Steering Column Repair: theft car, gm models, internal gears

Question
hi Doug, i just bought an 84 chev corvette from salvage yard that is a recent theft recovery. the left side of the column is punched out right under steering wheel. the key wont turn over to start vehicle. just wondering if there are kits to buy to replace the housing or do i need to replace the whole column? thanks.

Answer
Hi Jesse:
The car you just bought was at a salvage yard for good reason.  The parts for this vehicle are no longer available from the manufacturer and a used column could cost up to $1000 if you can find a good one.  It sounds like the upper lock cover is broken along with some of the internal parts.  The upper cover is going to be the hardest part to find and, no, they do not come in a kit for the Corvette.  There were not enough produced for the aftermarket manufacturers to produce the kit form as they did for the Impalas & other popular GM models that interchange.  Corvette is by itself and I think 1984 only fits 1984 9maybe 1985).
The internal gears are generic and we have them for you, no problem.  On that vehicle, there is a black chip on the key.  Is the lock cylinder (where the key goes) intact?  It needs to be or you have a whole set of other problems as well.  There are contacts inside the lock that read that chip on the key and they need to be working.
If you would answer those questions I posed and if you can, take some pictures of the broken portions of the column and send them to me at info@stolenandrecovered.com
I will take a look at our inventory and see if we have what you need