[68c10airstream]

Sackracing, just for info sake, the intermediate shaft (the shaft under the hood connecting column to gearbox) is plastic injected because it's designed as a break away feature needed when in a head on collision! If i was doing this mod i would cut it off right down at the rag joint area, remove the amount you want to move the column, and as you weld it back up keep the shaft cold with wet rags/and or ice cubes. This way you will retain the full amount of collapse the engineers designed into it, and not melt the plastic!

My mother was in a head on collision in a 74 saab and the seat belt didn't latch and she was impaled against the steering wheel. She held the wheel so hard that her hands were pinned against the sides of the column because she bent the wheel forward!!! I knew the intermediate shaft could collapse and it did as i inspected it once i got the mangled hood up. I can just imagine the steering wheel being forced up at her if the shaft was solid or shortened or incorrectly modified.

My wife can vouch for the many times i ***** out loud at the times i see in a magazine or on tv the double "D" shaft running between 2 u joints connecting a steering rack to a column and have no provision to collapse. Sorry for the rant but if i can reach one person and get them to re-think the process, mission accomplished!!