1971 F100 Steering Wheel Installation

[schrankage]

We tried to replace this steering wheel and when we put the new one on, it was sticking out a little too much. Does anyone know what to adjust/how to fix this issue?

Linked is an imgur album.

http://imgur.com/a/0PXNm

[91Bear]

Yep. Loosen the bolts and pull the column up to meet the wheel.

[schrankage]

Yep. Loosen the bolts and pull the column up to meet the wheel.

Which bolts? The ones under the hood on the steering column? Or the ones inside the cab?

[schrankage]

No one knows?

[sargentrs]

The one's inside the cab, under the dash. The bracket is slotted for that reason. Once you get it where you want it, take a look in the engine bay, at the bottom of your column, and make sure the bearing keeper bracket is pushed up against the lower column bearing. The steering shaft is the fixed component and the column housing can slide up and down as needed.

[schrankage]

If you loosen the 2 bolts under the steering column where the slots are, should you then be able to slide the column up'? The reason I am asking is that I loosened the 2 bolts and the column was still tight. Might I have to loosen something at the firewall also. There is a rubber pad around the bottom at the firewall that is hard. I am afraid that if I disturb it it will break in pieces. The owner of the vehicle didn't want it broken. I even hit the column with a hammer to get it to come up and it wouldn't budge. Its like there's something at the firewall holding it. Do you have any suggestions?

[canadiancobra]

My column also has a clamp holding the steering column housing to the firewall bracket.

[Hawkrod]

You do not adjust the column to wheel clearance by moving the column mount. You adjust the clearance by adjusting the clamp on the inner shaft below the lower bearing. Have someone in the truck push the wheel into the column while you loosen the clamp and slide it up against the bearing and tighten it down. You may have too much clearance because of a failed lower bearing. Hawkrod