Steering column bodgernomics - column removal advice needed

I hate bodgers. One owned my van in the past (well, probably several).

I have what I think is a mid-70's steering column, but it is welded (very badly) onto an early steering wheel bracket (the thing that blots the steering column to the inside front panel and the dashboard).



Look: this is what I mean about the early bracket and the late column:




I've tried separating the two in situ, but it's clear that this has got to come out. If I unbolt the column from the steering coupler in the floor, and then unbolt the bracket from the inner front panel, will it come out? I've already taken the dash out.

I hate bodgers.

 

Bays seem to attract bodgers like a magnet. Does look like a late bracket welded to an early column.

Disconnect the switch wiring, unbolt the coupler from underneath, undo any earth wire down by the coupler, undo the two screws holding the base plate and lift the lot off. Can’t think of anything else.

 

Any tips on how to uncouple the coupler? It looks like you have to be both in the cab and under the van at the same time, and I’m doing this on my own. I also noticed that in trying to undo the bolts, the steering wheel wants to turn. If I’m under the van, I can’t stop this.

 

Use a flat ring spanner over the top bolt head from underneath. It will slot in with one of the bolts facing towards the rear.
As the fixings are nuts and bolts holding the steering wheel stationary just makes it harder. You need to rotate the steering wheel to bring the bolts round to where you can reach them.

I sometimes use some string or one of those cable tidy zipties that you can release to hold the spanner handle up against the clutch pedal lever to add a helping hand..

Dont forget the bolts go in from the top so if the nuts fall off the steering remains usable.

By the way I have that steering column mated to a Late Bay dash too. Stock fitment built October 1973.

 

Yes, mine's a January 1973 build. The way it is welded to the bracket is definitely not stock though. I'm hoping if I remove it I can get enough access to the welds to get the grinder on it (power file managed to remove welds one side, but the welds underneath and on the other side are considerably thicker).

All of this started because the ignition barrel is knackered, and in its current state I can't get to the barrel to remove it!!

 

Get replacements and hack up what you have? I would.

EDIT: on the othe hand, it works, it's almost not wrong and when you undo the coupler the whole lot will come off.

 

There should be four screws up there.. you can see two along one side and then a gap to the casting.
Shouldnt be welded to the column also because that completley messes up the horn - there is a rubber ring inside the casting insulating the column from the chassis...

 

^ this

the cover plate at the bottom of the steering column on mine has rusty/siezed / painted over screws holding it in place which i've not got around to sorting out, so the only way to change the coupler is from underneath. As mike says, get a ring spanner on the upper and ratchet/socket on the lower and you can do the swap from underneath. I found it easiest to have the bus up in the air (axle stands) so i could rotate the wheel to get the nuts to where i could put some leverage into them. Steering wont turn if you've got a spanner on the top one.

 

Horn? Ooooh, that ship sailed long ago. For as long as I have owned this van the horn push has been a switch on the dashboard. I'm replacing that with a wireless horn push for the steering wheel - it will take me less time to adapt the Chinese electronic item that's coming in the post for use in the centre of the steering wheel than it will to try and get the original horn push to work. Remote horn receiver will tuck in behind the dash in roughly the place that the switch used to be.

 

I had a right battle getting the cover plate off - I think that's going to fight me when it comes time to put it back on again too. Square hole in the cover plate suggests that this should be a carriage bolt from above with a nut below - if I find the right size I might go with this as this will be easier to put back in and tighten down without having to be in 2 places at once.

 

Captive nut in floor fixes cover plate.

Fixing the horn properly is less rubbish than a Chinese remote control relay. The current surge of the horn sounds causes a pulse of interference which opens the relay and then the relay closes again so if you press the button it goes beep-beep-beep.

Also the tiny relays are too small for the horn current may weld shut or burn out...


Just do it properly .. there is a tag on the bottom of the column that goes to the horn.. and 12 volts to the other side of the horn. Proper push switch on top...
If fixing bodges fix all the known ones while you have it apart.

 

As above, it’ll take even less time to fix the horn properly, back to VW spec. They’re not that complicated.

 

If your windscreen leaks, the water runs along the top of the crumple bracket into the screws holding the casting on... Mine showed up as water dripping on my knees one day.

I should have known - my bus has suffered a lower windscreen repair that has non-standard corner profiles, rain always leaks in the corners unless I use sealant.

 

Ok, so serious questions about how to fix this properly. The column is now out (bleeding knuckles confirm this!) There is a spade connector at the bottom of the column outer. Please bear in mind that this hasn't had a horn on the steering wheel since before I owned it, so can you give me an idea of what else I should have to make this work? There is a horn button, but I haven't trie prising this off yet. What should be underneath?

 

Take it off and see Only prise the black bit, not the silver bit.

 

Here you go:

 

You're missing quite a lot in there: bolts, springs, insulators. The whole springy contact gubbins. Love the insulating tape fix

 

Actually I think that there's quite a lot that is there. No isolators (obviously because of the masking tape) but the horn press does press and spring back. I'm more concerned about what plugs into that spade connector and where that then goes. Does the wire for that go all the way down the centre of the steering column?

 

Have a look at @matty ’s horn-related post in How To. On early columns, there is a cable that runs down inside the column, which was a daft design. They redesigned it on the late Bays.

 

I have a set of bits .. bought a knackered 76+ wheel at Slough a while back from a charity stall.. dont need them as I have a 73 style wheel.. looks complete especially the insulators that you need.