From the July, 2011 issue of Custom Classic Trucks / By Ron Ceridono
From the outset we’ve had a variety of goals for the Hot Rod Hauler, some were established for practical considerations like mileage and load capacity, while others were for cosmetic and comfort reasons.

At this point we have a confession to make—there was a time when we scoffed at all those cushy accessories that were becoming common in trucks (mainly because nothing we owned had any of them), but we’ve changed our tune. We’re going to add a number of features to our ’73 that it lacked, and one of the first is a tilt column from ididit and a leather-wrapped steering wheel from Grant.

The obvious advantage to a tilt column is the ability to change the angle of the steering wheel to accommodate different driving positions (and in our case it meant we could get rid of the sloppy shifter and a turn signal switch that wouldn’t cancel after left turns) and the addition of a new, smaller, more comfortable steering wheel would be a welcome replacement for the big, cracked plastic original.

Thumbing through the ididit catalog we found direct fit columns for ’47-’78 Chevy and ’53-’79 Fords in straight, tilt, column or shift designs as well as a host of universal designs. For our particular application we could choose between bolt-in column shift and floor shift columns in steel, chrome, black powdercoated and aluminum versions in two different styles—Ford or GM. For the Hot Rod Hauler we chose the direct fit, chrome tilt column shift, GM version.
Why did we choose the GM-style column in a Ford pickup? The simple reason is this—when using an aftermarket wheel and an adapter with this column the gripping surface of the new wheel will be in the same location as the original. Aftermarket wheels and adapters can move the steering wheel closer to the driver, and we didn’t want that.

For those who want to use the stock steering wheel, ididt offers all Ford columns that are also a direct bolt-in. Standard features of these columns are Ford top shaft and wiring, ’73-’79 columns come standard with four-way flashers.

Choosing a steering wheel from Grant’s huge number of offerings is simple enough, they’ve got a style to suit any taste. We went for a contemporary look and chose their Club Sport wheel, part number 452. This wheel uses a combination of matte black smooth leather-look vinyl and diamond grip textured vinyl separated by metal bands and polished spokes for a cutting edge look. A Grant Installation Kit is necessary to mount this wheel to a vehicle. This wheel will work with Grant Standard 3000 or 4000 Series, Billet 5000 Series, or Euro 6000 series installation kits.

Installing the ididit tilt column and Grant wheel made a real improvement in the Hot Rod Hauler’s interior and it’s certainly more comfortable to drive. Another of our goals can be scratched off the list. CCT
GM to Ford Wiring
As the ididit column comes with a GM plug on the wiring, a matching plug has to be added to the Ford’s harness—but it’s not hard to do.
The GM plug is lettered as follows:

Letter on plugfunctionwire colorPto brake switchwhiteNright rear stop/turngreenMleft rear stop/turnyellowLto turn signal flasherpurpleKto hazard flasherbrownJright front turndark blueHleft front turnlight blueGhorn black
The original plug on our ’73 Ford F-350’s column had been damage and all the wires were spliced. However, the wire colors were as follows. (Colors on other trucks may vary, consult a manual or identify with a test light.)

brake light switchredright rear stop/turngreenleft rear stop/turnyellow/black stripefrom turn signal flasherbluefrom hazard flasherwhiteright front turnblue/white stripeleft front turngreen/white stripehornblue/white stripenot used-shift indicator lightblue/red stripe


Read more: Installing New Steering - Custom Classic Trucks Magazine

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