87 gm steering column

[Dan Barlow]

The 87 vetts column has a rod that just had the rod that works the ignition switch has become detatched from whatever it hooks to up inside of the lower collar or cover . I need to slide it down but don't know how to slide it down the column to the braket without braking it .

[JamesMayberryIII]

What collar the part just below the tilt??
The rod should be hooked to the ign switch at one end (lower)and the key lock at the other..

[Dan Barlow]

Yes below the tilt . Heres a fairly bad picture.

[JamesMayberryIII]

iiirc when I had to do my 85 impala tilt.. that collar goes up.. not down as the inner part is part of that casting.. it's not just a tube skin/sleeve.

[SuperBuickGuy]

you broke the pot-metal slide ... sucks to be you, seriously, buy another column and put your ignition switch in it. thieves break the housing, then pull the rod off that slide to start the car. It can wear, it's weird, but it can wear but to fix it requires absolute and complete disassembly of the column. If you can swing it, get a new column that has steel covers rather then the pot steel ones - makes the car a lot harder to steal.

[Dan Barlow]

These seem to be a plastic flexible sleeve. This one in the photo is from a 3rd gen F body. I figured I'd do my learning on it . No point ruining the one in the red vette if I don't need too. Besides the vette one having the telescopic function they are the same. About to cut a slot down the
bottom to see if that helps .

[Dan Barlow]

Better pic . Other than a small chip on the collar it isn't broke .

[Dan Barlow]

I made a cut down the bottom with a dremel like tool since I could put a peice of electric tape down the slice and nobody would ever see it . No luck . Figured here goes nothing and sliced it down the top. While I can pull it open some, still no benefit . It's not cast but maybe injection molded plastic. Looks like it may come apart from the top if you totally disassembled it .

[Dan Barlow]

[SuperBuickGuy]

LMAO, that is one way to get it apart.

[SuperBuickGuy]

and by pot metal, I mean the bit the rod connects to that allows the steering column to tilt while still allowing the key to turn and pull the rod. It almost looks like your column has already suffered that. I don't have any columns apart, but I'll do a quick google to see if I can find a picture

[SuperBuickGuy]

The part I'm talking about is #44

link to the picture

http://www.steeringcolumnservices.com/exploded-view-results.php?y=1986&ma=Chevrolet&mo=Corvette&d=Telescopic&c=6006tt

[Dan Barlow]

I seem to have had a couple posts not show up . I'll fire up some other pics I took .

[Dan Barlow]

Here must be where the one in the red vette is messed up . Two things I can't stand . Bolting the ingition switch and dimmers switches on the column and taking columns apart . I hat the latter the most