Tilt steering, cruise control, heated seats and A/C are all amenities that we have grown accustomed to without ever knowing it. We’ve come to expect our seat to power forward and our steering column to drop at the flick of a lever; after all, it’s a matter of driver comfort. As these driver comforts have become a part of our daily drivers, it’s not unthinkable that we would want the same for our classic trucks. Our resident ’68 Chevy makes the rounds to and from lunch, along with the occasional cruise-in, so why not build in many of the same conveniences? After looking online, we decided that our outdated straight column just had to go, and then we’d work on the rest of those comfort items. 

The original column is far too long for our tastes and is equipped with the factory wheel, which is way too large—and that’s the good news. The stock steering wheel will not win any design awards, so we couldn’t wait for it to go, and the column itself was in dire need of repair, as the bearings had worn out long ago.

The ’67-’72 Chevy and GMC trucks have gained considerable popularity with the aftermarket crowd and builders alike, as many of these trucks are still around and, best of all, are affordable. Some of these trucks were even lucky enough to leave the factory with tilt columns, and over the years builders have found alternatives, such as the popular GM van swap, for those that didn’t. We decided that since our safety depended on which way the truck is pointed, we should take a more serious look at our aftermarket options. 

We picked up the closest phone and gave Ken Callison of ididit a call. Ken informed us that ididit makes retrofit columns that bolt directly into the ’60-’72 Chevy (and GMC) trucks. The column uses the factory mounting hardware and comes complete with all the needed parts. It is available in plain steel, chrome and polished or brushed aluminum, and it is available with or without a shifter. The company also has an installation kit (sold separately) that includes a Borgeson 3/4-36×3/4 DD U-joint, a new rag joint and a 36-inch Double D shaft. The folks at ididit will sell you either one or both of the install kits, depending on whether you have a power or manual steering box.

We decided on the retrofit chrome column and an installation kit for the power steering box. We began our installation early one afternoon, and within two hours we had the column, the steering assembly and the wiring hooked up and ready to go. This kit requires a few basic hand tools, along with a cutoff wheel or other tool to cut the steering shaft. The kit bolted in more easily than we even expected it to, and once we had the column in and hooked up we bolted on a new Billet Specialties steering wheel. We chose the flame style for its hot looks and mirror finish. We cannot wait to hit the next cruise with our new chrome column.