Old-School Cool Lives On at the 2025 GNRS Suede Palace
February 20, 2025
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
BUTCH
Back in the ’60s, a youthful Barry Wallner was well known in and around Illinois for his modified ’57 sedan delivery. It was a tough competitor at the local dragstrips, but time took its toll, and most of the dragstrips have disappeared, giving way to housing and shopping-center developments and industrial complexes. But this hasn’t stopped Wallner, who was an adept restorer. So, from the late-’60s through the mid-’90s, he has gone on with other ’57 Chevys to win top show awards.
All Mocked Up
When building a street rod, unless you are building it to look like the day it rolled off the showroom floor, you find yourself constantly hiding whatever you can, wherever you can. One area that usually ends up hiding more items than was ever intended is the dashboard.
The dash is the one area that lives up to the old saying, “10 pounds of stuff in a 5-pound bag,” which generally carries with it a whole set of challenges and/or problems. When it comes to the ’33-’34 Ford, conditions are worse than normal, as there’s practically no space behind or under the dash. By the time you place your gauges and an A/C unit, there is little room left for much else, including a glovebox. When your needs are such that you require a certain amount of equipment behind the dash, most of the time the answer to your dilemma is a smooth dash.
TURNED-ON, TUNED-IN ECONOLINE
In an unmarked garage in north central Oklahoma (parked next to an original ’70 Boss 429) sat the Econoline. After moving the dead varmint skeletons and wiping off many years of dust, Kirk’s rolling time capsule was ready to see daylight again. Since the 406 Ford FE big block was no longer “politically correct,” a modern powerplant was decided upon.
Spotlighter
TILT-A-WHEEL
Retrofitting a ’68 Chevy C-10 Pickup With an ididit Tilt Column
Author
Josh Kaylor
Story & Photography
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.
The column of our ’68 Chevy not only needed to be rebuilt but also was a factory straight column. Our goal was to provide our truck with a new, safe column as well as adding the luxury of tilt.
We began by removing the two bolts beneath the gauge cluster that held the upper column brace and gasket in place.
Next we removed the upper column brace and gasket. Remember to keep all the bracing and bolts, as they will be reused with the new column. We tossed the gasket and ordered a new gauge cluster seal from LMC Truck.
After removing the upper column seal we moved onto the main brace located beneath the dash. This hardware needs to be kept and cleaned up, as they, too, will be used in the reassembly process.
We then unplugged the column harness from the main body harness. The new column is prewired with the necessary plug.
After disconnecting the main harness we moved down to the neutral safety switch and unplugged it. The new column includes a neutral safety switch.
The next piece we removed is the column seal retainer. This is located on the inside firewall and held in place with two small bolts.
We then moved to the outside of the truck, where we pulled the cotter pin from the shifter linkage. While we had the shifter linkage and the retaining rings and braces out, we cleaned them up and sprayed them with a new coat of black paint.
This bolt connects the column to the factory linkage. Neither of these parts will be used in the reassembly process, as we ordered the deluxe kit with the new steering linkage.
The last piece holding the column in place is the lower bracket and column clamp. This clamp is the piece holding the column in place.
There are two bolts on the firewall column support. This is the last piece that needs to be removed before the column comes out. Be careful, because as soon as you remove this brace, the column will drop to the floor. For this step it will help to have two people.
Last but not least is the bolt that holds the rag joint to the box. Once this bolt is removed the entire steering shaft will come out.
Once you remove the lower brace the entire column will slide right though the firewall hole and out. With the old column out we can begin installing our new column. We tossed the entire assembly in the swap meet pile.
We removed the shifter arm assembly and installed the new firewall gasket from LMC and the retaining ring. Once we had the gasket in, we reinstalled the shifter arm.
In order to make things much easier, we installed the center brace located beneath the dash. This will support the column while installing the upper and lower brace.
With the center brace in place, the upper bracket and gauge cluster gasket were bolted into place.
Next came the seal retainer on the inside firewall that is held in by two small screws. There is a total of six bolts and screws inside the cab.
Once we were finished in the cab, the next step was to reinstall the firewall brace and clamp.
As soon as we had the clamp and brace in place we could begin measuring for the steering linkage. First install the upper U-joint, followed by the rag joint on the steering box.
Measure the distance between the U-joint and the rag joint. In order to get the proper length, the steering shaft should engage into the U-joint and the rag joint.
Next we transferred our measurement to the Borgeson shaft and made the cut using our Sawzall. Once the shaft was cut, we cleaned up the edges.
We then checked the length of the column and mocked it into place. Once the decision was final and the shaft was double checked for proper operation, a coat of sealer primer was then sprayed on the linkage until a final paint choice could be made.
After the primer had time to dry, we began to assemble the steering linkage. First we installed the U-joint on the column, followed by the rag joint on the steering box. Before tightening, add a drop of Loctite to the setscrew and nut.
Last, but certainly not least, is reinstalling the shifter arm. The shifter arm simply slides through the shift arm bushings and is held in place with a new cotter pin.
The first step in installing the steering wheel is to install the horn button wire supplied in the ididit kit.
This will then slide through the steering wheel adapter. Before installing the adapter, the turn signal arm must be installed in the column.
Now that the column and linkage are in place we are going to focus our attention on assembling the new wheel. After installing the horn wire, the next step is to install the Billet Specialties wheel adapter. The adapter is designed to accommodate Billet Specialties steering wheels. Billet Specialties recommends adding antiseize to the adapter nut.
After tightening the adapter nut, we moved on to the wheel. The new billet wheel is held in place with nine Allen screws. Be sure not to overtighten these, which can lead to damage of the wheel.
With the wheel in place we slid the horn button wire onto the prong and popped the new horn button into place. We chose the small logo horn button from Billet Specialties.
Now that our new wheel was on, we decided that it was time for the shift knob and tilt lever. With the column securely in place and finished, we plugged in the new column harness and double checked for turn signals and hazards. Everything works great!
The install is finished and our new column looks great. The whole install took a couple of hours due to the removal of the original column, but it was well worth it.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Billet Specialties
500 Shawmut Ave.
LaGrange, IL 60526
800/245-5382
ididit Inc.
610 S. Maumee St.
Tecumseh, MI 49286
517/424-0577
LMC Truck
15450 W. 108th St.
Lenexa, KS 66219
800/562-8782
