OK, I may be pissin' in the wind here, but is anybody aware of anyone making a Ford-specific column shaft? The problem is Ford uses a 3/4" shaft with a .7" diameter 40 spline count at their wheel and I'm not finding anything out there. GM applications (36 spline), no problem. I'm trying to swap a '60 T-bird column and wheel into a different car, but the shaft is part of the gearbox on those and the vendor is reluctant to hack the shaft off and I really don't want to have to pay for the box too. Or does anybody have a junk Ford steering box or column that could part with the shaft? I'm pretty sure '58 to well into the '70s are the same. Something roughly 30" long will work best, but I could make just about any length work.
I really need a '58-up shaft. The '57-back are hollow... also not sure about the spline count/size. But thanks for responding.
I *think* Total Control sells replacement shafts for early Falcon/Mustangs for R&P conversions. Lob off the box and the kit came with an end cap/bearing assembly. Don't recall spline count. Might want to check with them for shafts. Length is about 33" on those cars IIRC. Borgeson is another place I would call. Mike Maier may have something as well.
Borgeson has nothing, couldn't find anything at Maier either. Total Control shows the shaft, but only as part of their R&P kits. But will be worth calling for sure...
Steve, I have a ford 3/4" shaft which i believe is 40 spline and threaded with a nut for steering wheel approx 31.25 " in length IIRC it was part of a Borgeson kit for my early Mustang I PM'd you my Ph # so I can txt you a picture
I've always had success going to a rebuilder for shafts. They always have extra parts from tare downs that are good but chuck the rest that are not.
borgeson 990040 Borgeson 990040 Column Shaft, Replacement with Floor Mount, 65-67 Mustang | eBay its what is used when doing a power steering conversion on a mustang . the shafts are 31.25'' long from end to end these shafts will work in a 68 up upper bearing collar. they are the common or garden 3/4'' 36 splines on the bottom the lower bushing that comes in the kit IS for any pre 67 ford column tube - its a hard plastic rubbery type of thing the trouble is, the 'upto' 68 - solid inner shafted ford box.... the horn grounds through the box it only has the one ring on the underside of the steering wheel. in 1968 the mustang gets the ugly wheel, this has two rings at the horn contact on the underside of the wheel, the turn signal switch has two spring loaded pins which ride on each ring. the 68 contact switch doesn't fit into a pre 68 upper collar a post 68 column and collar and bell doesnt get a hi/lo beam til 71 /\ this is WHY you use the cheeby stuff
Not a tilt column? Or don't need one, just the shaft? This 40 spline horn kit has listings for what it fits. That might make searching for a shaft candidate at a local pick a part a tad easier. eBay item number: 111803702990 I'm not sure about the shaft diameter but there are ways around that. Most 68 and up should let you just snag a column and you might want it for the bottom bearing setup.
65-73 Mustang Steering Column Lower bearing Retrofit for R&P or Borgeson 3/4" | eBay you will need one of these too, as when you do the nut up against the split wedge, there is nothing to stop the inner column shaft being tugged up 3/4” Bore DOUBLE SPLIT STEEL (2 PCS) CLAMPING COLLAR BLACK OXIDE FREE SHIPPING | eBay or one of those and some fabracobbling
Well, I'm assuming that the 40 spline count at the wheel is typical of Fords of that era (and I think it is). But the vendor has agreed to hack the shaft off the box and send it with the column so I should be OK as long as it actually shows up. But all this info is useful nonetheless, big thanks to all who responded! You can get tilt columns for almost anything, but I just don't like the look of them...
I expect I'll have to shorten the column/shaft for my application, but I'm going to modify it anyway. As this will be a floor-shift deal, I'm also going to remove the column shift linkage and fill the hole for the lever. But I really like the wheel/column bell design which is why I'm jumping though these hoops. The issue with Ford columns is they used multiple designs for the turn switches over the years that have to be matched to the steering wheel and some like the '58-63 'birds are unique. But looking in and seeing the same GM or aftermarket columns over and over gets boring...
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