How to center steering column horizontally in dash?

[MoparGuy68]

When I first saw my Super Bee, over a year ago, I noticed the steering column was not horizontally centered in the dash. Way back then I thought, well, that should be fixable..

Looking at it again, now prior to bolting my column back into place, and after consulting my factory service manual, I can't figure out why my mounting studs are misaligned.

There are two of them, and they are both shifted over to the driver side of the hole they protrude through. The holes are in the upside down U shaped piece under the instrument cluster. The studs screw into something else above the U shaped piece. I have not determined what is holding that piece in place that the studs screw into, or if it can be adjusted. I want to move both of those studs over towards the passenger side so they are centered in the larger holes they protrude down through.

Photos show how when I bought the car the column is shifted all the way over to the driver side of the U opening in dash. Column is right up against the driver side edge of the U. The passenger side of the U has an open gap between the column and edge of the U.

I took photos of the passenger side stud, showing how it is shifted over toward the driver side. Driver side stud is the same way. The upside down U metal piece is lined up correctly with the U opening in the instrument cluster. Whatever the studs screw into is not lined up correctly.

Does anyone know how to move the metal piece these studs screw into, or how to correct this misalignment? As I don't like it, it shifts the column and everything attached to it over toward the driver door.

 

[MoparGuy68]

Looking at the service manual column installation drawing, it is not clear if the part the studs screw into is permanently fixed in position to the dash, or if it has any side to side adjustment.

No one has any experience with this issue? Or is familiar with the part the studs are attached to?

 

[mopar jack]

The 2 studs are connected to the clutch/brake pedal and master cylinder assembly that is connected to the upper cowl at the firewall. There is very little adjustment right or left. There is a bracket that clamps the column to the upper assembly and it allows for a lot front to back adjustment. Your instrument frame is held to the upper cowl by four bolts that have a little right and left adjustment. see pics

 

[MoparGuy68]

The 2 studs are connected to the clutch/brake pedal and master cylinder assembly that is connected to the upper cowl at the firewall. There is very little adjustment right or left. There is a bracket that clamps the column to the upper assembly and it allows for a lot front to back adjustment. Your instrument frame is held to the upper cowl by four bolts that have a little right and left adjustment. see pics

View attachment 947203 View attachment 947205

Thanks for the reply!

In you your second photo, those white plastic spacers are separated on the two mounting points closest to the driver, on my car. The joiner pieces have broken off. The best I can tell from the service manual, is that the third mounting point is secured using a 1/4 - 20 bolt and washer. And to shim as required. No plastic spacer there? Or should there be a plastic spacer at the third location? I see you have one in your photo.

I've checked the nuts that screw onto the two forward studs and they are 1/4 - 20 size. Bottom threaded portion of stud appears to be either 1 1/4" or 1 3/8" long. Are these factory studs 1/4 - 20 on both ends of the stud? Is the hole that the stud screws into 1/4 - 20?

Unfortunately, I dropped the column 3 months ago, and didn't take detailed photos of how everything was positioned. Had no idea the steering swap was going to take this long or I would have taken 50 photographs before dropping the column.

 

[moparmarks]

All 3 mounting bolts should have a plastic slide.
As mopar jack stated the studs go into the pedal assembly. You should be able the adjust it enough to move it to the right a bit. You may have to move the dash frame left too.
To center the shaft in the tube on the fire wall side it's a combination of adjustments at the dash mounting bracket using fender style shims and moving the firewall plate. It's in the FSM but I don't have any at home here.

 

[RussT Plymouths]

This is what it looks like behind the instrument cluster. There are two bolts coming from below holding the pedal bracket to the bottom of the cowling, you should be able to see these with the column out (look up from the floorboard). I believe loosening them might allow you to pry the pedal bracket a little to the right in the dash. You may also need to loosen the nuts at the top of the support rods to get to move, although getting to them with the cluster in may be difficult.

 

[MoparGuy68]

This is what it looks like behind the instrument cluster. There are two bolts coming from below holding the pedal bracket to the bottom of the cowling, you should be able to see these with the column out (look up from the floorboard). I believe loosening them might allow you to pry the pedal bracket a little to the right in the dash. You may also need to loosen the nuts at the top of the support rods to get to move, although getting to them with the cluster in may be difficult.
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Specifically what year and model is the car in your photos? Is that car an automatic? Mine is a 1971 Charger column shift automatic.

I saw what looked like two bolts going straight upward towards the upper cowl on mine. I didn't notice any rods, like I see in your photos. But my dash is not apart so I can't see inside it very well from underneath. It is too ******* hot in Phoenix now to attempt to dismantle the dash, so I'll have to probably wait till the Fall to fix this problem.. Looks like I would need to remove the instrument cluster and maybe the dash to attempt to fix the lousy alignment.

Ever see a Charger with such piss poor horizontal steering column alignment in the dash? Take a look at these photos.. I thought this might be a simple fix when I bought the car.. I apparently thought wrong.

 

[moparmarks]

His looks like a 71-4. Column or floor shift doesn't matter. Yes, should have those rods.
IIRC there up 2 bolts going up wards through the main housing into the plate that is welded to the cowl. They would be above the column. You might be able loosen those and the tap the housing over. Worth a try before tearing everything apart.
The bolts through these holes.

 

[MoparGuy68]

This is what the 1971 Dodge service manual shows, which isn't of much help, doesn't look anything like the photos that RussT posted.. Doesn't show the rods either. Drawing says "Dart, Coronet, Charger". Then they have two other drawings. One for Polara/Monaco and one for Challenger. None of them show rods.

 

[moparmarks]

Look in the brake pedal section.

 

[moparmarks]

Here is a 71

 

[MoparGuy68]

I have installed the column with it still shifted toward the driver door. It’s too hot to screw around with it now. I’ll revisit this issue in the Fall.

I guess the one benefit of the position it’s in now is that it lines up better with my Borgeson gearbox, as the gearbox input shaft is angled a bit toward the driver side of the car too..