Is the Steering Column Ruined
 

Not sure what was done to the steering shaft on this car - it’s a 66 Lemans. I know it was converted from power steering to manual and it has no rag joint - it looks like a u-joint was welded in place of the rag joint flange. Does anyone know if the shaft from the steering box to steering wheel is one piece or is there an intermediate shaft I can source to fix this mess.
Of note, I have the replacement lower bearing and will be adding power steering.

Maybe an expert will chime in, but I think the shaft is one piece, a good used 66 column shouldn't be too hard to find though. If your going to add PS and need parts, send me a pm, I have most all of the steering parts for a 66-67 GTO, drag link, ball joints, tie rods, pitman arm, Borgeson quick ratio box etc all new stuff, left over from an abandoned project.

It looks like an alignment issue with that steering box, thus the need for the u-joint. Post info of the box with pics.

For 1966, the steering shaft is indeed one continuous death-spear from box to wheel. No intermediate shaft. Yours has had some creative work done onto it for who knows what reason.

Body was lifted.

Yes, definitely one of the things that’s messed with when lifting the body.

I’d remove the body lift bushings and make room for the Gear Vendors overdrive the right way, by modifying the driveshaft tunnel.

Then you can put the correct steering column and rag joint back in your car.

A shaft from any 64-66 non tilt column will work. column shift or floor shift

Definitely interested in the Borgeson box and pitman arm - the rest of the items seem somewhat recently replaced- aside from a-arm bushings.

Thanks all - good observation re: body being lifted and causing the need to alter the steering shaft. Now to find a decent steering column.

Thanks - if not too involved I could tackle a rebuild

There are some small, kind of confusing parts inside. But the factory service manual has good instructions and an exploded view of the entire assembly. That would be very helpful if you rebuild it. Do you have a chassis manual?

I believe I have a chassis manual for a 1964

Considering I have to source a shaft first, if I can’t find a suitable floor shift column I may end up biting the bullet and getting a restored steering column

Will a 67 floorshift steering column fit?

I'd also be interested in putting a '67 column in my '64 as it was the 1st year for the energy absorbing column vs the death spear. I was told the housing is much larger. Following.

66& 67 columns are different from each other in a lot of ways. I'm pretty sure you'll have to modify or change, the pedals, wiring and bottom of dash, and I THINK GM changed the spline count on steering wheels in 67? Maybe someone who has done this swap will respond, I'd stay with a 66 column, they're not hard to find.

Here's what I have

'67 GM A-B-F-body columns all had the Energy Absorbing feature. This redesign for this model year of both GM car standard, as well as tilt columns included numerous features. The new safety features included a larger diam two piece shaft with plastic "pins" that sheared, as well as the expanded metal outer mass jacket which would collapse at heavy frontal impact. Having pulled tons of '67 & 68 TILT cores, as well as & standard columns am very familiar with their construction.

For the '67 model, the lower bowl as well as upper housing of the GM car column were both redesigned. They are a larger in diameter casting w the upper housing having room for a revised turn signal switch w integral hazard flasher control. When one tries to bolt a '67 A-body column in a '66 A-body, the first thing one runs into is the different stamped steel column/pedal hanger bracket used on '67's. The next is the '67 dash bezel has a larger radius at the column opening in order for clearance for the larger diameter lower bowl. Many years ago there were several early GTO enthusiast modifier type guys that installed '67 Energy absorbing steering columns into their '66 GTO's. They did so including swapping to '67 dash bezels. There may have been modifications needed under the dash as well to attach a '67 pedal hanger. Of note, having owned many '67 GTO's as projects & partscars, that large stamped steel hanger bracket is different between non AC & factory AC cars.

To install a '67 or 68 Energy absorbing column in a '64 or '65 LeMans, it could be done, but the radius of the dash bezel casting bezel as well as a small area of the plastic guage housing would have to be opened up. One would also need to address the difference in pedal hangers. Currently, I do not have any '64-66 Tempest-GTO projects or partscars on site to check if there is any difference where the mtg studs drop from the under dash structure. Have a yarding trip planned & will take a '67 GTO bare pedal hanger along to reaquaint myself under the dash of a '64-66.

Hope this helps, 66 steering shafts. (not 67)

Thanks! That certainly puts it in context

Can the shaft be easily replaced by pulling it out and inserting the new one or does it require extensive disassembly?