My current project Torino wasn't quite a barren as my LE, but neither was it optioned up to my desires which meant I would have to locate the necessary option packages to bring it up to my current standards as well as replicating the hero cars from the TV show (see my blog for more on this subject). However one option I wanted that Ford failed to offer in the Torino was a tilt column with a floor shift. Seems it was offered in her Mercury cousins and more upscale siblings, but for some strange reason was missing from the '76 Torino option check-list. Since it was available in the Montego and Cougar (I have seen and bid on several of these on eBay without success) I decided to see if it were possible to create my own.
The first order of business was to purchase a column shift tilt unit and another floor shift fixed column from BlueOval. I asked John while I was ordering the units if it were possible to retrofit/modify a column shift tilt unit into a floor shift model, but he said they had been unsuccessful doing so.
Once they were received, I completely disassembled them to determine how they were different. What I discovered was that by simply removing the shift tube I was 90% there!
I reassembled the tilt column (minus the shift tube) to see where I was and found the shift tube also performed another function on the the fixed column... it was also the key interlock which prevented you from turning off the key and locking the steering wheel until you were absolutely ready to. At first I thought I would simply fashion a filler collar to finish out the column and forget about the key interlock, but the more I thought about it the more my anal nature kicked in, so my next objective was to purchase a floor shift tilt column to pull apart and see how the key interlock worked on it.
As luck would have it, there was a floor shift tilt unit on eBay from an mid 80's F150, so I bid and won it. When it arrived, I immediately pulled it apart and found that by drilling and tapping a hole that was "marked" on my Torino unit and adding 5 simple pieces from the truck unit, I was done!
The pieces from the F150 included the column filler collar with interlock opening, the interlock "finger", the interlock pivot shaft, the return spring and the e-ring retainer. Pulled my tilt column back apart, drilled and tapped the hole, installed the pivot, spring and retainer and reassemble placing the collar in position as I went and VILOA... I had my very own floor shift tilt column!
So I broke it down one last time, cleaned, painted and lubed everything up then reassembled it for the final time. She's now all wrapped safely in bubble wrap until it time for final installation in the car.
Well that's it for this installment. Until next time........
ZEBRA 3 OUT
