Steering Column and Seat Belts

[NES304]

Is there any nice easy way to remove a steering column from the car......mine was a pain in the @$$ and I obviously need to refit after i paint the engine bay and don't want damage, any tips?

If seat belts are installed in the front of the car (bench) can they all be lap sash (to avoid cutting the B pillar) in Queensland?

Cheers Blokes

[RET]

Removing the steering column is most easily achieved by:

1) Remove the front seat: this gives you a lot more room to swing the thing around. It's also a bit more easily manoeuvred with the steering wheel removed, but not essential.
2) Disconnect pitman arm, gear linkages, wiring etc.
3) Remove cover plates above and below where steering column goes through firewall/floor and finally drop bracket below dashboard.
4) Bring column into the car, turning 90º CW to get steering box through firewall hole and exit passenger rear door.

As far as seat-belts are concerned, I'm confused what you mean.  Lap-belts are a two-point harness, lap-sash are 3-point.  Theoretically, you can put lap-belts in the front, although it's really not recommended (and you might get knocked back by the engineer/authorities if this is a modified anyway).  As Bill Cosby said, they're not going to save you, they just save the Ambulance guy from having to search for your body.  Look! There you are, impaled on the steering column...

There have been several very good threads lately on the topic of avoiding putting the B pillar bolt through the external skin, by bracing the pillar internally.

HTH

RET

[NES304]

Cheers RET I saw the thread and checked mine out, and theres a gap at the top of the B pillar WOOHOO.
I swung it round 90deg to the passenger and presto she popped out. might be a pain to replace it after I paint the bay.

[mcl1959]

Steering column can be also easily taken out with steering wheel, gearshift and indicator stalk removed.  Just remove the floor plates, unbolt the column, lift and pull through into the engine bay.

Ken