Rebuilding a 1972 manual steering column

[dmoses42]

So I want to rebuild my 1972 3 on the tree manual steering column. I've seen older threads that spoke of kits the vendors sold but apparently they either no longer do or I'm not competent enough to find them. I figure the "Search" feature on their websites should get me to what I need, but in the Big 3 vendors search boxes, I come up empty. Does anyone have a list of parts I need to completely rebuild my column? 1972 manual steering manual transmission. Oh, and if anyone has a good used steering shaft and steering wheel nut for a reasonable price near Georgia, I'll be needing one of those. Some jackass before I got it cross-threaded the nut onto the shaft and they are now no good. Thanks in advance.

 

[DirtDonk]

I don’t think we ever had a full kit in one part number. But we have always tried to sell all the available original type parts.
We even had shift tubes for awhile, but those went the way of the Gooney bird a while back.

Doing a column “rebuild” doesn’t really involve that many parts usually.
Typically, available parts include upper and lower bearings, shift bells, lower clamps, a bushing or two, and turn signal switches.
Not a lot going on inside those columns really of normal replacement parts.
Although they do vary by model year with 73 and 74 being the most problematic as there were changes in parts about that time.
Then they change the lower bearing design on the 76/77 models.
Other than that, though, not much in the way of available parts. The only other thing I can think of that you would probably be missing since you don’t have the shaft, would be one or two snaprings.
One or two, depending upon the year.

 

[dmoses42]

I still have the shaft, but the threads are no good from being cross threaded, it's all together. I was driving it one day and smoke came out of the column, so I automatically thought I needed to change the turn signal switch or column wiring. Then I pulled the horn cap off and there it was, in all it's glory. I knew I'd never be able to be comfortable driving it after seeing those threads, so that's when it went on the back burner. For a couple of decades.

 

[DirtDonk]

Most of us understand completely, how that goes.