Technical Unknown steering column, ignition switch seperate

I could use some help with this customized car I just bought a few months back. The steering column has no identification. I was hoping the pictures could identify it, in hopes of replacing steering wheel. can anyone identify it?

Currently in a 51 ford victoria. due to the fact it has alot of 57 Cadillac parts and 57 chevy parts installed, they may have used from there but it looks freshly painted. Someone added power steering and brakes, for reference

 

dont know if these pics help

 

Looks a bit like pre-1969 GM to me.

 

1965-1968 GM steering column. Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick or Cadillac to be precise.
Beautiful car by the way, love the headlight treatment.

 

Thanks for replies. It has 57 chevy front fenders and headlights

 

Probably a copy of a Chevy van column from the 70s

https://www.johnnylawmotors.com/mi/...steering-column-shift-automatic-indicator-c10

 

Thank you

I have my eyes on one of these 3 steering wheels, can I make any of them fit this?

 

That looks just like it

 

pretty sure those steering wheels won't work. Look for something from a GM

 

Do you know if I can make anyone of these work on this column?

 

How good are you at machining splines and such?

 

Much easier if you try something from GM.

 

Any suggestions? I have a 57 chevy one. But the three in the picture are better in my opinion. Anyway to adapt them?

 

Very nice but also interesting car. Probably should pull the wheel and verify the size/spline. You could change the column to match the wheel you want. How about one of these?

 

Location?

 

Trying to go with something different, i will pull wheel and count splines, then ill know more. There are a lot of mods on this car. 327 chevy engine with 3 deuces, 7R4 Auto trans, 92 ford ranger rear end, power steering and brakes. etc

 

Going to have to come from a GM vehicle. The shaft size and spline count is different. I did all the columns for 12 years when I worked at a Buick dealership. I also did them for a Plymouth and Dodge dealers during the same time frame. They were all Saginaw built columns. Only differences were cosmetics and switches. Besides shaft size and spline count. 79 and up Ford columns were just a royal pain in the ass. I did all the columns for a junkyard too.

 

This is how it works....if you want a Chrysler steering wheel, get a Chrysler steering column.

 

Something to do with reinventing the wheel.

 

No, you cannot.

I have a mill, a lathe, and a 5-axis CNC, and even I would not try.

The steering wheel and the column interact.

Even if you could get the wheel on, you would lose the horn and turn signals.

About the only way would be to cut out the center of a GM wheel, bore out the Chrysler one, and mate the two.

This would be a huge effort, if it is even possible.

 

Looks like the columns I grab from gm vans and motorhomes.
Sone of those were used up to the late 80s in motorhomes and step vans.
Possible a little later.

 

I’ve cut them. Had a sleeve machined for a press fit, then welded. I suppose, if you had room, you could do that on the steering wheel side to adapt whatever steering wheel you wanted.
The splines are rolled.
My well equipped machinist friend didn’t have anything that would copy the small splines, much less a tapered one.

 

Northern California

 

The two Mopar steering wheels came on a hollow shaft that was part of the steering box. The horn wire ran through the hollow shaft. Your would need to cut off the hollow steering shaft from the steering box and adapt it to the GM column. The problem is, that Mopar hollow shaft is a much larger diameter then the current GM shaft and it won't fit in the GM housing bearings, nor would the GM turn signal section fit over top of the Mopar hollow shaft. The hollow shaft would have to be added above the GM turn signal switch and would move the steering wheel at least 2" outward from the column. The biggest problem there is the hollow shaft is not a large enough diameter to fit over top of the GM shaft, and if either was machined enough to make them fit, both would be too small to be a safe joint. If you could just adapt the wheel itself, you would have to make the adapter yourself, and then it too would put the wheel about 2" above the top of the column. The last option would be to cut the center out of the Mopar wheel, and weld in the center of a GM wheel. That would kind of defeat the purpose you seek.

Those Mopar steering wheels won't even adapt to the more modern Mopar steering columns, the Mopar hollow shaft went away somewhere around 1964/1965.
I can't speak for the Ford wheel, but I suspect your going to encounter a similar issue.

Should you decide to prove us wrong (which may be possible, you may come up with something we haven't thought of), please document the process. If you succeed, we can all learn something. Gene

 

Thank you.

 

Hot rodders used to be the “mothers of invention”. Some on here sound like you take the easy way out . Holy crap !!! No creativity signs of life here but Anthony.

 

Multiple ways of getting what you want to do . 1)Take Anthony’s idea , 2)take a look at the hub of the wheel you want and make a plan by yourself , a machine shop or a crafty friend. 3)You could build your own steering column or get the correct column for that wheel. I can give you two references of the top of my head that probably can get you what you need. I bet if you took the wheel and column to a decent machine shop all you would have to do is pay the bill and mount the steering wheel .The hub configuration is all you need to worry about. As far as tilt that’s your decision and you have options for an external signaling device if you built your own column . Building your own can be as simple or as detailed as you want in materials. In my avatar the only thing factory was the steering box and steering wheel. If you do not feel like it’s something you want to tackle, get a machinist and/or welder (a good one) . You don’t have to reinvent the wheel just the hub.

 

One major point . You are taking on the personal liability when you modify anything like a steering component , so accept it or get someone you really trust to do the work. Just be safe .

 

This where the whole session of Steering columns for custom cars and hot rods 101 needs to be taken and passed.
1. A lot of builders use Chevy/GM columns because parts are readily available to repair/rebuild them. Turn signal switches are readily available.
2. The adapters to bolt custom wheels are easily found and usually in stock locally.
3. No hassles with finding the proper U joint fittings to fit the columns.
4. There are a number of good looking GM wheels that work.
5. There are no adapters to bolt original equipment wheels and columns that don't fit to each other.
6. Along with the splines or taper not fitting Turn signal canceling cams, horn hookups and the difference in size between the wheel and the turn signal switch housing on the column all factor in.
7. When you get away from GM and certain Fords a lot of repair parts are as rare as rocking horse crap. Especially older Mopar.
8. Connecting one of the columns that goes to one of those wheels to the U joint in the steering shaft may not be easy. Most of those pre mid 60's columns had solid shaft from wheel to inside the gear box and that shaft has to be cut and modified just as the tube of the column.
9. In many areas of the world it is illegal to weld on a steering shaft. Usually because of wrecks caused by poorly designed and engineered connections on the shaft.
10. There were very few tilt columns pre the mid 60's.
11. Auto trans shift mechanisms in those columns may not work with your trans. Most likely said column would not have the correct shift diagram if it had one at all.

Personally I think that that white wheel rocks and looks great in there.

 

It appears to me you have never held in your hand one of the Mopar steering wheels, or one of the steering shafts that match those steering wheels. If you would have ever done so, you would clearly understand the complexities involved with putting one of those Mopar wheels on that modern GM column

It also appears you missed the guys point that he would like to use the column he already has.

Then to add insult you say things like those with the experience want to take the easy way out. Everything is easy if you don't know anything about it.

I gave the guy a list of things he would encounter concerning this project. I gave him a few different approaches to accomplish his desires along with issues that may be involved with each option.
I also told him I couldn't figure out how to get the job, but if he wanted to proceed, he should document the process because I wanted to learn how it might be done. If I'm so lame, and your so good, maybe you should do it then show everyone how it was done.

I might add here that putting a modern steering wheel, and updating the turn signal switch on an old Mopar column was much easier then what he wants, but even that wasn't for the faint at heart. Its not something I would advise someone to do.