Following up last month's story about the Classic Instruments gauge panel for '67-72 Chevy trucks we have ididit's Retrofit tilt column for '60-78 Chevy and GMC trucks. The new gauge panel looks so nice it would almost be a crime to put the old stock, worn, and rusty non-tilt column back in front of it. To be honest with you, being over 6 feet tall coupled with the new seat foam and stock large diameter steering wheel, makes getting in the truck a tricky slide maneuver, so I found myself for the first time in my long career dealing with and driving old trucks actually wanting a tilt column. Up to this point I preferred the looks and simplicity of a vintage, stock, non-tilt column.
The nice thing about this situation in a C-10 is that many of these trucks were available with an optional tilt column from the factory so one of ididit's Retrofit tilt columns would actually be right at home under the dash of say a '72 C-10. Everyone should have at least heard about ididit and their famous columns by now and you should know that they have bolt in columns for many Chevy and Ford trucks from the 1950s to the late '70s. All of them are available in a simple black powdercoat finish, bare steel, chrome steel, and brushed or polished aluminum. To make it easy on you, ididit has several levels of install kits from their Econo to Deluxe to be used either with a stock or aftermarket wiring harness. Of course, they also have rag joints, U-joints, DD shafts, and most any steering components for a stock or custom application.
Here is ididit's Retrofit tilt column for the '60-78 GM trucks. To complete the install, ididit has a wiring harness adapter so there's no cutting or splicing. There's also the tilt and turn signal levers and knobs. The ididit column comes with the neutral safety switch mounted toward the bottom. This column is powdercoated black, but they are also available in chrome, natural for painting, brushed aluminum, and polished aluminum.
To top the ididit column, I chose a stock reproduction '72 C-10 steering wheel from Classic Industries, which matches with the rest of the almost restored and handsome stock Cheyenne-style interior. Also ordered from Classic industries was the horn button and its necessary hardware, as well as a new rubber seal for the bottom of the column to the firewall. Be sure to inspect all the areas around your column before you place an order should you need to replace any of these stock items and don't forget a factory assembly manual if you don't have one for your truck-just in case. Keep in mind that steering components should be installed correctly and not just slammed together-your life and other's lives depend on it! Should you run into any problems, ididit has a great, friendly tech line. Be sure to tell 'em CLASSIC TRUCKS sent ya!
One the first things that needs to be done is to take the old steering wheel off. This isn't absolutely necessary, but it makes the job easier. Same with taking the seat out since there'll be some time spent under the dash. Depending on your steering wheel, you might need a steering wheel puller.
