The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors 47-53 Steering Column Brace

I'm having trouble with the rubber that goes around the column and the brace that attaches to the dash.

I bought a reproduction rubber but it seems too thick and will not allow the clamp to go together.

Has anyone else had this trouble?? Is there a good reproduction out there?

I did not have that issue with the reproduction rubber.

Do you have a shim/washer between the two halves? My 50 did, plus standoff thick washers to bring the column away from the dash.

Yes, mine has one washer on each side between the two halves... but it will not "pull together" enough to make contact. There is still a large gap.

Thanks

I believe the FAM says to use as many washers as necessary. The clamp should be tight, but I see no harm in adding another washer to each side...or how ever many it takes.

Shop Manual - step 8 - Installation (steering gear assembly): Install mast jacket to instrument panel grommet, bracket and spacers, if any.

I would have thought that the spacers are between the bracket and the dash, not between the clamp pieces.

red450IP - what part number and what vendor (for the rubber)?

There was a 1747-1953 rubber bushing and a 1954-1955st rubber bushing.

It has been a while since I worked on a 47-53 steering column, but it should be noted that the FAM mostly shows 54/55 illustrations/parts (this might not make a difference, but it should be noted).

....when I took mine apart it had thick washers (spacers) between the bracket and the dash. There was nothing between the clamp pieces but the piece of rubber. I believed mine to be original but that's not to say anyone didn't work on the column somewhere along the line.

I think the design of this clamp, as it pertains to the rubber piece and the 120393 PW (washer) is to allow for a prescribed amount of squish (or squarsh, depending on your geographic origin) of the rubber to securely hold the column in place. If your aftermarket rubber pieces do not allow the two clamp halves to touch the 120393 PW when bolts are tightened, I see no reason why adding enough washer thickness between the clamp halves until the halves touch the washers wouldn't be an acceptable solution for you.