Sunday, February 8, 2009

Steering Column Removal and Repair

I've struggled to remove the steering column off and on for a couple weeks. I turned my attention to the project again today and was able to remove the column.

My Mustang is an early production '67, which means it has a solid shaft which extends from the steering box. The column is just a sleeve which slides over this shaft. This would seem easy to remove but it proved to be a little difficult. I finally discovered today that there are two small nuts under the turn signal switch which were locking the column into place.

I sanded down the column and put a light coat of Rust Encapsulator on it. There are a few rust pits on the end of the column which extends into the engine bay. The sanding process smoothed the piece out some. I'll likely just put an extra coat or two of primer on that end and sand a little more to smooth it out completely.

The interior of the Mustang was a Charcoal Black color. The column was painted the same color (even the part which extends into the engine compartment). I left the coupler for the steering wheel alone so I would be able to match the paint. I'll also need to order another lower seal as the one on the column has a tear and shows a great deal of wear.

I'll post pictures once I've finished painting the column.

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