Anyone rebuild a 71 B-body steering column?

I rebuilt my 71 road runner steering colomb about 6 years ago. I can't remember everything thing how everthing went inside but now I am trying to hook it up in the car and I am about 1- 1 1/2 inches short of the steering shaft from reaching the steering box gear. The adjusters up under the steering (3 ea) column are maxed out also. You can see the marks from where they used to be before I took it off and rebuilt it. What would now make the steering column shaft to short to reach the steering chuck gear? I can get the steering shaft to go over the first gear spline on the chuck but thats maxed out and the adjusters won't be able to hold up the steering column under the dash. I did have the steering chuck rebuilt by steer and gear about 6-7 years ago. Everything looks good there though and it is mounted correctly in the K member.

Wizard

Most likely during reassembly or storage, you collapsed the the solid shaft of the column and sheared the nylon pins between the lower half of the shaft and the upper half of the shaft. Did the same to my '72 at some point.

You'll have to disassemble it to fix the problem.

You didn't swap from a power steering gear to a manual, did you, by the way? That would explain the discrepancy...

On mine, no nylon pins available, so had to determine proper length of shaft, drill a very small hole through existing outer shaft hole into inner shaft. Then screw a small diameter screw oval head screw into it to hold shafts in proper relation for reassembly. Screw must be small enough to allow for shearing in the event of an accident where collapsing of column is necessary to avoid horn button in chest cavity...

Oval head screw is necessary to allow shaft to slide back in column housing shaft lower bearing/bushing (if equipped).

Good luck.

Answer in restoration forum. Thanks though.

wizard