Homemade Steering Column

[gramsay]

I was looking at my steering column the other day and after deciding that I would like to replace it with something a lot nicer that wasn't riddled with adapter plates and huge gaps. I went to my good old LMC truck catalogue to price out a new chrome one and my jaw dropped at the price. I then decided that I was going to take on the ambitious project to build my own from scratch at work (I work at a machine shop by the way). I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions for my little project. I'm thinking about making it out of aluminum or if my bank agrees, stainless steel.

[71PA_Highboy]

I would go find yourself an econoline Tilt column and use it as your base. That way you can have all the right pieces and parts for a tilt column and not have to reinvent the wheel - so to speak.

You will have to make a longer shaft and lower housing, but the head should fit just fine.

HTH,

eric

[carcrafter22]

How funny, I was just talking with Marz about this yesterday. LOL. I agree with 71PA. I have thought of taking my 78 F150 tilt column and auto shift and then stripping the skin off of it so I could make my own out of fiberglass and in the process take the shifter off of the column.

I think you would be miles ahead if you just tool an already working column and made your own custom "skin" for it to make it your own style.

[cathynkeith]

hey its only here is the IDIDIT installed.
Cheaper to buy from IDIDIT then LMC.
Save $100.00

[gramsay]

I definitely like the idea of using a tilt steering column as my base. It should save me a bunch of time and fabrication. I do however want to upgrade most of the mechanical mechanisms inside the column to make it a lot stronger.

Very nice column by the way, but I like the satisfaction of making something myself.