[pggto]

I have a tilt column I'm not sure what car it is out of, I think it's from a late 70's Firebird but not sure. Could anyone tell by looking or are there some features to help identify it? Thanks

[pontiacmonstr]

70-78 f-body. 79-81 will have a box around the turn signal lever. also, 79-81 will have a dimmer switch mounted on the column as well. might even work for 69-72 a-body's as well.

['ol Pinion head]

There are early style & late style versions of this 2nd Gen F-body column. The main ID point, to determine which version, is whats the distance between the metal tangs that attach the wide turn signal switch plug to the side of the outer column tube?

[Held for Ransom]

Not too many people replace the switches after pulling the units. So I look for the ink stamps on the ignition and safety neutral switches.

[pggto]

Originally Posted by 'ol Pinion head

There are early style & late style versions of this 2nd Gen F-body column. The main ID point, to determine which version, is whats the distance between the metal tangs that attach the wide turn signal switch plug to the side of the outer column tube?

The metal tangs measured 4 1/4.

Also what year did they start using the plastic ring around the hazard switch to release it?

Thanks

[pggto]

Originally Posted by Held for Ransom

Not too many people replace the switches after pulling the units. So I look for the ink stamps on the ignition and safety neutral switches.

Good idea, I will look to see what I can find. Thanks

[GStage1]

The white harmonica connector is from 1975-94.
So, if the metal shifter bowl is metal and it appears so..you have a 70-78 column.

[rexs73gto]

The column you have is for a B-C body car from 69-75, you can tell by the length of the coller from under the tilt bowl it's longer then it would be if it were for an A-body car.

[GStage1]

Sorry Rex...you are wrong.

No B-C body ever had a floor shift tilt and secondly....all had floating firewall mating plates. As you can tell from the pics...the firewall mating plate is welded to the outer tube which is correct for an F-body.

So, his column is correct for an F-body from 1970-78.

[autobahn]

Does it have a lug or a spline connection 78 TAs have a spline , 79 Camaros have a lug type

['ol Pinion head]

Jim, the columns used in '78 & earlier 2nd Gen Birds had the splined ends matched up to a specific intermediate shaft.

To follow up on earlier response, on the 2nd Gen tilts, there were definitely an early & layer versions used on '70-78 models. '70-75(?) was the first, '76(?)-78 was the latter. Have to go out to warehouse & go through cores to further refine the cutoff date. FWIW, have personally pulled & sold way more than 500 tilts, George. Also wholesaled tilt cores for nearly a decade to one of the nations biggest builders. On floorshift '69+ tilts, got to the point about 12 years ago, I quit selling/trading any as core's & have gone through them myself. Sure, one can jack around with the stamped steel mtg tangs or clip the end off a later T/S switch harness connector & make that style turn signal switch work on an earlier column. The small adapter harnesses are as much of a rig, I won't go that route either. Nearly all the folks I deal with, demand whats correct for their year, esp the early 2nd Gen T/A restorers. Same with power trunk releases on '67-72 A-bodys, they want the real deal, complete with correct button, no put together later model stuff along with drilling holes in their decklid's inner structure.

[autobahn]

I put tilt in my 78 TA it was out of 74 or 75 and had to pull the column harness out of the original and slip into the older tilt column

[Ben M.]

Originally Posted by autobahn

I put tilt in my 78 TA it was out of 74 or 75 and had to pull the column harness out of the original and slip into the older tilt column

Yup. The harmonica connector on a '75 is different than the '78. I think as oPh mentioned the cutoff year for that change was '75, with '76-78 being the newer larger style.

['ol Pinion head]

Am not 100% on the exact timing of that Ben. Going to have to get out & go through a bunch of column cores. Can't remember tearing down an original never messed with column with a plastic dust cap on the lock ring that had the narrower connector. Metal dust caps were through '75.

[Ben M.]

Originally Posted by 'ol Pinion head

Am not 100% on the exact timing of that Ben. Going to have to get out & go through a bunch of column cores. Can't remember tearing down an original never messed with column with a plastic dust cap on the lock ring that had the narrower connector. Metal dust caps were through '75.

I concur. I can't remember exactly either, but I do know that by '77 & 78 it was changed and my very late in the model year '75 still had the older style connector. Haven't had any '76s apart to check ;-)