Steering column too long

[Rey S.]

I have several inquiries about this and I have yet to find a solution so here goes again. My steering column won't collapse even with a 4' pry bar and some WD-40. Am I having difficulty due to the injected plastic btx the shaft and the column ? If that is the case what's a good way to overcome (shear) the plastic without using a hammer?
Thanks
Rey

[Mark E.]

Re: Steering column too long

Rey, Interesting question; I'm surprised nobody has responded yet.

I've never done this, so I can't help you. But why do you want to collapse the column? Are referring to the collapsible feature for impact collisions?

[Rey S.]

Re: Steering column too long

Hi Mark,
Yes on the collapsible column feature. I wish to do this as the Borgeson steering box has a much longer shaft at the rag joint than stock due to needed length to accommodate the hydraulic hose hook up and its related porting. Borgeson tells me I need to collapse the column about 2-3". Now other problems arise if you have headers which could cause interference with the gear part of the box as the box is some what larger over all. This header interference occurs on BB cars (mine), SB maybe not. As you have read I can not get my column to collapse(post of Dec.8). The collapse halves may have possibly have been welded together so that a past rebuilder would not have to deal with the plastic inserts in the joint. Who that might be is unknown, it might simply be serious corrosion buildup in the column. Either way it looks like (with out major expensive surgery) I will wind up cutting the shaft to the proper length to fit the Borgeson box. This is not an issue if the column will collapse which I under stand is not hard to do at all if it works OK.

[Mark E.]

Re: Steering column too long

Got it Rey. Sounds like you're building quite a ride.

If the collapsible feature is shortened or otherwise modified, how does this affect safety? This may not be an issue for you, but be aware.

Can the column be shortened without modifying the collapsible feature?

[Rey S.]

Re: Steering column too long

Hi Mark:
By cutting the shaft ( not highly recommended but feasible ) the collapsible feature of the column should not be affected (I think).