CORVETTE TILT / TELESCOPING STEERING COLUMN INSTALLED IN A �72 VEGA
My column is a 1979. The years that will work are �77 thru �82. Get a complete column, in good working condition. Individual parts can be found, but you will pay thru the nose!
GM went to a key inhibitor lever (like on all years of Vega�s) on the Corvette in �77. You don�t want anything earlier as it used a back drive system with cable linkage to prevent the column from locking unless the car was in park, or reverse on a 4-speed. �77 only had the wash / wipe switch in the turn signal lever, & also had the cruise control (if equipped) activated by a button on the end of the tilt lever. �78 thru �82 had the cruise control (if equipped) activated by the turn signal lever.
I cut off the Corvette welded on firewall mounting bracket, leaving some of the weld as a stop for the Vega firewall bracket. I adapted the Vega firewall bracket by grinding out the locator �tit� and had a muffler shop expand the inside diameter that slips over the column by around .125. The Corvette column has the end bearing retained by a cap & snap ring. I removed that, put the Vega firewall bracket on, & then reinstalled the cap & snap ring. I pushed in by about 2� the Corvette splined shaft end to get it close to the Vega length. It moved pretty easy. (I have another tilt/telescope column from an �82, & the shaft moves even easier on that one than the one I just built). The splined end fit perfectly in my Vega intermediate steering shaft, with minor grinding using a Dremel for coupling bolt clearance.
For the dash mount, the Corvette has a welded on bracket vs. the bolt on for the Vega, plus the mounting height is about 2� lower on the Corvette column. I removed the capsule mounts & cut on the mounting bracket until it would clear the bottom of the Vega dash. I did a lot of measuring & re-measuring on a factory Vega tilt column I have. I then drilled a mounting hole on one side of the Corvette dash mount bracket, the other side was already clear in the area where I needed to bolt up at. I made up 4 pieces out of �� x 1� flat stock, drilled them with a 3/8� drill, & sandwiched them onto both sides of the mounting bracket, and had them spot-welded in place once I verified proper fit. I made up a pair of spacers out of 7/8� hex stock, different lengths, because one side of the Corvette bracket is lower that the other. (Driver side 1.900 long � Passenger side 1.800 long). I drilled & tapped them with a 3/8-16 thread them all the way thru. They screw onto the factory dash studs on one end, & on the other end I installed studs that pick up the column mounts & installed the column to that with the Vega factory dash/column nuts.
I had to switch out the column wiring harmonica plug to the Vega one, but all the wire colors |
