Re:Steering Column Rebuild

[PeterPortugal]

Hello all,

I am rebuilding my steering column and am a bit confused.

There is a "lump" welded to the steering shaft which is presumably to cancel the turn signal.

I am sure that I read somewhere that the lump should be on the opposite side to the turn signal when the steering wheel is correctly indexed and trhe wheels are pointing straight ahead. However if I do that then the mark on the end of the steering shaft would be at 6 o'clock not 12 o'clock and my car is LHD.

Attached is a picture showing the mark on the shaft at 12 o'clock and another one (not great) which show that the "lump" is visible through the opening in the column for the turn signal.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Regards

Peter

[Tyler S]

Peter, Here are 2 photos. As you can see by blue paint on bolt my wheel has never been off. With the mark @ 12 o clock the cam on the shaft points to the turn signal switch. Another way to check is that the hole in the shaft for the steering lock points to the ignition switch when the shaft is straight ahead, mark @ 12 o clock. Looking at the BBB it appears the info about the cam facing opposite is reserved for earlier cars "first version"

[PeterPortugal]

Thanks for the response Tyler. I think it all makes very good sense but my only small concern is your remark about early versions.

My car is a W111 but it is May 1963 model which would make it the same as the very first W113's

[Tyler S]

Does your car have a steering lock? If so I think the same would apply. The hole in the shaft would line up with the hole in the column at dead ahead position.

[PeterPortugal]

Hi Tyler,
It does and it does ! Thanks very much for your valuable advice on this.
Regards
Peter

[wwheeler]

I wonder what they mean by "earlier" version? My '68 W111 is similar to the above. But my '60 W128 Ponton is a world of difference with the steering column. It has a steering lock as well but is a totally different design than the W111.

Only eight years difference, but wow, what a lot of changes.

BTW, my W111 also has the blue paint on the nut.

[Tyler S]

Wallace, i'd have to go back and look but makes sense if your 60 is different. May be what they mean by earlier version. Since the BBB I have is for 1959 to 1968.

[wwheeler]

The column in '59 was even different than the '60. Same car, different year. They were updating the columns like crazy in those years. The '59 had the round horn ring that also doubled as the turns signal. The '60 has a flattened rim that only sounds the horn. Then they changed again in 67 or 68?