Speedway Motors offers a plastic "sleeve" to cover the hole created when a column-shift bowl is modified by removing the column-shift lever pedestal. Does anyone have any experience with this part? Its dimensions match the 1971 Skylark column-shift tilt column that I have. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Column-Shift-Covers,2049.html
"universal fit", which means it doesn't The pedistal sticks out further that the diameter of the column so I'm not sure how that would work. Do like we used to do back in the 80's- get a cool zebra striped bandana and wrap it around the column!
Seems like you'd still have to cut off the shift lever bump in order for that to fit. On my `71 El Camino I sawed off an old shift lever, drilled and tapped a 1/4-28 hole in it and bolted a bracket to it for my 1971 Dixco Don Garlits tach. Worked great and you can't even see the bump unless you're really looking for it. Of course, you have to disconnect the column lock linkage or the tach will move with the column.
I think it was ChevyCraft that took a 307 Malibu convertible and fixed all the factory ‘errors’ (it was a column shift 307/auto with bench interior, and wasn’t a red or black SS originally). They ground the handle bump down and bondoed it smooth, then painted it. Patrick
The pedestal/shift-lever-bump must be removed. This cover hides the damage and hole resulting from sawing it off.
If it was me, Id just swap the lower bowl out for a floor shift one. Swapping a column isn't really that hard. Mike, is the one in your car currently a tilt or non tilt?
Jason, I'd swap the bowl if I had one! I have two steering columns that I'm considering using. One is a floor shift non-tilt, another is a column shift tilt that I'd like to convert to a floor shift tilt. I'm putting together a '70 GS whose original steering column is long gone. By the way, I want a tilt simply to ease access under the dash to repair those inevitable issue that arise over time. Jaye, thank you for your picture! How long ago did you do this, as I'm curious just how long a modification like this lasts without cracking? I once spent 20 hours on a Bakelite steering wheel, just to have it re-crack two years later. I be sick if this were to happen to a column shift tilt bowl that I sawed.
I did this last week , I didn’t use a lot of fiberglass resin just enough to soak the sheets an smooth it out some. After grinding the hump down the hole was about 1/2” square I used about 1.25” square pieces.
