New "Reproduction" tilt columns

[67ChevyRedneck]

Has anyone used them? Brothers has a 15% off sale right now and I can basically get one for around +/-$320. Good quality, etc?

I tore my tilt down and I'm basically going to need $250-300 in parts (bearings, turn signal switch, etc) for it to be "new" again, and to be honest, I'm good at fixing stuff, but I don't think I can get it back together 100% right... Kinda mad at myself because I paid up for it years ago and it was probably "tight" enough to just paint and throw back in the truck...

Also... what's different for a 67/68 with the intermediate shaft? It says I need a $120 adapter for a 67-68, but I installed a 1972 column in my truck many years ago and it works fine... but I think I took the entire thing, intermediate shaft and all? So I shouldn't need this stupid expensive extra part?

Linky to column:

https://www.brotherstrucks.com/67-72...tinfo/CSC67M0/

[68Stepbed]

I have an Ididt column in mine. It's a great quality item. My dad has a Flaming River in his 56 BelAir, which is also just as nice. The Ididt is like factory, but dad's FR column requires a specific adapter for the steering wheel.

[vdawg1973]

I have used these on builds where customers do not want to spend the money on a higher end column. I will say that I have never had a problem with these columns that are actually manufactured for CPP. They have a pretty good fit and good finish. Only issue I have come across is the column shift lever spring is a little weak and will allow the shifter to rattle. These will get the job done.

[Robznob11]

Well im not sure how its going to work out....but i snagged a vintage customs colum powder coated black from jonny law motors on ebay for 169 shipped. It looks great and came with billet handles. I know the steering wheele is standard gm but the output is 1"dd nothing a 35$ coupling wont fix. At that price it made sence to me!

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by vdawg1973

I have used these on builds where customers do not want to spend the money on a higher end column. I will say that I have never had a problem with these columns that are actually manufactured for CPP. They have a pretty good fit and good finish. Only issue I have come across is the column shift lever spring is a little weak and will allow the shifter to rattle. These will get the job done.

That's good to hear, especially since you've used a bunch of them and I'll be ordering a "floor shift" version, so no shifter rattle

[dmjlambert]

I recommend having a look at this:
http://www.yogisinc.com/pdf/LVVTA_St...umn_Report.pdf

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

I recommend having a look at this:
http://www.yogisinc.com/pdf/LVVTA_St...umn_Report.pdf

Does anyone know what "brand" these are? The CPP ones?


I guess I could save $90 on a remanufactured GM one then...

[Overdriven]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Does anyone know what "brand" these are? The CPP ones?


I guess I could save $90 on a remanufactured GM one then...

See page 13 in the link above where it shows the disassembly of a CPP column. Funny I was going to mention the link above when I saw this thread. Personally I'd be wary of any of the reproduction columns, just as with sheetmetal many of these all come from a single source with someone else's name on them. Rebuild the original or iditit would be the way I'd go.

[darrellyates]

I used a column from CPP on my first build. It worked fine and fit fine, but did have a lot of play in the lower bearing/shifter. I shimmed it up, put in a stronger spring, and didn't have any issues.

On the new build, I have a Ididit column. It's a little shorter, which helps you with the alignment for the rack and pinion, or so I'm told. The column is in paint right now, and I'll be doing the final install in January. Appeared to bolt right up in fit-up, and the quality is excellent.

I think you would be fine with either a rebuilt factory, replacement from CPP, Brothers, LMC... Any of the reputable parts suppliers, or from Ididit. Of the two, I like the new Ididit better than the reproduction one I used before. Seems a more quality piece. Just my opinion.

[Robznob11]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

I recommend having a look at this:
http://www.yogisinc.com/pdf/LVVTA_St...umn_Report.pdf

Thank you very much.....i just got a RMA to send mine back! I will trust the gm van column i have....its fine anyhow i just wanted something new!

[Willie Makeit]

if it doesn't say ididit, Flaming River or Saginaw (GM oem) then I would avoid at all costs.

[GASoline71]

Originally Posted by Willie Makeit

if it doesn't say ididit, Flaming River or Saginaw (GM oem) then I would avoid at all costs.

Agreed...

I am bolting in a Flaming River tilt in my truck very soon.

Gary

[dmjlambert]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

I tore my tilt down and I'm basically going to need $250-300 in parts (bearings, turn signal switch, etc) for it to be "new" again, and to be honest, I'm good at fixing stuff, but I don't think I can get it back together 100% right...

If I were in that position I would talk to KevsClassics and see if it is OK to package up the disassembled column and send it to him. I have read posts on the forum about what he does and it seems he's the column guru. I don't know for sure he's still active.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=264748

[special-K]

I don't plan on ever buying anything that has CPP's name on it. Some may have no problems, but just look at our Review Board. I'd guess there are more negative experiences with them across the bard than any other producer or seller of parts. I see using their products as a 50/50 crap shoot at best. There's more to than buying cheapest. I bought a Flaming River from Frank's Pickups in WA that he has Flaming River set up to bolt in w/nothing else needed. He does put them on sale and that's when I bought my floor shift column. It wasn't all that much more than that sale price at Brothers. There are also guys here who do magic with tilt column building/rebuilding. Probably not the cheapest way to go, but in the end you have an OEM column. All I know is the column in my '72 I originally paid $360 for in '91. It's an OEM tilt rebuilt/restored/detailed by Cheyenne Superman (in saddle). This is the second truck in 25 years it was been in and it seems as good as back ,still.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I guess where I'm really stuck at with my column is the bearings. There is an upper and lower bearing inside the cup and they're different sizes.

I've contacted multiple people, including some of the guys that are known rebuilders on here, and i guess they don't want to give away their secrets because all they did was forward me to other people. I finally got a guy that said he could get me both bearings but they were $80-90 each and that's where I left it... I've found the bearings at multiple places (for a much lower price), but I can't seem to find anyone to confirm which sizes are correct.



You can see in this pic my bearing cage has cracked:

[special-K]

I have a bearing & transmission business I can take a bearing to and they will match it up. My experience was bearings for a farm I lived on that also did lab work. These were double action bearings for a blood defibrillator, a machine that you fasten a bottle full of fresh drawn blood in that tilts it while it shakes it...basically does what a human could do to shake while making the fluid swirl. The medical lab supply place sold replacements for abut $80. I went in to this hydraulics and bearing place, they matched them up, and ordered me some for $15@. Been back many times in situations like yours...radial arm saw bearings, and all sorts of other bearings. One stop shop and if they can't get a number off them they know their stuff well enough they can measure & mic them to know what is required for tolerances.

I understand, you payed once for the column and sending it out will be basically same as buying a column twice

[67ChevyRedneck]

I got the race for the cracked one out easily, no part # anywhere. The other one doesn't want to pop out easy and it's not broken, so I haven't tried too hard to get it out yet.

I don't remember exactly, but I think I got the column for like $275-300, but it was like 10 years ago too. It was tight enough to just use, I wish I had just thrown it in the truck with new upper and lower bearings (the very bottom and the one right below the steering wheel) and been done with it.

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by special-K

I have a bearing & transmission business I can take a bearing to and they will match it up. My experience was bearings for a farm I lived on that also did lab work. These were double action bearings for a blood defibrillator, a machine that you fasten a bottle full of fresh drawn blood in that tilts it while it shakes it...basically does what a human could do to shake while making the fluid swirl. The medical lab supply place sold replacements for abut $80. I went in to this hydraulics and bearing place, they matched them up, and ordered me some for $15@. Been back many times in situations like yours...radial arm saw bearings, and all sorts of other bearings. One stop shop and if they can't get a number off them they know their stuff well enough they can measure & mic them to know what is required for tolerances.

I understand, you payed once for the column and sending it out will be basically same as buying a column twice

For bearings and seals at work we use a place called kaman industrial technologies. They do exactly what you describe Tim. I've brought stuff in with no numbers or markings more than once and they always come thru. They know they are in select cities throughout the country.

[randy500]

Why not just use the bearing as they are. The cage only holds the bearings in place until assembled, then the bearing clearance holds it all together. and the cage just floats and follows the balls. I doubt the cage would fail completely or enough to cause a problem.

[dmjlambert]

Forum member djeCST was telling me on another thread that the shift lever pin is available at Classic Heartbeat. When I was on the Classic Heartbeat site finding the pin so I can order it, I noticed they sell the bearings for the steering column, too.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I checked. Wes just carries the upper bearing (it goes right under the steering wheel) and the lower bearing, (the one on the very bottom of the column) just like everyone else. Most parts places do carry a bearing that looks like the one I need, but I don't know what size it is and I don't like to guess with $30-40 parts...

There's also no way I'm putting it back together with a broken bearing cage. My luck is that it would fall apart the first time I drive it. These things are (insert a lot of bad words here) nightmare to take apart. If I put it back together it's going to be with new parts

I found another place that specializes in GM columns and sent them an email on the bearings. With as many as these things are rebuilt, I can't believe this isn't "common knowledge".

[dmjlambert]

When I saw on their website for "Upper Steering Column Bearings (tilt)" it also says for that same item "Specify upper or lower in Cart" and since they list lower column bearings separately, I thought perhaps you could get both the upper and lower bearings for the upper part of the tilt column. But if you talked to somebody on the phone about it, perhaps the way they have it listed is just confusing.

[James the III]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Does anyone know what "brand" these are? The CPP ones?


I guess I could save $90 on a remanufactured GM one then...

And where do you think the parts they put in it came from

[randy500]

I would say you have won half the battle, you have taken it completely apart and probably not broken anything...they are not actually hard to work on.

Its all about sequence...taking it apart and putting it together, and a couple fairly inexpensive tools.
Now it will go back together very easily and disassemble easily in the future because the hard part can be getting the tin cover off without damage and getting the pivot pins out because they were very tightly fit at the factory.

One of the hard parts to working on the column is holding it without damage while working on it....you could build a fixture to hold it securely at a good working height and the job would be fairly easy.

[HeloCrewChief]

I currently own a Chevelle with an Ididit Column and a 55 Chevy with the "new and approved" CPP column. The quality of the Ididit column is better than the CPP column. That being said, I plan on using the 55 as a show vehicle with easy cruising. The article bashing the CPP columns is a few y ears old. CPP said they have improved on the design recently and corrected several issues.