways we removed the tube and my dad bought a peice of plastic (i want to say hard nylon, but im not 100% sure)...anyways, it was about a couple of inches thick...we measure the id of the column and the OD of the tube inside, and my dad took it to a buddy's lathe and within a few minutes he had a new bushing...came home, and it was such a snug fit that we didnt need a clip (trust me, we tried getting it out, and it aint comin without a battle)...also while we were are it, we cut the column so that only a couple of inches sticks out past the firewall...im glad we did this since it came in handy for header clearance...anyways here are some pics and let me know if you need more

first pic is before, second is a pic of the new bushing, and third is with the new bushing and cut column (you can see it doesnt stick out much past the firewall)

Good deal, sounds like a fine solution. Don't know too many machinists myself unfortunately but I imagine it would be cheaper than buying one of the OEM-type floor shift bearings. They're like $75-up depending where you get them.

I was thinking that perhaps I could use my existing bearing and get something to insert into the ID of the old one with a bore for the shaft to fit through, that way I can use the wire clip to keep it in place. Just thinking out loud.

I think the plastic you're referring to is called delrin. (sp?)