Have you tried adjusting the steering box?
Have you tried adjusting the steering box?
In reply to BrokenYugo:
I have, with no noticeable effect.
(Though tbh I'm not sure if that owes to my not adjusting it that much or inherent play in the system)
The nice thing about my ADD is that it applies to setbacks like these, I don't stay uninterested long.
Plus, as I drive the car more I'm growing accustomed to keeping my hands active - regardless of how straight the road is.
In reply to SnowMongoose: check the rag joint sooo much slop when bad,then it's drag link and tie rod ends, If needed and when needed Get The WHOLE DARN KIT the first time and save Time and a Lot of money rather than doing just a part or two as needed.
Check the idler arm too.
I think there are two adjustments on most boxes, the easy to mess with stud on top and there's a preload adjustment on the input shaft that's a bitch to mess with in car.
Can't You use the grand Cherokee steering shaft to eliminate the rag joint (it uses ujoints instead).
Further investigation has informed me that early 60's examples of these column shifted cars don't have rag joints, the steering column goes directly into the box.
Took advantage of the unseasonably good weather (AKA it's not raining) and played around some more.
Seems that all of the play is within the steering column... time to learn how to rebuild one.
(Running on the assumptions that there isn't really an aftermarket for column shift columns and that refurbished examples would be out of the budget I seem to have laid out for this endeavor)
It would appear that in monkeying with the dash and column I loosened some wires, as now the turn signal indicator works intermittently (and not the way it's supposed to work intermittently), the GEN light stays lit, aaaaand the dash otherwise does not illuminate.
The car also backfired twice on the drive home, something it has not done before, but I attributed that to the cold weather (Barely 20, before factoring in a wicked wind)
That being said, I don't have any real idea what I'm talking about so, by all means, let me know if I should be less complacent about it
Because I'm a fan of seeing how fast my engine is turning and Chevrolet didn't see fit to equip my car with a tach from the factory, this arrived today, as if I didn't have enough things involving wires to deal with already.
Cat belongs to my roommate, his name is Butters, he's a jerk and currently nesting on my couch.
This showed up today, thanks Amazon!
Guess what has no mention of the steering column?
Always opt for the factory book whenever it's available.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-CHEVROLET-CHEVY-II-SERVICE-SHOP-MANUAL-REPRINT-/282293359987?hash=item41b9fed573:g:~AwAAOSwYHxWHVFR&vxp=mtr
Eyyyyyyy.
This one even has what I need!
Bonus points for being older than I am.
Aaaaand after deciding to spend some of my tax return on the steering column issue, I discover that nobody offers replacement steering columns.
(Not for a manual at least)
And I've been entirely unable to source replacement bearings/whatever for the column I have.
Every time I get jazzed about this car it kicks me in the nuts.
And it looks as if there aren't any disc options that would allow me to use the wheels I have now.
Hooray.
At least it's pretty in my driveway, right?
You should take inspiration from the Argies and build the six to rev to piss and back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuMTebRBOHc
In reply to SnowMongoose:
Flaming River and Ididit can get pricey but Speedway Motors seems a lot more reasonable.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Shop/Steering-Column-Steering-Columns/12.html
Unless I'm reading each of these product descriptions wrong, none of those companies offer anything for a column shifted manual trans application.
Sent emails to a couple different places I found online that do refurbs, struck out so far but was directed to CJ's Rods and Machines who seem to do rebuilds, though we're looking at $250 plus parts and shipping.
I can't be the only idiot who is unduly attached to the quirkiness of a column shifted manual, can I?
(Perhaps I'm just the only one who isn't equipped to pursue it without professional help)
Aaaaand the end product of this column shift crap seems to be me looking more assertively into engine and trans swaps.
LS + T56 would be the 'traditional' route as donor cars seem to be had for not that much more than engine + trans options online, though looking East has it's own set of perks.
(Namely pushing more buttons that fall into the 'weird' category)
Of course at this juncture this is all purely hypothetical, we're in the midst of what passes for Snowmageddon around here.
The Evo, even on all seasons, is unsurprisingly taking it all in stride.
Took a closer look at the alignment, it was waaaaaay off and was in no way helping the wandering steering.
(Who would have thought that several degrees of toe-in on one side would change how the car tracked?)
Bit the bullet, started buying the parts to redo the front end.
(Full front end rebuild/bushing kit, switching to 63 spec for ease of... everything, rebuilt steering box)
Powertrain musings are still centered around eventual Oriental six-cylinder swaps, though aftermarket electronic fuel injection has crossed my mind...
that's neither here nor there, focused on getting her fully roadworthy, would very much like to DD her for the summer.
Soon...
What could this be? 
Shout out to this car for being the closest thing in my life to 'going well'
Zombie thread goooooo
Long story short, was separated from the car for a couple years, turns out the 'buddy' who was supposed to be doing some work (new steering box, suspension refresh, fixing small issues from PO) has in fact done almost nothing to it.
Car is back in my hands, fired up fine with a new battery, fun new issue of the shifter not shifting.
Shift linkages are connected to trans, can (and have) shifted by hand from engine bay.
Shift lever, however, does not influence said linkages.
Good news is that the problem *has* to be somewhere in the column...
bad news is, I've zero experience with domestics (much less old ones)
Footage of my response to it actually firing up with a new battery:
Considering this has survived so long with the column shift I had to suggest a change, but could you find a Hurst floor shifter on Summit or somewhere else?
In reply to GTwannaB :
I mean I could, but the column shift is one of the most charming ridiculous parts of the vehicle.
Based on how little work was actually done while it was gone, I'm doubting it'll be too hard to figure out...
(famous last words, I know. But it *has* to be some disconnect in the column)
I just have zero experience with anything like this.
I had a couple column shifted cars in the past. None of them worked well and were a constant source of aggravation. There isn't an aftermarket for them because a floor shifter works so much better. There is a lot of loose linkage from the shifter to the transmission. But it is your car and it sounds like the column shifter makes you like the car more so I wish you luck.
New plan: get this car gone as soon as possible.
Going to have a real mechanic fix the linkage, it seems that I'm enough of a potato that 1950's technology is beyond my grasp.
berkeley me, I hate being so useless.
In reply to SnowMongoose :
If you like the car, throw a floor shifter in it *for now*, and worry about the tree shifter later.
Car was gone long enough that I'm way past the honeymoon period, weather will turn soon enough that it'll be 100% the wrong choice to drive for at least 6 months.
Time to cut my losses, harsh reminder that I'm E36 M3 at turning wrenches but that's how life goes.
Who is going to do a fly & drive to get this car?
And the tach needs to go in the center of the dash where the Chevy emblem is.
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