We’re firm believers in doing things the right way, and all the way. For example, if you decide to swap your column shift automatic (or manual for that matter) over to floor shift like we did with our project car ’77 Chevy Nova (Mar. ’12), you can’t just leave the original column shifter in place. The floor shift conversion will just never look legit with the telltale shifter boss on the column, and unfortunately there’s just no good way to hide it. You have to complete the illusion.
While it’s not the worst we’ve seen, we just can’t stand how out of place the pedestrian two-bar steering wheel looked against the gorgeous gauges we created in Auto Meter’s Custom Shop. It really kills the clean, muscular look. Before removing anything, make sure the front wheels point straight. We have other issues to address in our steering system, so the steering wheel did not end up level.
Even if you just yank the handle and leave the ugly shifter bump as we were forced to do on our ’68 Nova project car (no one makes a column for ’68 model Novas), other problems can arise, such as the collar rotating from vibration and telling the stock Neutral safety switch that the car is in gear and not allowing the engine to crank. So then you have to unplug that harness. Starting to feel a bit cobbled isn’t it? We’re just not OK with stuff like that distracting from the hard work and good parts we’ve installed so far.
Of course new factory-style columns aren’t offered for fourth-gen Novas, but thanks to ididit, direct bolt-in columns are now offered for second-gen Camaros and Firebirds, which is nearly a direct bolt-in for the later Novas. These ’70-75 second-gen F-body columns (PN 1620860051, $793.62) are collapsible like original for safety, and you also get the ergonomic benefit of eight-position tilt. That’s one of the most underappreciated niceties in late-model cars that we miss in our vintage projects.
Since ididit designed these new columns as a direct-fit kit rather than a universal style, the wiring harness is all plug-and-play. The guys at ididit even made sure to use an original-style ignition switch with the correct clocking, so odds are no one will even notice it’s not a restored factory part. For maximum stealth on our ’77 Nova install, we opted for the black powdercoat version, but the columns are also available in bare steel and chrome-plated finishes.
