1960 steering column paint

[Donald H.]

The TIM & JG says for a 1960 the steering column is painted "gloss interior color extending at least several inches below the hub (remainder of column is black to steering gear)".

So should I paint to column to just below the dash where the transition from interior color to black is not visible, or paint it interior color all the way to where it goes through the firewall?

What about the lower cover? Should it be painted interior color?

Thanks,

Don

[Joe M.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

Donald, on my 1960 column, the interior color is painted to just below the bottom cover and the cover is painted interior color. There is light interior color overspray on the "U" bracket that holds the column up.

I believe the cover was dip painted with black paint prior to interior paint. The back side of the bottom cover had black paint on it with a run at one end of the cover. I hope this helps.

[Joe M.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

Donald, perform a search of this forum, Technical Discussion (not Archives), for "C1 Steering Column",look for January 2010 thread of C1 Steering Column Mast Jacket > Richard Mozzetta reply > open up the http link and read Mike Ernst's comment about what he has seen in 700 cars.

Mike states that the interior color stopped above the cover plate; making the cover plate semi-gloss black as the lower column is painted. Now I am not sure about what I see in my car. Maybe there will be more responses today to confirm this.

[Donald H.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

Not disagreeing with what you said, but I'm having trouble intrepreting what Mike's comment says. Quoted below:

"over 700 original cars I have documented over the past 30 years have not had interior color past the bracket that affixes it to the bottom of the column"

My car is all torn apart and I'm having trouble visualizing it using the AIM. I would think that the cover would be interior color down to where it is not visable from sitting or looking into the car, i.e. without bending down and looking up under the dash area.

Sooo, is he refering to the U shaped bracket (part number 3706932 AIM Sec. 9 sheet 4.00) that hold the column to the underside of the dash area? If so, isn't that at the bottom end of the cover (part number 3740247 AIM Sec. 9 sheet 5.00), so if the paint goes to the U bracket, the I would think the cover has interior color on it like yours?

Thanks,
Don

[Dennis C.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

I have been wondering about this for a while.

Why would the cover have interior paint on it? I would think it would be painted black, even if the column had some interior color overspray at that point.

The interior paint would have been painted early in the assembly process, at least before the wiring harness and wiring were done. I would think that the cover would have been installed after the column was completely built out and the turn signal and horn wiring was completed.

Would the factory of had to take the cover off to install the wiring after painting the the top half of the column with interior color?

Dennis

[Joe M.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

i believe he was referring to the "U" bracket. There is a gap of 3/4" between the bottom of the U bracket and the top of the wiring cover plate. One thread stated that the painters mask off so the interior color would not get on the gloss black steering column; another thread stated that there should be some overspray on the wiring cover plate because they did not mask it off.

Since I have never seen in person or photos of a documented unrestored 1960, I don't have a clue on some of the little details.

I just finished removing all of the brake pedal components, wire wheeled the rust and old paint, applied a self-etching primer, and one top coat of gloss black paint. Now I need to purchase the nylon/plastic bushings that go inside the top of the pedal assembly.

Have you removed the parking brake parts that are under the dash? Is is difficult? I want to do that next and spray new coat of gloss black on the steel parts.

[Joe M.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

Dennis, your logic makes sense. I just don't know at what point the interior was painted in relation to when the steering column was installed. When I removed the wiring cover, it is bare metal underneath so that leads me to believe that the cover was in place when the column was painted black. That is the only thing I know for sure on my car.

[Donald H.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

I have been wondering about this for a while.

Why would the cover have interior paint on it? I would think it would be painted black, even if the column had some interior color overspray at that point.

The interior paint would have been painted early in the assembly process, at least before the wiring harness and wiring were done. I would think that the cover would have been installed after the column was completely built out and the turn signal and horn wiring was completed.

Would the factory of had to take the cover off to install the wiring after painting the the top half of the column with interior color?

Dennis

I don't know what I don't know as I am still pretty much a newbie, but if the steering column lower support brackets had overspray then I would assume the column was in the car when the interior was painted.

So for the lower cover? Were there small interior parts painted separately then installed? For example, was the cluster painted then installed later? If that's the case, the lower steering column could have been painted separately then installed, Thus showing that Joe described.

Thanks,
Don

[Donald H.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

I don't know what I don't know as I am still pretty much a newbie, but if the steering column lower support U bracket had overspray then I would assume the column was in the car when the interior was painted.

So for the lower cover. Were there small interior parts painted separately then installed? For example, was the cluster painted then installed later? If that's the case, the lower steering column cover could have been painted separately then installed, Thus showing the cover painted as Joe described.

Thanks,
Don

[John H.]

Re: 1960 steering column paint

I don't know what I don't know as I am still pretty much a newbie, but if the steering column lower support U bracket had overspray then I would assume the column was in the car when the interior was painted.

So for the lower cover. Were there small interior parts painted separately then installed? For example, was the cluster painted then installed later? If that's the case, the lower steering column cover could have been painted separately then installed, Thus showing the cover painted as Joe described.

Thanks,
Don

Don -

The steering column & gear assembly wasn't in the car when the interior was painted - the column & gear assembly was painted separately before being installed in the body after the cluster. The cluster and lower cover were painted lying on the floor of the car and subassembled off-line before final installation.