Hey guys, I have this '34 column that I want to use in my RPU and need to get it apart to clean it up and get it ready for paint. Question is, how do I remove this pin to pull the on/off switch out and then how do I remove the column drop from the column? Everything looks and feels prety stuck solid where it is at this point. Thanks, JH
You need to get the parts freed up and moving. Move the shaft so the steering isnt locked, then take out the bolt on the right in your picture. The lock will then slide off the tube. You may need to weld a nut onto that bolt so your wrench can turn it. I dont remember the pin on the left.Maybe weld something on it so you can grip it and pull? If I can remember in the morning, I will look at one of mine.
This might help a little, lets' you see how some of the pieces relate. The tumbler must be removed before the switch pin assembly can be removed. In most cases the pinchbolt on the collumn drop will have be drilled out unless it's a replacment that still has the snap-off head in place.
Great pic Mike but the tumbler won't come out with the pin sticking up through the switch hole like it is. I need to get the pin out of the tumbler first. How do I do that? I think I'll weld a nut to the pinchbolt and back it out. That should work there. Thanks, JH
There's a small steel pin through the casting into a groove on the tumbler body located maybe 1/2" back from the tumbler face. It is soft and easy to drill. The visible hole may be a start on removing it--I'm not sure because I'm not familiar with '34's. I have a casting at home and can report back if you have trouble. The pin is pretty short, so stop drilling as soon as you see brass! The tumbler will come out with no further disassembly of lock parts. Almost all Ford tumblers have the code stamped on the lock body so you can get a new key made. The '32-35 lock cylinder is getting hard to find, so it's worth the trouble to extract it intact. Once the cylinder is out, the rest of the thing is pretty straightforward and will probably just need some cleaning and oiling. If you use this on anything other than a '33-34 steering, you can move the collar around the inner steering shaft to meet up with the lock and keep everything functional. With the pin that holds in the cylinder drilled out, the easiest repair is to replace the pin with an Allen grub screw, and cover its head over with a dab of paint or putty for security.
That old steering stuff is out of my league, I just use a Sawzall to remove. Glad Bruce is around to keep everyone on the right track.
[ QUOTE ] you can move the collar around the inner steering shaft to meet up with the lock and keep everything functional. [/ QUOTE ] Could you explain that a bit further? I got the lock cylinder out. What I need removed is the pin sticking up in the pic above. It is attached to the thumb switch and moves the contact inside the box on the back side of the drop. Thanks, JH
I'm working from memory here at work with no hardware in hand, but I believe that pin is a simple steel spike pressed into the cast soft metal of the part that includes the visible toggle lever. Study it carefully before acting on this, but I believe you just need to grab it with vise grips and pull hard. Ray Nascewicz, almost certainly mispelled, sells some of the little oddball washers and springs for this, and I think Drake has new toggle for '34.
Last post on this thread, I promise. I thought I'd follow up in case anyone cares or ever needs to do this themselves though. Everything was pretty self explanatory except for that pin in the pic above and the pinch bolt that holds the drop clamped to the column. I didn't want to break anything so I asked here before proceeding. The pin is a small splined shaft that is just pressed into the on/off mechanism. It came out with the help of some vise grips. The pinch bolt had a smooth head so I welded a nut to it and it came out easily. Ready for prep & paint now. Thanks guys, JH
Just a FYI on Olde Forde Tech: That smooth-headed bolt started life as a normal looking bolt with a deep groove cut under the head. It was meant to break at the groove when it reached proper torque on the assembly line, leaving behind a rounded head that looks like a carriage bolt head. All original pinch bolts on locking columns got them, and some cars also had one or two of the same bolt holding the lock bracket to the dashboard. My '48 had all three--none of them broken! The Edgewater Ford bolt-breaker dude was on coffee break when My 89A went by! AND--if you want to spread the joy of dealing with these primitive anti-theft devices to future generations, repros are available! You can die happy in the knowledge that some rodder in 2087 will be staring in befuddlement at that slick surface YOU put there!
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