Aftermarket Steering Column Safety Alert

Says this:

At the present time, LVVTA is not aware of any historical safety issues associated with ‘Limeworks’, ‘Ididit’, ‘Flaming River’, or ‘Billet Specialities’, and so, in order to limit the focus of the assessment process to where the greatest risk lies, for now, LVVTA is allowing columns manufactured by the four listed companies to be accepted at face-value.

You get what you pay for.

 

Built a 56 chevy for a old school teacher and good friend of mine. we got a column from speedway 3 years ago, he brought it in for service. i ask him if he had noticed play in the steering wheel? He said a little bit but thought his rag joint was loose,already had on for me to put in. i held the joint with pliers and he still had the play. we took column apart found the wore plastic pieces in the column. i couldn't believe it was plastic instead of steel like org chevy columns.to make a long story short. the column we bought came in a speedway box. he called speedway about his problem they said to stop driving car and sent us a new column no charge in a idit box and a return slip for the shipping on bad column? installed new column,play went away and you can till the fell of the car is much tighter.

 

This defiantly needs to be bumped to the top, it's one of the the gravest issues.

 

Is there any way to fix them ?

 

Seriously? There is no fixing this. This is deadly-bad. Just toss it, and move on.

 

I was being serious .I purchased one of these things about three years ago when I was doing a makeover on my coupe .I finally have got around to finishing it and have had one hell of a time .I had trouble with everything about it .The neutral saftey switch was junk .The ignition block sparked when I tried to start the car .We adjusted the starter rod and the key tumbler assembly came out in my hand .I thought it was Me .But it looks like bad parts .There must be lots of these things sold .Seriously ! Why the hell is this allowed to happen . I am asking this question not to be funny because it Fucking isn't .I was trying to do the right thing and buy a new part instead of reworking an old column .I researched the mags and didn't buy the Lowest price out there .If companies are building shit overseas and bringing in and knowingly selling deady stuff .The importers need to be stopped .I know that this is not political forum .But if someone made wide whites that blew out at 50 mph there would be hell to pay.I bet there must be a lot of them hanging on garage walls as wall art or am I the only one admitting to have bought junk.

 

Just don't want to see you dead, or hurt, man.

 

Sure. Uninstall it, throw it in the scrap bin, and install something else. I'm sure I said this before, but I'd much rather take my chances with a $50-$150 used factory piece than one of these things.

 

I bought a unit from cpp that was about 229.00 and after reading this thread when it first started, I called them to ask if they thought that it could be one of these faulty one's. he told me not to worry and that theirs were made to GM specs. I asked if GM used plastic or nylon for internal parts, and he said all parts match what GM used. I bought it at the time when money was tight and never felt good about it. it hasn't given me any trouble other than not tilting up and down the same amount. it goes up three clicks, and down two clicks, I feels like it "wants" to click a third time, but wont.

 

I bought one of these columns and from day one I had a bad felling about using it so I took a S-10 column and wrapped the tube with a three inch muffler pipe. I then made a box to cover the ignition switch, I also made a column drop that I welded to the tubing and painted it to match the car. Looks good and I don't have to find a spot for an ignition switch, plus it has a locking steering wheel.
I tried to post a photo but I just can't to get it to work out so here is a link to see the S-10column In my 39 Ford.
http://s196.photobucket.com/user/cryobug/media/5D2_8782_zpse2917805.jpg.html?sort=6&o=0

 

LVVTA does EXCELLENT Work

" Both SEMA and the NHTSA have been alerted to these very dangerous tilt columns " ..

Klaz

 

Well that sounds evasive - basically they did not answer your question. I would suggest that you write to them and demand answers. I would also suggest you might want to carefully disassemble the column and inspect it. If it proves to be one of these POS colums with plastic internals that you ask them to refund you in full. It is your life and that of innocent bystanders that is at risk...

 

There are thread after thread about this company and their products. yet people keep buying from them and complaining. Hopefully nobody gets hurt.

Do you research. Check here first. Buy from a reputable company. Don't throw away your hard earned bucks.

 

Problem is, there are many thousand of Rod builders who
NEVER use the internet so are pretty much unaware of the problem.
That is until something goes wrong or someone tells them of a problem.

 

Amazing how people will sell unsafe crap, next thing you know some airplane builder will build airliners with defective batteries that catch on fire....

 

I am going to resurrect this old thread because I think it is important to note that GM does in fact use a nylon piece in their steering columns, and has done so since the 1960s. The piece is in the same position as the broken piece seen in these Chinese columns, though it is obviously of a better quality.

 

used to be a time when a registration card came with parts so customers would be notified on recalls and safty concerns,what happened to that? These shit columns are gonna be showing up used and new for a long time, along with other shit parts,sad

 

Maybe study up on this a little; the GM column pivot is a totally different design than the pivot in failed Chinese column. The Chinese column relies on the plastic piece to connect the upper and lower shafts; while the GM uses the nylon (?) as a bushing between the two yokes. Even without the nylon piece the GM upper shaft would still rotate the lower shaft (albeit sloppily). Two entirely different
set-ups.

 

I don't use tilt columns,If I were to use on price wouldn't dictate my purchase. HRP

 

This is why I don't reach for a catologue every time I need a part for my build. Look for old factory parts, find em, fix em, clean em up. You'll end up with a reliable part at that has some soul to it. You know you have quality you can trust when your hands do the work. What does a cheesy speedway tilt column say about your ride anyways... I bought the cheapest, easiest thing I could

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I agree they are two totally different set ups. I really should have been more clear... My comments were more for those who might not expect any "plastic" inside a column. In other words, just opening a column and looking for plastic isn't going to tell you if you have a good or bad column.

For me, I've always modified a GM column. The Tilt in my dad's '56, in his '59, the tilt/tele in my 442, etc are all modified GM columns. As far as I am concerned, it's just the best way yo go.

 

For me, it's a straight-up steering mast and jacket.
If the only choice for me was a 'tilt, telescopic'...to allow me to slide under the wheel...
I'd make it two (2) choices:

1) Lose weight!

2) Redesign the angle to suit.

My '63-1/2 Galaxie was difficult to get in-and-out of. (Galaxies have very low rooflines)
I had to compromise somewhere, so I searched for and found a genuine Galaxie Swing-away steering. (like the T-Birds had: it was also an option on the Galaxie!)

Every time I see one of those beer-barrel columns hiding under a steering wheel I laugh.
'Goodguise Material'. Guys that use those things look 'tilted'.

 

I'm so glad I read this thread, I was about to buy one those Summit Steering columns!!

 

This thread is 4 years old. I would ask Summit if the problem has been corrected since then.

 

I just called summit 1/31/2017 10:56AM They are still made in China, and the steering columns are still made with Plastic Components... looks like it's back to Walton's web site and drop some $$$

 

Even if these junk Chinese parts stopped being made, there would still be plenty out there, already installed, waiting to possibly fail, resulting in death. (Word Death used for dramatic effect on purpose)

I also think it's important to note, our certification system down here will not allow use of columns without a collapsible area built in.

 

I use only factory columns. The GM column in my truck is a tilt I took out of a '77 Monte Carlo, 40 years old and still tight as ever. Full size and mid size GM front wheel drive cars from the '80s and '90s are a gold mine of shafts and U-joints that can be adapted to many purposes, You can buy premium quality Borgeson or other name brand U-joints, but I'm thinking factory GM U-joints are just as good, never saw one fail.

 

Posted before but I'll post again. This is one of the reports identifying what to look for and recommendations etc. I note the sub-standard plastic trunnion being used in the universal part of the tilt mechanism and the welded join in the top shaft bearing the load. Safety first IMHO. Caveat emptor, Buyer Beware.

 

Hate to bring this back up but all of a sudden I find myself in the market for a column. Does this only apply to tilt columns? I'm looking for a straight, non tilt column to put in my '51 Chevy when I do my m2 conversion. I was looking at Ididit or Speedway