1969 Barracuda Fastback
Steering column rebuild:
A while ago I purchased from a well-known FABO member a correct steering column for my Barracuda. The steering column was generally in good condition, all the plastic injections on the shaft and gearshift tube were intact. Compared to the tilt steering column with ignition lock I rebuild a couple of years ago, this was quite an easy task.
After Disassembling, the shaft, tube, and jacket got bead blasted and painted afterward. The floor plate and ring retainer got bead blasted and powder coated. I like to lay out all the parts, before assembling them and work in accordance with the service manual.
Still, I ran into a problem that I would like to share, so others don't make the same mistake.
I bought a Doorman steering shaft rebuild kit 425-253, but that kit does not work for the 69 Abody steering column. The pieces are of poor quality and obviously made in China. The bores in the two shoes are too small, so the shoes wouldn't fit on the shaft pin. The spring-clip would also not fit in the tailored section of the shoes. The only piece I used out of this kit was the rubber seal. I also recommend reusing the original seal plate - provided it was removed with care and the lips not excessively bent.
Lesson learned - there must be a reason why other kits are sold for around $60. Anyway, the shoes on my coupler were still good and I could not notice any slag in the coupler.
So here just new grease and rubber seal.
The service manual lists a few special tools, but I got here a bit creative. The old bushing from my Saginaw pump, in combination with the steering wheel nut and a thick washer, works great to pull the shaft through the upper bearing.
Here some pictures:
Steering column rebuild:
A while ago I purchased from a well-known FABO member a correct steering column for my Barracuda. The steering column was generally in good condition, all the plastic injections on the shaft and gearshift tube were intact. Compared to the tilt steering column with ignition lock I rebuild a couple of years ago, this was quite an easy task.
After Disassembling, the shaft, tube, and jacket got bead blasted and painted afterward. The floor plate and ring retainer got bead blasted and powder coated. I like to lay out all the parts, before assembling them and work in accordance with the service manual.
Still, I ran into a problem that I would like to share, so others don't make the same mistake.
I bought a Doorman steering shaft rebuild kit 425-253, but that kit does not work for the 69 Abody steering column. The pieces are of poor quality and obviously made in China. The bores in the two shoes are too small, so the shoes wouldn't fit on the shaft pin. The spring-clip would also not fit in the tailored section of the shoes. The only piece I used out of this kit was the rubber seal. I also recommend reusing the original seal plate - provided it was removed with care and the lips not excessively bent.
Lesson learned - there must be a reason why other kits are sold for around $60. Anyway, the shoes on my coupler were still good and I could not notice any slag in the coupler.
So here just new grease and rubber seal.
The service manual lists a few special tools, but I got here a bit creative. The old bushing from my Saginaw pump, in combination with the steering wheel nut and a thick washer, works great to pull the shaft through the upper bearing.
Here some pictures: