I forgot to mention that before fitting the steering column, a bush needs to fitted to the lower end of the column to help support the inner shaft. I don’t own a lathe so I put the call out to the OzClubbies forum. That same day I had an offer from a forum member Andrew to help out.

I sent through the drawings to Andrew and almost straight away he had sourced the plastic material and spun them up on the lathe for me. I managed to pop down to see him today and pick up the bushes.

When I got home I was straight into it. I cut the slimmer bush in half with a hacksaw so I could place them either side of the shaft (I didn’t end up needing the other). A few taps with a rubber mallet and a punch and the bushes slid into place perfectly. Then 2 self tapping screws through the outer column to hold everything in place. There is now zero play in the shaft. Job done, and a big thanks to Andrew for his help!

Next was to trim up the mounting plate to fit on the firewall. Another very easy job. Angle grinder with a cutting disc went through the mount in seconds. I slid column into place on the car and all sits nicely. Last job will be to fit a new rubber universal and the extension shaft to the rack. I have ordered a new universal as the one I had was quite perished. Once that arrives I can fit it all together and lock down the position of the column.

I did trim this up a bit more since the photo so it was neater 🙂

Go to Part 4