81 Malibu Tilt Swap

Chevys_Only

Daily Driver
Nov 22, 2012
11
0
1
Altoona, PA
My malibu didn't have a tilt steering column, I found one at a local yard from an "83 Caprice Classic. It was the right color and had the correct turn lever so I got it. Just an FYI for anybody looking to use a B Body column in a G body car, it is not a bolt-in swap. The column is the correct length and the upper mounting bracket is in the correct location, but the mounting plate at the firewall is incorrect. I had to remove the B body mounting plate from the Caprice column. Then remove the plate from the G body column and install it on the tilt column. It wasn't a major headache, but was more work than I expected and did require cutting and welding. The shift lever is a little different also which required modifying the rod down to the transmission. A simple column swap should have taken about an hour and a half, I had about 4 hours getting this done. One plus, the original column was used with a 3 speed automatic and didn't have enough travel for the 700R-4, the caprice was equipped with a 700R-4 and this column has the necessary travel to select each position with the shift lever.
TiltWheel.jpg
 

t5montecarlo

MalibuRacing Junkie
Oct 21, 2007
4,632
31
48
Lederach, PA
garage-scene.com
That is good information about the column parts interchangeability. It always feels good when a project goes well.

You could also disassemble the column, separate the 2 sleeve tubes, insert the Malibu lower tube, and reassemble. You need a press to reassemble and you need to take measurements before disassembly to you can reassemble at the correct length.
 

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