69 tilt steering

[kelly theaker]

i am trying to pull the steering column apart on a tilt wheel and have encountered a few snags and find once you get down to the ignition switch you need a special tool to pull the swivel pins on the sides , if i borrow the tool do you just pull these pins and now will the shaft pull out? and i have found the key warning buzzer switch and it fell apart , can this be purchased from GM or is this part of the turn signal switch ? , i hope to recondition the complete column and clean up the shaft . i have found it some what difficult and ask for an indepth description or education on what to look for. thanks in advance

[Joe L.]

Re: 69 tilt steering

kelly-----

Believe me, overhaul of a Corvette tilt/telescopic steering column is not something that you want to get involved in on an "amateur basis". Personally, I would not even attempt it. Fortunately, my 69 does not have one so I'll never need to.

As far as the ignition warning buzzer switch is concerned, the switch for the T/T column is long discontinued and very difficult to locate. As far as I know, it's not reproduced. The switch for the standard column, which will not work in a T/T column, is still available from GM.

[Gary S.]

Re: 69 tilt steering

Kelly, like Joe said, this is not a very easy job. I would recommend that you go to www.corvettefaq.com and look in their section for steering and tilt/tele steering columns. There is a gent there, Jim Shea, who retired from the company that built all of our steering columns. He is a wealth of information and has posted exploded diagrams, "how to's", and other information. Joe is correct tht the buzzer switch is long discontinued but they can sometimes be found through the various steering column rebuilders or Corvette salvage folks.

If you choose to get into your steering column, have a very good selection of tools, and the patience of Job, then you can do the work. Download all of the diagrams and any documents that pertain to your system. Take LOTS of digital photos as you go along. That way, reassembly will be much easier.
Gary

[Ted S.]

Re: 69 tilt steering

To pull the pins I made a tool and they actually come out pretty easy. The tool was nothing more than a pipe nipple with a notch ground in it, a screw with the correct thread to fit in the pins, and a fender washer so the screw had something to press against. I can send you a pic if that would help. Once the pins come out the top part of the pivot will come off. If you're taking it apart because it's loose in the pivot, it's usually the bolts holding the bottom half of the pivot to the housing that have worked themselves loose. If so, take them out, put loctite on them and tighten them good.

On the key warning buzzer, they're discontinued but Doc Rebuild has them. As of last fall he still had GM ones and I believe he has a repro.

[David H.]

switch

Kelly, e-mail me if you still need a switch. David