Tilt/Telescopic column help

I have an old Caddy t&t column I would like to use in my '32. The '32 is channeled, and it has an old F-150 gear just in frt of the cowl on the frame, and the old column is too straight up and too close to the dash. Plus, my arms are not 6 feet long, which makes it uncomfortable.

What I need to know is has anyone had any experience with making these things work. Does anyone make a decent looking wheel that fits, and how do I get the stupid thing apart to put a different wheel on it. I really don't want to destroy it if at all possible.

Thanks for any help...

 

Not worth the effort. Finding a wheel that will look good in your car will be very difficult. Now that's just my opinion.

 

How old of a column?

 

Have the same thing in my '56 Chevy pickup and after talking to IDIDIT folks in L'ville, there is no way to adapt a wheel (59 Impala) other than the ugly stock one, and keep the tele locking feature.

Hope someone on here has been there, done that.

 

I was told it is a 1966 column. No key, column shift.

 

I have adapted a after market whell to my cad tilt and tele column and kept the tele working, had to make a slot in the wheel adapter for the locking lever, was really no big deal.

Any GM wheel will fit, just have to get creative with installing the lock mechanism.

I will say this though, I never use the tele feature, I don't like the wheel that close to me, I never use the tilt in my daily, set it and forget it, no one drives it except me.

 

Thanks. That was the only way I could think of also. Got a pic of yours?

 

I will take one tomorrow and post it for you

 

Thanks Maniac...I knew if it could be done someone here would know. Pics would help for sure.
I don't like the wheel real close but, I don't like to drive straight armed either. Maybe I can make it work afterall.

 

Did a Caddy T/T in my '32 Tudor, but it's not channeled or chopped. The column came out of a '73. You can buy a "Momo" adaptor, as I did, and mount an aftermarket wheel. Later I decided that I wanted a different wheel that did not fit the Momo, and so I made an adaptor, like "maniac" did. Not really a big deal, but to make it look decent requires some machining. So now I have a "Momo" adaptor for sale. I use the T/T feature every now and then.

 

You could adapt the locking mechanism to work off the horn button but the horn wouldn't work, that's with old style aftermarket wheel with button horn.

 

OK, heres a pic of the release/lock for the telescope, this is thru the adapter of the after market wheel.

Like swade said thru the horn button would work, but then you would need a remote button for the horn, by the way parts for these columns are available thru Ecklers Corvette parts, these columns are all the same.

If I can help shoot me a PM

 

Thanks, Maniac. There's hope yet.

 

Interesting post for me because I too have a Momo adapter and a slot milled in the side of it. Brazed an arm onto the disc for the telescoper that sticks out thru the slot. 300,00 on the setup and going strong.

Dennis

 

I was able to use my 31 Model A steering wheel on my late 60's Caddy tilt & tele. I'll have to use the horn button to lock the tele though.

 

I also have a 66 Cadillac tilt/telescopic column that I am taking apart. I plan on modifying this one for use in my 67 Riviera project car. I have it partially dis-assembled, down to where I need to take the turn signal unit out of the main housing, and that's where I got hung up. The plastic and metal turn signal unit is a larger diameter than the opening at the top of the main housing, and I cannot find a way to get it out of there, I have run out of screws, lock rings, etc to take loose, and the shafts & tilt/tele parts are still inside the housing behind the switch where I can't get to them to finish taking it apart.
I don't want to hijack your thread, but has anyone out there taken one of these columns completely apart? If so, let us know how you did it, and how to re-assemble it as well. Thanks for the help, Randy

 

I managed to dig out my CD of the 66 Cadillac shop manual and look through the steering section. In the back half of that section it has all the info I was looking for, as well as a list of the specialty tools required to take the column apart and put it back together. It also has a long troubleshooting section for the tilt-telescopic steering column as well. This might take awhile.....Later, Randy