WHOOPS!
404
by Alan Stryeski
Does your steering column flex when you pull up or down on the wheel?
If so, check the flexible rubber steering column couplings first.
If these appear to be in good shape, check the lower mounting bracket
for cracks. It's loated below the dash where the column passes
through the firewall. You may have to move the flexible hose going to
the defroster duct in order to see it. The bracket itself is
spot-welded to the firewall and provides a mounting point for a
U-bolt-type arrangement which goes over the column and holds it
steady. Cracks usually appear along the top edges where the U-bolt
passes through the bracket. What causes this? Probably using the
steering wheel for support when entering or exiting the car. This
puts a lot of stress on the bracket, which is made of very thin metal
to begin with.
If you've determined that the bracket is, in fact, broken, you can now decide how to go about fixing it. This is where the problems begin! First, must everything by kept 100% stock for Concours, or are modifications acceptable? If dealing with a show car, the bracket need only be welded or brazed back together to remain stock. Sounds simple, right? Wrong! No way are you going to weld or braze anything under the dash without burning wiring and hoses and putting spatter burns in your rugs. Good luck, show car people! You've got to remove quite a few things to get adequate clearance to tack-weld.
However, if you don't mind a minor change, a new bracket can be
fabricated from aluminum angle without much trouble. Find some angle
stock 1" by 1/8" thick by approximately 3" long.
Drill this to accept a 1¼" wide U-bolt on one side and two
¼" bolts on the other. Now, working under the dash, remove the
old bracket by first disassembling
the U-bolt holding the column to the bracket, removing the felt
padding, and then, with the help of vise grips or pliers, bending the
bracket back and forth until it snaps off the firewall. With this out
of the way, you can now position your new bracket. Place the bracket
against the firewall below the column so that the bracket touches the
bottom of the column and supports it in its proper position.
Slip the U-bolt over the column and through the bracket to check
proper fit. then mark the firewall, drill two mounting holes and
attach the bracket. Tighten the U-bolt, and your steering column
should be free of the shakes from now on.
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