Steering column questions

[gs spoken here]

Starting to redo my 66 GS floor non tilt 4 speed column and have some questions.

1. Over spray on the black tube, is that factory should only the bowl be interior color and the housing be black? Pic 1.
2. The lower steel shaft, should it be flat black or steel color, I have only seen rust on them so this leads me to believe the were not painted. Pic 2.
3. Turn signal canceling lever cam, it appears to be 65/6 only, 67 different, Ames Pontiac states that before 67 they used Boyne, not Delco, was Buick that way? Can you buy the correct lever switch, without buying the complete unit? Who sells it. Pic 3/4.
4. The small rubber ring that goes over the body of the column, anyone reproduce it? Pic 1.
Thanks Bill.

[WkillGS]

To the best of my knowledge:
1) Steering column was black, installed in car, then painted along with the dash.
2) lower steel shaft was unpainted.
3) There were 2 different switch assemblies, they are not interchangeable. One was plastic, one was metal.
You can buy just the 'turn signal cancelling cam' Check eBay for pics and interchange info. Pretty sure Chevelle and Nova use the same one.
4) Steering column rubber ring. Go to your local hardware store, start browsing, and when they ask if they can help you, tell them you need a rubber sleeve for a 1965 Buick steering column. Smile, then head to the plumbing section, find one of those rubber pipe couplers with a hose clamp at each end. Cut the sleeve from it.

[Brian]

67 turn signal switch is completely different--they added the 4-way flasher switch in the side of the column in 67.   As Walt said, there were two different suppliers of the column assemblies for 64-66 and the switches in them are not interchangeable, so make sure you get one like is already in your column.  To tell them apart, one will look more like a rough, yellow plastic that is more brittle, and the other will be a smoother, whiteish-clear plastic that is softer.

[gs spoken here]

Brian and Walt, thanks for the info. So the dash color on the black column is original, because they painted it with the bowel on and column installed? will look for a rubber sleeve at the hardware store. Not sure what color of steel paint I can use to duplicate the raw steel, that will be able to stand the heat from the exhaust. Will look for a 65/6 turn signal canceling cam. May have one in the mess of parts I have, but it two may be brittle or broken, if it is I will look for Chevelle or Nova one. Again thsnks for all the info.

[wheelz]

  ...and while we are on that subject, I have a 65 GS floor shift TILT column that needs a good once over.  Its a little loose and the tilt is a bit rusty...but its all there and worked when I removed it years ago.. ..
I was told by good buddy George N that this unit requires a special tool to disassemble and rebuild it.
QUESTION IS... WHO will rebuild this for me? 

Wheelz, Tampa Bay     

[cwmcobra]

Also, while on this subject, any tips on how to paint a tilt column?  Getting even coverage on all surfaces looks like a challenge!

Thanks,

Chuck

[elagache]

Dear Bill, Walt, Brian, Wheelz, Chuck, and mid-60s "steer d'em da' old fashioned way" types, . . .

Also, while on this subject, any tips on how to paint a tilt column?  Getting even coverage on all surfaces looks like a challenge!

. . . If you want to avoid the painting problem all together, you could go instead with a ididit chrome tilt steering column . . . .



Of course the problem with that plan is that you've got to keep the column all clean and shiny! . . . .

I now return you do your - very real - problem of keeping your steering column as original as possible. . . . .

Cheers, Edouard 

[Brian]

I have rebuilt and painted several of the tilt columns over the years and I always paint them in pieces to get good paint coverage.  If you look at a factory one (that is a color other than black), you will see that they painted them with the tilt all the way down, because when you put it up, you can see the black primer showing on the spherical part that fits up inside the lower jacket and gets exposed when the column is all the way up. 

[cwmcobra]

Thanks Brian.  Great info! 

Chuck

[wheelz]

so Brian... you never indicated if you would consider rebuilding mine? 

[gs spoken here]

This 'turn signal cancelling cam' looks correct compared to mine, it is OPG 66 Chevelle

[gs spoken here]

Follow up on turn signal canceling cam. Ordered from Ecklers, Chevelle, $25.00 including shipping. OPG wanted $26.00 plus the shipping. Thanks Bill.

[gs spoken here]

Follow up on turn signal canceling cam. Ecklers was wrong. It was a help one I could have ordered from Rock Auto for 1/2 the cost if I had the part number, but wrong. I sent it back. I ordered the OPG one and it is correct. See attached pictures, as someone said do not over tighten the screw holding the cam to the turn signal body, and use white lube on the new part. The instructions on the back, make no sense. I removed the OPG sticker, and found the MFG, part number and plugged it into Rock Auto, and SM26 OE-PRO is $6.11. I will keep this one and order one more from Rock Auto for my 65. It is an interesting world. Mark, you may want to put this find in the GS parts thread. Thanks Bill.

[wheelz]

Bill...will the ROCK AUTO piece work on a 65 TILT unit application as well???
Wheelz, Tampa Bay

[gs spoken here]

The short answer is no, the long answer is no. I thought OPG listed one for tilt, but they are totally different from non tilt. I quick look on Rock auto, I did not see a OE-PRO one but you may need to do what I did and order from OPG and if correct pug the part number in to Rock Auto. Thanks Bill.