Steering Column Repair: major steering column movement at wheel, tilt column, pivot pin

Question
im going nuts! im trying to figure out why i have excessive movemont at the top of my steering column.ive imported a 91 silverado to the UK and the guy who sold it to me switched the steering wheel before sending it.I removed the wheel as it moved around real bad.there were parts left off,like the large metal notched ring that slides over the shaft and the round white plastic piece too.i removed the spring and the bearing and im left with the grooved steering column shaft just flopping about,looking down it i can just see another bearing further down but that looks ok,trouble is i don't know what to look for as there is nothing like it over here and the chiltern manual doesn't show enough of this part,please help! thanks,Lawrence UK  

Answer
Hi Lawrence,
I hate it when someone takes something apart and then turns it over to somone else to put back together. I feel for you.
It sounds like the steering lock ring and the horn contact were left out. There's no telling what other parts are missing. The lock ring is held on with a "C" clip external ring. The guy probably didn't have the tool to compress the ring back on so he left it off. I'm inclined to think that he also left the bearing race out. You don't say whether this is a tilt column or not but I assume it is since it is a Silverado package.
A tilt column will have a two piece shaft with a plastic coupling connecting the two. I've seen too many people use a hammer to remove the steering wheel from the shaft and in the process, breaking the plastic coupling. This will cause excessive play in the shaft.
On the other hand the tilt column may have been flopping around in the first place, and why someone may have tried to disassemble the column. There are 4 bolts that keep the bowl on the column snug. These bolts are prone to loosening over time. To tighten them you need a few special tools. Obviously the guy didn't have a lock ring compressor so I doubt he had the pivot pin tool either much less a steering wheel puller.
There is a diagram of a similar column at this link:

http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=diagram0ny.jpg

Copy and paste the link in your browser. This may not be the exact same as your column, but very few parts are different. The main column, shaft, bearings, tilt mechanism and such are the same for many years. This should give you an idea of what is missing.

I hope this helps and I do have other actual pictures of a column in various stages of disassembly. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. If parts are hard to locate there, email me at jayc11@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do. I do on occasion auction various parts on eBay just to help someone out, though it's not my livelihood.

Have a great day.
-Jay