This is where being a junk collector pays off having six or seven extra columns. A parts column out of the pull a part or a swap meet can be had for $30 or less seeing we only need the shaft.

But I'm too cheap to spend $600 on a steering box. If you have $600 for a steering box you can afford to spend extra to make it fit.

If you are doing a prissy car where everything has to be perfect doing a major change like this doesn't make sense. But if you are going to let it all hang out no big deal in cutting a column.