I take it David and Jake, you guys have not had one of these columns apart yet. Let me share a little story with you all.
I, like every other old fart pops a steering wheel off by (1)remove the nut. (2)put my knees against the bottom of the wheel and while pulling on the top, tap the shaft with a soft blow hammer, right?
Im at drivers school, 2nd day and this yahhoo in a Z-car(who didnt get his licence) does a banzai pass on me going into a turn and spins right in front of me. well, I guess reflexes made me yank back on the steering wheel while I locked all fours and the wheel came back at me about two inches and came out of the plastic bearing sleeve and was flopping around for the rest of the session.
I pushed it back in later but it kept coming out the rest of the weekend making for some interesting drives with the wheel moving an inch side to side, you dont realize how much the steering wheel holds you in place in your seat while racing.
When I got home I tore the column apart and found that from the factory the column shaft is made up of two peices one sliding inside the other, the factory pulls it all the way out and attaches a tiny cable to the end of the bottom shaft to about four inches above the upper shaft holding the two in a streched out manner. I broke the cable loose by tapping on the shaft getting the wheel off and without me noticing it had pushed it down 2 inches.
The fix is to pull it all the way back out, weld a bearing on the steering shaft right behind your steering wheel and put a bearing holding bracket to your dash bar. The collapsable mechanisms of your column will still work if you fix it this way. I have been told that minor impacts even pounding on your wheel with your hands can collapse the stock config so the fix is recommended even for good columns.

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Daryl Brightwell
ITA RX7 #11
NORPAC
ITA RX7 #77
SOPAC

http://www.calclub.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=101&password=&sort=1&size= medium&cat=500&page=://http://www.calclub.com/gallery/show...m&cat=500&page=

EP this summer



[This message has been edited by 7'sRracing (edited February 23, 2004).]