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Direct-Fit Comfort: Installing a Tilt Steering Column from Ididit

MARCEL VENABLE . April 24, 2025 . Tech
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Direct-Fit Tilt Steering Column Solutions From Ididit

Is it me or are people just getting taller? It’s something I started thinking about when my 20-year-old cousin started looking for the perfect truck. He was leaning toward a 1967-72 GM, which seems to be the go-to model for a lot of people.

During our search, my cousin, who’s 6 feet 3 inches tall, felt cramped inside the cab of one of the trucks we were checking out. When he told the owner as much, the older man said, “Well, back in the day, people were smaller.”

After a few more minutes of tire kicking we decided to move on and look for something else; however, I got to thinking, what if the column had a tilt feature, would my cousin be able to fit? This also reminded me how the angle of the factory tilt steering column made it difficult for me to feel comfortable while driving, and I’m only 5 feet 9 inches tall (with the afro, of course).

Searching for the truth, I asked a few people I know who drive 1967-72s on a daily basis. To my surprise all of them told me that they changed the column to tilt outward. Mystery solved! Now I just needed a year-specific kit that makes it easy to install without any hassles.

I pulled out my smart phone and browsed the web. I came across Ididit’s website where the company’s direct-fit column for the 1967-72 model group was described. The site outlined Ididit’s column’s  standard features, which include a 100-percent American-made, eight-position tilt column, as well as all of the knobs and handles, plus four-way flashers. Finishes include paintable steel, chrome and black powder coating. Apparently, this steering column wasn’t a universal model requiring modifications to your original vehicle for installation. All that’s necessary is that you remove your old column, saving your original under-dash mount, as well as the original floor mount.

After that there’s a little bit of measuring, cutting and bolting on to connect the column to the power steering rack to complete your steering set- up. So we called up the company to find out if a tilt steering column really makes a difference in cab comfort. Take a look at just how easy it was to install. ST

[01] The Ididit column is just that, something that you can install yourself. The company has perfected the way to fit an adjustable tilt steering column in just about anything. Here we start out with the column dress-up kit which consists of a tilt lever, a turn signal lever and a pull switch for emergency flashers.
[01a]
[01b]
[02] Here’s what we started out with, a non- adjustable column that in its day would have been great to use in a truck without power steering, where a large steering wheel would have given the driver some leverage. We ditched that idea, and traded up to a power rack-and- pinion, which will allow us to get comfy while driving this truck down the road.
[03] Ididit’s design utilizes some of the OEM parts, so before we tossed out the old column we were sure to grab the firewall plate and the column clamp, as well. Plus, it would be silly to forget to install a firewall grommet plate like this one from Brother’s Truck Parts.
[03a]
[03b]
[03c]
[04] GM mastered the assembly line concept last century, as shown here in this example of a small alignment peg that sits in the upper mount of the dashboard. This peg helps set the column in the proper location every time. The column that we chose was a universal truck column. We will need to mark and drill a hole to align the column in the right location. Don’t worry, though, this is not a tough task, and you can avoid it if you order the 1967-72 GM-specific direct bolt-in column from Ididit. (P/N 1120657010).
[04a]
[04b]
[04c]
[05] This little piece of strap was also saved from the demo of the old factory column. It holds the column in place with the assistance of two nuts and bolts.
[05a]
[06] The column is slid though the firewall and lifted in place where the firewall clamp and the lower strap snug the column up into the dash securely. Don’t forget the trim piece that fits between the column and the dash.
[06a]
[06b]
[07] Connecting the column shaft at the cab to the engine compartment steering shaft requires the use of a universal joint and a double “D” shaft. First, we slid the Ididit universal joint over the splined column shaft and tightened down the set screw.
[07a]
[08] We chose to update the truck to a modern rack-and-pinion steering system, like this one available from No Limit Engineering, due to the fact that the modern rack has a splined shaft and the OEM-style rag joint is replaced by another universal joint.
[08a]
[09] Using a flexible measuring tape, the distance between the universal joints was measured. Then a section of the double “D” shaft was cut and deburred before it was installed.
[09a]
[10] Both sides of the shaft were installed and checked for clearance.
[10a]
[11] While test fitting, we noticed that the double”D” shaft was a little too close to the frame rail for comfort. We marked where we would use the electric grinder to prevent the shaft from binding with the frame when the cab and frame flex.
[11a]
[12] Finally, the shaft was installed into the universal joints and all of the set pins were tightened down.
[12a]
[13] Check out how easy it is to adjust the angle of the steering wheel with the pull of a lever. Plus, look at the range of motion from the bottom to the top. If you can’t find a comfy spot when you’re driving this kind of truck, then maybe you should look into one of those rice rockets!
[13a]

SOURCES

IDIDIT, INC.
Ididit.com

NO LIMIT ENGINEERING
Nolimit.net

BROTHER’S TRUCK PARTS
Brotherstrucks.com

 

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