Steering Column Question

OK I’ve got my steering column out and I got the horn button out of the steering wheel and it looks like behind that it’s bugger it up pretty good. My question is can I just order the center shaft or do I need to buy an entire column?. My next question is does anybody have one LOL. I’m located in upper East Tennessee and if anyone is close I don’t mind the drive drive

 

Unlikely the center column is available anywhere, unless it's left over NOS from some dealership's stock. Doubly unlikely IMO, since these are parts that even the largest dealership would not have stocked. They would have ordered them and waited the few days needed to get them from the factory warehouse.

You might find a complete column assembly.

How about posting a few pictures of the damage? There might be some suggestions of how you can save the parts you have.

 

If I were you, I'd pull the steering wheel and take a look at the rest of the shaft. The top part that is messed up on yours is a threaded section. I'm guessing you could cut away the rusted portion and weld on a small section of pipe. Then thread it for the shaft nut. If you don't weld, a shop would do it pretty cheap. Probably cheaper than buying a new shaft ... if you could find one.

Pulling the whole shaft would let you know if the shaft is entirely shot or if its just the threaded portion. The pic is my '72 shaft.

 

Thats exactly what I was thinking of doing, Ive also thought of just simply tapping the center since Ill never use the factory horn. I've had the whole shaft out and besides this top spot, the rest is great. the contact sleeve is torn up but again that's for the horn so im good there. I can just pop on a horn button to the side of the column to eliminate that. Im working on getting some apparatus to get behind the wheel so I can pull it and I've already got a new wheel and the adapter kit is on the way from the jungle store.