New photo collection posted - 3-spd steering columns

[FORDification]

I spent the day at the shop today disassembling a pair of manual 3-speed steering columns, something I've been wanting to do for some time now, just for the education. I had my digital camera with me and snapped a whole bunch of pictures and posted them to a new webpage. If you were ever curious about what the inside of a 3-on-the-tree column looks like, take a look:

The Manual 3-spd Steering Column Explored

Just for future reference, this page has been linked to from the Site Index and the Tech & Tutorials page.

[xxxtina63]

Keith, you are one of the most hardcore, dedicated guys I've ever seen in my entire life! Don't you ever sleep? It's like 3:40 am? Someone like you should be president of FoMoCo. I seriously doubt that Bill Ford lies awake at night pondering obsolete 3-speed steering columns.

[mrung0wa]

Obsolete 3-speed steering columns!

Bite your tongue!


Lawrence

[71 LONG BED]

Thanks Keith!!

[FORDification]

Keith, you are one of the most hardcore, dedicated guys I've ever seen in my entire life! Don't you ever sleep? It's like 3:40 am? Someone like you should be president of FoMoCo. I seriously doubt that Bill Ford lies awake at night pondering obsolete 3-speed steering columns.

Well, I had plenty of Mountain Dew to keep me awake, and I knew I'd get a chance to sleep in this morning. I actually didn't get up until almost 11AM, which is probably the latest I've slept in a long time.

I guess I just felt like I haven't done any kind of decent updates to the site in a while, so I really wanted to get something new added. The funny thing is...when I walked in the shop door yesterday, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do. I decided first to just get a few pictures and double-check some column component measurements for the How to Shorten Your Manual-Steering Column tutorial, since it was brought to my attention that a couple of my measurements might be inaccurate. After double-checking those measurements, I suddenly decided to just go ahead and do the 3-spd column teardown. After completely tearing one down and taking pictures of it, it dawned on me that my new choptop truck also had a 3-spd column in it, and so I decided to also tear that one down and get pics of it as well, and to see what kind of condition it was in and do some comparisons.

It was actually kind of a fun day...I get into doing stuff like that, and I'm happy that I can share it with you all for your own benefit too.

Next on the list: I'm going to cut an in-cab fuel tank in half. I've had one sitting in the shop attic for several years open to the air so it'll be safe to cut. It'll answer once and for all several questions like how far down the pickup tube extends and how the baffles are configured.

[FORDification]

I just updated this page with exploded-view schematics of the 2WD and 4WD versions of the 3-speed column.

[flyboy2610]

You are the man, Keith!