Getting ready to rebuild my steering column and coupler on my 69 Formula S, have the OEM rebuild kit from Detroit Muscle. Any tips, advice or lessons learned would be appreciated, video would be awesome bonus! Also, curious if the white insulator at lower support and steering shift should be replaced, it did not come with kit. Lastly any recommendations on replacement or restoration of steering wheel?
Thanks in advance
-Ed
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Hey Ed, good on you for tackling this job.
My first suggestion would be to pick up a SER205-16 bearing. You can find them for around $10.
SER205-16 insert ball bearing 1 inch shaft
It fits very nicely in the column jacket and stabilizes the steering shaft. You may have to hone the column jacket a bit or remove some paint from the shaft.
- If you remove any roll pins, take note if they are tapered or not and which direction they go in/out. If it won't come out, attack it from the opposite side.
- If your turn signal assembly is old, now is the time to replace it. The collars will be apart and you'll have easy access to it.
- Finish with a nice, fresh coat of paint.
One thing to be aware of... don't be too rough with the steering shaft, you might sheer the plastic "pins" inside. Not so much pins as plastic injection, but pins is a good way to visualize it.
Here is a video... you can skip the first 5 mins or so because you already have the column out of the car
How to Restore a Mopar A-Body Steering Column
I don't know if your car uses these spacers, but it might be a good idea to replace them... they go on the column mounting bracket. Pic below is on my 70 Duster.
For your steering wheel, treat it like you would any other body repair. You will need epoxy or short strand fiberglass to repair large missing chunks, small cracks can be remedied with body filler or putty/glaze. Clean & de-grease the wheel, sand it, tape it off, primer & paint it.
There's a bit of info here..
steering wheel re do
Good luck and post pics.
