That is good to know. I will look into paints and see what I can find that is the closest match. How can I remove the column shroud for painting? Obviously, I do not want to leave it on there, so the steering wheel, turn signal lever, and shift column have to be removed. The wheel and turn signal lever are easy enough (sort of), but I am unsure on how to remove the shift column. I think, for now, I'll leave the dash alone and hopefully can get the wires in alright without the seats in.
The entire column has to come out of the car to remove the shroud because the wide plate or support for the shroud and turnsignal switch is welded to the column tube at the top. Shroud has to slide off the narrow bottom end. Here is the procedure as best I can remember it and it is a bit involved. Hopefully nothing vital was forgotten but while involved, the description is worse than the actual work.
The toe plate around the column and pedals has to come out so that means removing the single bolt holding the pedal pads and pulling the carpet back over the arms to access the sheet metal screws holding the plate. Once the screws are off, the plate should slide up and out. If the carpet is extra stiff or bulky and can't fold to clear the plate, the accelerator pedal may also have to remove. Accelerator is held by a pin thru the pedal and bracket at the bottom. There is usually a circlip on the tunnel side keeping the pin in the bracket. The top pulls off the ball on the accelerator linkage but be careful. Try to reach around the top and place your fingers on either side of the rod directly on the socket when pulling the pedal off. If the pedal rubber is dry and brittle the ball socket molded to the pedal back may pull off which will require replacing the pedal. Kanter has repros if that is needed.
You will have to remove the steering wheel which means a puller will most likely be needed. After the emblem and horn ring comes off, the horn wire will disconnect at the round connector at front end of steering box and pull up thru the shaft. Gearshift lever and turn signal lever removes -- at this point just to avoid damage -- and the wiring plug disconnects under the dash. Believe your car has the wiper switch in the shroud. If so that needs to be freed. You can remove the switch from the shroud and leave it connected at motor or remove the cable from the motor and for the moment leave the switch in the shroud.
At the lower end, the gearshift turnbuckle rods disconnect from the levers at the bottom of column. There is a U clamp at the base of the column which clamps around the steering box top collar. That clamp holds the backup light switch bracket as well as the bottom shift tube support bracket. Once the clamp is off the reverse switch and bracket can be pushed aside. When those items are free the only thing holding the column is the bracket under the dash.
After the wheel is off, remove the spring around the shaft and look carefully at the top of the upper bearing. There will be a split concave ring which fits in the bearing and forms part of the race. It may be recessed and grease covered. That ring has to slide up and off so it won't bind the column when pulling off the shaft. Hopefully the ball retainer in the bearing is still in good shape and balls are not loose or missing. Once that ring is out and the dash clamp is free the column should slide up the shaft. There is one potential problem remaining and that is the height or angle of the steering shaft. To clear the shaft the column will in all probability touch the headliner. Be sure to place a clean towel over the top of column so nothing soils the headliner. Lift the column up but be aware that it might not clear the shaft. If that is the case lower it back down and loosen all bolts holding the steering box to frame. Remove a bolt or two as needed so the steering box can tilt and lower the shaft angle a few degrees to allow the column to pull completely off.
Once the column is off you can lay it on the bench and disassemble it enough to free the shroud. It may be possible the top of shift tube can come out of the upper mount and you can lower the shift tube with the shroud and then remove the tube assy from the shroud. I cannot remember if the tube is pressed into the upper bearing or not. If it can't come with the shroud, the bottom end will need to come apart so shroud can slide past the levers. If disassembly is needed, the cotter key at the end of shift tube comes off. Be aware there is a large spring inside the tube held by the cotter key so be careful that spring does not go flying. Once the cotter key is removed, the bracket at the bottom of shift tube will unscrew. Once it is off there are some shims and washers to keep track of as you slide the first/reverse lever off. By removing the selector tongue which is pinned to the selector rod the second/third lever and any shims will slide off. That should allow room for the shroud to pass. If your car is like mine, it is good to remove those levers even if not necessary because it is likely there has been no lubrication to speak of over the years and the levers and tube could be in dire shape.
Again, it has been awhile and sure hope I haven't forgotten anything. You can get a fair idea of the layout of the parts by checking a couple of plates in the parts manual.
Wow! That is quite a bit to go through, but this interior is going to look the best it can on my watch! I will give it a try the next time I am home and working on it with the old man. I do have a question as to removing the gear shift lever. Does it unscrew like the turn signal lever? Last time I tried to remove it, it really didn't move, so I didn't force it. Also, the same question applies to the wiper switch (more of a little wheel, really). I think this is doable, since the interior is still all out and will make removal easier.
On the shift lever, slide the rubber boot back on the lever a bit. Under the boot is a pin in a pivot housing which I believe is held by a cotter key on the bottom. Remove the key and pin will lift out of the pivot. The lever will pull straight out but the ball at the end of the lever is in a pocket at the end of the shift rod. I don't remember if the pocket gets the spring pressure against the rod but if it does it may take a slight tug.
The wiper knob pulls off. Under the knob is a nut holding the switch. Once the nut is off, the switch pushes back. There is minimal clearance between the shroud and the steering column so it may take some wiggling or angling to get the switch shaft to clear the hole before it can slide down the shroud.
