how to alter a auto steering colum to work in a 5 speed

[JeepcoMJ]

some of you want tilt columns in your comanches. problem is, the most common ones are from floor-shift automatic cherokees. you can't remove the key without it in "park" but the comanche 5 speed doesn't have that mechanism.

 

so, here is what you do. you get your steering column, and look on the driver's side of it, about the 11 o'clock position for this little mechanism here

depressed as pictured, you can remove the key easily.

but, if it's like so

, you cannot remove the key. this is a safety feature so you don't forget to put the car in park.

note the hole that you see in the pictures to the right of the "switch". it's about a 1/8" hole, that you must put in for this fix. drill the hole.

then put a zip-tie through it like so

secure the zip-tie as it is designed

and remove the excess

 

now you are ready to install your column, and you will be able to remove the key.

 

to remove the old column, you need to remove the kneeboard (about 14 screws all-told), unbolt the 2 bolts that hold the column to the dash and the 2 at the firewall. disconnect all wires running to the steering column

 

hopefully, when you removed the column from the donor, you had the whim to remove the steering shaft at the steering box. this is because that end of the steering shaft can only go on one way, whereas the upper end can go on many ways. there is 1 bolt needed to do this.

 

after you remove the bolt that holds the steering shaft to the splines on the input of the steering box, use a cro-bar to get it loose. it won't come off all the way. get inside the truck, and pull the colum out. the shaft will follow, but you may need to go back and forth a bit.

 

 

reverse to install. I will update with the missing pics when I take them.

 

this is the end result (without knee-board attached)