PICTURES ADDED>>>So I have a couple of columns i got at swap meets. They look like 55-57 to me but question. I pulled the actual steering shaft out of the automatic column and it measures 33.5" long. The bottom end has a female splined end. I tried to put a 3/4 30 male splined end in and it is just a hair to big. I thought it might be 9/16 30 but that is much too small. Can anyone tell me what size the splines are in the bottom of that column? It is a possibility that it may be a 3/4 30 female. If so i was looking for a 3/4 30 spline steering shaft and not having luck...Anyone? Working on my hot rod and as we all know nothing is ever stock.
There you go. The ONLY splines on a 55-57 Chevrolet steering column, are at the top for the steering wheel to bolt on, and at the drop link; neither sound like what you are talking about. Does't sound like a Tri-Five Chevrolet column to me. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Busting if you got steering columns with splined ends (opposite of steering wheel) they are not 55-57's . Like Scotty says shaft and box are all one. Pat
consider this thinking aloud... if the steering shaft has no steering box at the other end, then someone may have cut the steering shaft if they did a 605 power steering box upgrade on their tri-five.. Some people used rag joints to join the shaft to the 605 box, but other options may have been possible.
He says it has a female spline on the shaft and I haven't heard of that configuration on the 605 conversion. Pat
pictures added. I can probably make this work if i can figure out what size those female splines are at bottom and if i can find proper shaft. It measure .70 ID with calipers. Hard to count spline though
You said "it's a hair to big". I'm not understanding if it's the hole or the shaft that's to big. Here's some food for thought. Chrysler used 11/16" - 36 and 13/16" - 36 input shafts on gear box.
I see them now. Like Johnny Gee says it's a welded on coupler. That column is a 57 there seems to be a bearing missing from the bottom of column though and with that welded on you will have to pull shaft out of column to get one on there=, now that I write this thats how the original went on. In my opinion chalk it up to a learning or cut it off have the shaft splined to a common GM spline put on the lower bearing and you will be good to go. I have attached a Borgenson page. Good luck, Pat Home :: Couplers & Adapters Couplers & Adapters Using a 2” straight extension, called a coupler, to extend the steering box, R&P shaft or the column shaft, can sometimes eliminate a universal joint. The coupler can be welded or pinned to the un-splined end of a shaft. The 1”- 48 and 1” DD couplers have a 1-1⁄4” hole that will accept either an adapter to reduce inside diameter to 3/4” smooth or another splined or 3/4” DD coupler. The coupler assembly would have to be pinned and/or welded together. Welding the coupler is acceptable because there are no moving parts to damage, and the coupler’s steel is less susceptible to heat damage from welding. Couplers are available in the same spline and Double D sizes as our universal joints. Couplers and adapters are available in steel and stainless steel only. Products 1DD X 3/4DD 3/4-36 X 3/4DD 1"48 X 3/4DD Part #: 315249 Part #: 313449 Part #: 314349 $49.60 $49.60 $49.60 3/4-36 X 3/4-36 9/16-26 X 3/4 Smooth Bore 5/8-36 X 3/4 Smooth Bore Part #: 313434 Part #: 310900 Part #: 311800 $24.62 $21.55 $21.55 3/4DD X 3/4 Smooth Bore 3/4DD X 3/4DD 3/4-36 X 3/4 Smooth Bore Part #: 314900 Part #: 314949 Part #: 313400 $21.55 $24.62 $21.55 Coupler 11/16-36 X 3/4 Smooth Bore 3/4-30 X 3/4 Smooth Bore 11/16-40 X 3/4 Smooth Bore Part #: 312500 Part #: 313100 Part #: 312800 $21.55 $21.55 $21.55 Universal Joint Type Straight Steel Coupler, 2" Long Universal Joint Material Natural Steel Shaft End 1 1" Double D 1"-48 Spline 11/16"-36 Spline (17mm) 11/16"-40 Spline 13/16"-36 Spline 17MM Double D 3/4" Double D 3/4"-30 Spline 3/4"-36 Spline 3/4"-48 Spline
^^^^^ I was searching for the metric one and could not source it. I'm betting the the 17mm-36. Edit. 17mm is far to small to be "just a little". 17mm = 0.669". That's .018" under 11/16"
If you're dead set on using a tri five column, forget about the bearing in the lower end of the housing because there wasn't one. The lower end of the mast was clamped and bolted to the firewall on a tri five. You could use a similar set up with a clamp on the bottom and a solid coupler and all should be good to go.
A question sort of in this subject area. I am just beginning to give my high school sweetheart built at age 17 the long overdue tlc she deserves. I am now 70 . I drove the car for 12 years in my youth and the Minnesota salt factor has been hard on her while she has been tucked away. But I have a guy willing to do the body and he does great work. So the mechanical end I am looking forward to and want to keep it pretty old school. I am keeping the stock manual steering but would like to have a nicer steering column. Has a 4 speed so I would like a smooth column w/o the 3 on the tree stub. Just the column tube to use with my stock shaft. No tilt. Is such an animal available? Gary
Pretty easy to make your existing mast jacket (column) into what you want...just remove the lever, do some hacksawing, and fill in the hole with JB weld, smooth, and paint it. And you can cut off the lever at the bottom. Of course you'll want to disassemble the mast jacket and get everything clean and pretty, and overhaul the turn signal mechanism while it's apart.
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