power column with manual box??? can it be done?

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moparman9

moparman9

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I would like to know if any one has experience with using a power column with a manual box. I know that there is a "shaft within a shaft" design with some plastic rivets designed to shear an allow the column to collapse in an accident, so is there enough length on the shaft to extend it (shearing the plastic rivets) to use the power column with a manual box (and coupler)? Has anyone done it?
Or... is there something else mopar that is readily available at the pick and pull that has a column that will work in an A-body?
 
The knurl is different on each of them. I've seen an adapter to go from one to the other, but not sure which way...
 
I have done this more times than I can remember in nearly 40 years of messing with these cars.
Even slid out the 2.75 inches to make up the difference, the power steering column still has 100% engagement on the inner shaft.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Yeah there is a lot of overlap,just snap the pins, and you are good to go.Just don't drop it accidentally!
lol
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They are not pins..it is four little globs of nylon that are only there to keep the shafts tight so they didn't flop in and out on the assembly line. They serve zero function in the regular world
 
I'm fine with that
just snap the globs, and you are good to go.
When I snapped my globs, the shaft fell out the bottom.And the globs fell onto the floor. They looked like rivet-heads to me.
 
moparman9 said:
Thanks guys, so it is just as I supected, another simple mopar modification!
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Very easy to do. I did this on my 69 Dart. Learned the trick from an older fellow Moparian. We just took a pair of vice grips and clamped to the shaft in the engine bay and bumped with a hammer until it was the length despired for the coupling to fit to the box. We didn't even bother with the nylon pieces in the column.
 
Have done a couple on b-bodies, and found when I just pulled out shaft from p/s column, I definitely had some slop in between shafts afterward. Could feel it at certain times, but I was running solid motor mounts, manual trans, and frame tied. 2nd time I disassembled column, cut shaft, added an extension, and had professional welding shop down the street tig it after I tacked it up. You know, if you are not changing shifter location, the adapter that another member mentioned will take care of both length and coupler compatibility problems. I had to modify my column due to auto to manual conversion in addition to p/s to manual. Steer & gear used to sell adapter.
 
69DartMatt said:
Very easy to do. I did this on my 69 Dart. Learned the trick from an older fellow Moparian. We just took a pair of vice grips and clamped to the shaft in the engine bay and bumped with a hammer until it was the length despired for the coupling to fit to the box. We didn't even bother with the nylon pieces in the column.
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I did this once. This exact same way. I locked a grip plyers under the hood and pounded it down with a hammer until I reached the manual steering box. The only thing, is, I was always wondering how much splines I was really driving on?????????? Perhaps Whitepunkonnitro could answer this question. ??? I since have been buying the "power to manual" adapter.
 
318willrun said:
I did this once. This exact same way. I locked a grip plyers under the hood and pounded it down with a hammer until I reached the manual steering box. The only thing, is, I was always wondering how much splines I was really driving on?????????? Perhaps Whitepunkonnitro could answer this question. ??? I since have been buying the "power to manual" adapter.
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To answer your question, the amount of "spline" after the shaft has been extended is 100%
The inner shaft is peened on the steering wheel side, so that it cannot be slid out of the outer shaft completely.
The four nylon "rivets" everyone talks about are only nylon beads on the outer shaft. They have zero penetration or even dimples on the inner shaft. Their sole purpose is to provide a bit of resistance on the inner.
I have dissected these columns, and can guarantee with utter and complete certainty that there is absolutely no risk to man or beast associated with extending a P/S column to meet a manual box
 
whitepunkonnitro said:
To answer your question, the amount of "spline" after the shaft has been extended is 100%
The inner shaft is peened on the steering wheel side, so that it cannot be slid out of the outer shaft completely.
The four nylon "rivets" everyone talks about are only nylon beads on the outer shaft. They have zero penetration or even dimples on the inner shaft. Their sole purpose is to provide a bit of resistance on the inner.
I have dissected these columns, and can guarantee with utter and complete certainty that there is absolutely no risk to man or beast associated with extending a P/S column to meet a manual box
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Thanks, this is good to know! like a say, I did it once, but wasn't sure. There are hundreds spent every year by Mopar folks buying the "power to manual steering" adapter. I've bought 2 within the last year. Nice to know these aren't needed.
MOPAR: Steering Column ADAPTER PS to Manual A-Body Dart Duster Demon Cuda GTS | eBay
 
whitepunkonnitro said:
There are a bunch of myths and phobias in the Mopar world, and the steering column thing is right at the top
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You are absolutely right, there are a lot of myths and dire warnings, some of them propagated by those selling adapters and retrofit kits. Thanks for the real info on this one!
 
just a reminder , the manual trunnion joint is a larger spline , then the p/s box
 
For 1967 this feature was added to the steering column so it would collapse in the event of an accident and not be driven into the drivers chest. Kim
 
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