1966 Telescopic Steering

[David P.]

Does anyone know how to adjust the space between the steering hub and the turn signal housing on a '66 telescopic steering column? The column I'm trying to adjust, currently has no gap and the two pieces rub together. I know that the standard column allows for this and the procedure is even called out in the Chassis Service Manual, however, the same procedure is not specified for the tele column.

[Richard M.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

David, After our conversations, and thinking about this some more....

Did you have this apart before? Is this your car or a different car? What's the history of this column?

Either way, I think it may be wise to remove the steering wheel/hub assembly and inspect the internals. It's possible something isn't assembled properly. Is the large spring(Item 21) under the hub? It's likely designed to push the hub rearward away from the housing cover. The spring may be missing? Just a thought.

The other possibility is that the 2 tele shafts of the shaft assembly has shortened itself some how. I'm unfamiliar with the 65/66 Tele columns. I've only done the later 67/68 versions.

Another observation... It seems the adjusting knob/ring it sitting very high above the hub. I'm thinking it should be closer to the hub? In that photo, is it just unscrewed/loose?

The '1965 AIM N36 Pg 2

1965_N36.2_Tele_Column.jpg


N36 Pg 3
1965_N36.3_Tele_Column_Assy_Procedure.jpg

[David P.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

Rich - this is not my car, it's a friend's. My car has a standard column. I did have the column apart. The spring is there, but once you tighten up the nut to torque specs, the hub is in contact with the housing. The standard column you can adjust by sliding the shaft inside the mast jacket. The tele column doesn't appear to have the same adjustment ability. Telescopic function works which slides the whole assembly in and out. The two pieces don't seem independent of one another.

That's as close as I can get the lock ring as it tightens slightly rearward to the lock knob adjuster screw. If you shorten the lock screw too much the whole locking mechanism won't work. This is also an issue because that distance also affects the horn function.

[Gary B.]

[Richard M.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

I found this '65/'66 Tele parts breakdown. Now I've never done one of these before so I'm certainly not a expert, but I'm just curious.

Gary, I mentioned that about the shaft in the rag-joint idea to David yesterday too as a possibility. Now I'm unsure if it would affect it as it appears the lower shaft is totally isolated from the upper hub assembly, by design, as seen below.

Tele_65-66.jpg

A few observations....

It's showing another spring and a washer(Items 28,29). Are these in place? It seems to show the shaft assembly gets inserted through those, which would then contact the lower edge of that intermediate "shaft tube coupler"(my terminology), which keeps the upper and lower shafts together. If the spring and washer was missing, it almost seems like the upper shaft would drop downward, making the hub too close to the housing.

The upper part of the shaft assembly(Item 27), slides with the Inner Mast jacket and hub/wheel assembly. The mechanism has a stop bolt(Item 32), which appears to be the lower limit when collapsed downward.

I don't know if any of this will help.

Rich

[Gary B.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

Rich,

I neglected to read your previous posting before I sent my too-easy-to-be-true-idea.

Gary

[Richard M.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

Rich,

I neglected to read your previous listed before I sent my too-easy-to-be-true-idea.

Gary

Gary, You didn't know that David and I were texting yesterday. That's when I mentioned it to him. You're idea was a good one too, and in fact I grinned when I read it.

Rich

[Richard M.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

In our Sticky above, DB of Restoration Documents, there are Saginaw Blueprints for the 1965-1966 Tele Columns. Unfortunately they are not very intuitive and the copies are not very clear. Nothing will jump out to solve the problem, I think. Noted here, just in case someone can interpret something from them.

See this Post, Here

Then open/download the files: 0052.pdf(left side of te print) and 0053.pdf(right side of the print). Note the print is penciled "OBS"(obsolete), but it's all we have.

Note: It shows that spring(Item 28) and washer(Item 29), that I mentioned earlier, below the inner mast jacket, but it doesn't even reference those part#'s or assembly notes.

But one other thing I see.... That stop Bolt in the print, and also Item 32 in the diagram I posted earlier. Could this be a stop bolt for the inner mast jacket AND upper shaft/hub assembly? It might be a option to adjust that loosely, and see if the hub moves up? Then retighten.

Rich

[Brian T.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

Three things. Is the split ring in the groove properly below the turn signal switch? And is the upper bearing correct double row type? And is the switch not split where the two screws go that are just outside the bearing into the retainer plate?

[David P.]

[David P.]

[Brian T.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

Rag joint has no effect on the spacing. Need to look at the points I made. 90% of the switches were cracked before they were 15 years old I would guess. Poor design. Made worse if adjustment was too tight.

[Richard M.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

Rich - I did not check for that spring and washer. I will double check that. As for the shaft in the rag joint, if I remember correctly, the shaft has a groove for the bolt, so I don’t believe there is much room for any adjustment. I wonder if this alignment issue is also what is causing the difficulty with the horn button too?

David, If you look at the end of the shaft where it enters the rag joint(coupler), there is a flat area to allow the column shaft to move slightly in or out. You may be thinking of the steering box shaft, which has a fixed groove equal to the diameter of the pinch bolt, so it has no movement once attached.

Ref photo of Tele shaft end where it enters the rag joint(coupler).
tele_shaft end.jpg


Ref photo of 66 Standard column shaft end where it enters the rag joint(coupler).
P7290005.jpg

Brian - I will have to check those items. I didn’t tear the column down completely, but probably should have. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of the parts are missing or incorrect. The car does have the wrong rag joint for a tele car, not sure what, if any, impact that has. What was the point of the different lower portion from the standard column?

As Brian has mentioned, probably check those items he suggested. Also, I found a thread on CF that talks about orientation of the upper bearing. Ref Credits HERE.

TOP of bearing. Note flange slots.
UpperBearing_TOP.jpg


BOTTOM of bearing
UpperBearing_BOTTOM.jpg

As far as the rag joint differences, research tells me that the Tele rag joint(coupler), 5686624(this may be the casting #, not the finished part #), is shorter than the standard column coupler. This is likely due to the overall length differences between the two designs, i.e. the Tele column may be longer. According to the 65/66 Tele blueprint referenced earlier, the overall shaft length is 36.665". Unfortunately, we don't have the standard column print from Saginaw, but I suspect it's shaft is shorter than the Tele shaft, therefore by design it would use the longer coupler. I restored a '66 Standard column a while ago but didn't think of taking measurements.

File photos of a 65/66 Tele 5686624 coupler(courtesy of a CF FS Ad).
tele_1965_1966_5686624 coupler.jpg

tele_5686624_coupler.jpg

A 1966 standard column coupler. (file photo when I restored the column)
Note overall longer length in comparison to the above "short" Tele coupler.
P7310018.jpg

Three things. Is the split ring in the groove properly below the turn signal switch? And is the upper bearing correct double row type? And is the switch not split where the two screws go that are just outside the bearing into the retainer plate?

Rag joint has no effect on the spacing. Need to look at the points I made. 90% of the switches were cracked before they were 15 years old I would guess. Poor design. Made worse if adjustment was too tight.

Brian, Thanks for your input on this. I take it you've rebuilt a few of these in the past? I wish I had done one in the past. I've done several standard 63-67 columns, and a few 67-68 Tele columns.

Rich

[Richard M.]

Re: 1966 Telescopic Steering

I've just acquired a 6 page extract from the 1966 Service Manual from a fellow Member. This has the Standard & Tele Column removal/installations and rebuild procedures. I've just added it to the DoRD Sticky Update page.

Linked here.....

1966 Tele Steering Wheel & Column Removal.pdf

Pages 5 & 6 of the pdf refer to the Tele column.

Rich
P.S. David I believe you already have this, and I see where it talks about the Standard Column adjustment for the hub spacing, but nothing for the Tele column.

[David P.]