Almost Ready to Steer

Coming Together
The steering column is beginning to come together.

Yesterday saw the beginning of the reassembly process as the steering column started to come together and the repaired coupling went back into the car. Putting it all back together is sometimes a memory puzzle, especially if there are a lot of pieces. It stands to reason the part you can’t put back together is always the bit the manual skips over. (Luckily, there’s usually some help in the forums from those who have been there before.)

So far, the trickiest part has been the replacement turn signal switch. The ’64 switch is unique, so the one I got is only a “close match.” It came with a wiring diagram and instructions on grinding down the steel bearing retainer plate to fit–not a task for the inexperienced. I was able to test fit the switch itself, so I know that will work. The next step is figuring out the rat’s nest of wires under the dash, which I’m sure will entail a lot of head scratching.

 Cleaned up Chrome
Horn, turn signal stalk and radio face plate, ready to roll again.

I polished up the chrome pieces that came out of the car. They are better, but far from perfect; time has taken it’s toll in minor pitting and rust. Stripping and plating them seems a bit extreme right now, so back in the car they go.

2 thoughts on “Almost Ready to Steer”

  1. From your blog” “The ’64 switch is unique, so the one I got is only a “close match.” It came with a wiring diagram and instructions on grinding down the steel bearing retainer plate to fit–”

    Where did you get/buy the turn signal switch?

    1. I got it from Bird Nest (there’s a link on my resources page). It was $125. I gather that there are no exact replacements made. When I got it, I noticed right away that there are less wires and that doesn’t fit in the housing like the original. I called to see what was up and they explained how the wiring and fit were different and could be worked around. I got the impression they’ve had a lot of calls like that.

      What they didn’t mention is an issue with the turn signal stalk. I had to file down the opening in the housing about a 1/4″ to get clearance for the stalk to fit into the threads. I still haven’t had a chance to try hooking the wires up–I’ll post when I do.

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