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removing stearing colum

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WillR

WillR

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I see the 3 holes but i don't see the screws or anything how the heck does this plastic molding come off.
 
Look on the edges of the steering cowl & you'll find several horizontyal holes....there are Phillips screws in them that separate the 2 halves.
 
for some reson i am pulling lose dirt out of the holes but still have yet to get eny screw out of it. after they are out how does it come off? any clicking or a snap, or just the screws holding it together?
 
Just the screws holding it together from the factory....& they're way up inside....sounds like some type insect built nests in the holes.
 
pulled out alot of webbing to. one scew head id striped one is missing and one i dont know whats in it. maybe the head ripped off. whats plan B? :smile: dang it tony how do you come out with this info?
 
this goes back to the wipers, brake light and turn signals not workig i cleaned off the contact points to the batt under the car and the grounds but nothing. moving on the switches to test. im so frustrated with this and feel rushed due to the little brake in weather i almost ripped the plastic off. alas moss does not sell new ones
 
What year is this beast, Will?
 
Will - I have lots of them....problem is when you strip the threads in the cowl, it's shot...like Doc said, what year is it?

One thing I always do on each & every screw or bolt I atempt to loosen on one of these old cars (if I wasn't the person who tightened it) is squirt some PB Blaster in the hole or on the nut/bolt/screw I want to loosen....& then, turn it a little towards the tighten side before loosening....usually, if you feel it moving to the tight side, it will loosen.
 
My pea brane recalls some issue with the slide switch (Instrument lighting?) on later cowels.

If you can, Will, with the little "soda straw" on a can of PB Blaster, try to spritz a SMALL amount of it from the turn signal stalk hole at the posts where the screws are. Some of the penetrant might wick between the plastic and the screw threads. And Tony's suggestion at putting some at the heads too. If there's "stuff" up in the holes, put some blaster on a cotton swab and "auger" it up into the screw access holes to help dislodge th' smeg.
 
Doc, some did have the little slide switch for instrument lights on the left side - but it comes off with the cowl...just unplug the wires once it is free.
 
Will, I had a similar problem, what helped me was to pry the two halves apart at the same time as I was unscrewing the cowl.
 
19_again said:
Will, I had a similar problem, what helped me was to pry the two halves apart at the same time as I was unscrewing the cowl.
Click to expand...
That usually requires removing the sterring wheel because it's lipped over the cowl.
 
Not in my case Tony. As a matter of fact, I had to remove or actually loosen the cowl a couple of time as the horn contact was out of line and would toot the horn every time I turned the wheel to the left. Didn't have to remove the wheel at all.
This was my '67, still don't know Will's vintage yet.
Of course now you've got me scared that my darn wheel isn't on tight, have to check that before taking to the road later this spring.
 
No, cowl on '67 is totally different than the later ones - which I think is what Will's has.
 
I agree: Must be a "later" car with the BIG cover.
 
shes a 78. the issue is i cant unscrew anything. nothing is there to unscrew except that one head thats totally striped. Tony you say the whole plastic piece is shot? i think tomorrow before work i will try to drill off the stripped head and bry the thing apart. it got to cold to be out tonight. cant do to tmuch after feeling goes away in the fingers:smile:
 
No, no, no...what I said was "problem is when you strip the threads in the cowl, it's shot".....if you drill out the Phillips screws, there are a couple that screw into little 'tangs' on the steering column & if you drill out their threads, you're screwed big time.....so, don't drill out the screws.

Doc & I have both thought out loud about completely cleaning out all the holes until you feel the screws...I'd do it with a pick to see if it hits a screw head....&, if it never finds a screw, then the next step is to see if the PO glued both sides together.....still, it needs screws to hold it in place.

Oh, remove your steering wheel before you go any farther....that does 2 things: it removes the lip of the wheel behind which the cowl is positioned & it lets you look down into the cowl to see how its held in place.
 
Yay.

Though I consider him a bit "ham-fisted" at times, John Twist has a youtube vid of a steering wheel removal technique which works.

Then you can peer into the "jaws of the dilemma".
 
just finished the vid. sounds like taking it off will help a great deal. only one screw is left holding it together but it seems to tight for that. im surre i will be back with more questions
 
im staying with my uncle as i got a new job in his area. could not even find his wrench set before lost feeling in my fingers. i only have so many tools in the boot and nothing big enough for the wheel. this may have to wait till early next week when i have a few days off. :frown:
 
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