A fellow board member and I are now boating. We have purchased a 1971 Riviera that hasn't run in about 5 years. It's in decent shape but will need lots of TLC to make it a running and driving car. My current major concerns are the brake system and the steering column. The master cylinder has no fluid in it and at the bottom of each reservoir is what looks like tar: what does the rest of the system look like? The steering column is in the car and has something broken of loose in the tilt mechanism that won't allow the key to turn to a run/start position. Does the column share parts with the other big cars? I hope so I've got a couple of them.
The tilt column parts you probably need are common to all tilts of that vintage. Probably need a new rack or pinion. Before you open it up, just make sure your issue isn't the ignition switch. I'd probably disconnect the switch and try the key again
