Technical Steering Column Comparison: 56 Chevy vs. 57 Chevy

I just posted this on Tri-Five .com , but I'll post it up here, as well.

Is the steering column for a 56 Chevy the same as a 57 Chevy? I know that the shift collar is different, but is the mast jacket, steering shaft and box the same?

I have a 56 Chevy BelAir that was originally a PowerGlide car, that I want to change to a 3 speed on the column. I also have a complete 3 speed steering column and shift linkage setup out of a 57 Chevy. Can I use the 57 column and linkage with the 56 shifter collar to change the 56 to a 3 speed?

 

group numbers




and the parts

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/1929_57chevyparts/57cmpc0359.htm

Look them up, see what's the same and what's different.