Hi, my truck is a 1988 Dakota 4x4. It has the GM Saginaw tilt steering column that had developed the typical loose and floppy tilt assembly. The other day I tore into it and found that I wasn't the first person to attempt this repair...

To make a long story short, a new steering column is going to be in order.
The design and construction of the stock column left a pretty bad taste in my mouth, so I'm curious what kind of aftermarket options I have. Is this a realistic idea or should I just get a stock replacement and hope it doesn't fail the same as my old one?

 

IDK about aftermarket, other guys will let you know but even though steering column failure is uncommon 34 years seems like a pretty good run for one with moving parts.

 

Aye, it is a good run.

Bad news, most of that is Dakota-specific according to my steering column guy.

They DO make after market columns (one brand I keep seeing is ididit ... not a recommendation, just a brand I keep seeing around!)

They don't make an exact fit column; you'll have to cipher out what wires where, how to connect this to that, etc.

All I can say is, "Lots of luck!" My column guy has a lot of spare parts; but he gets $300+ to rebuild a Dakota tilt column.

RwP

 

Thanks for the info, I figured that the wiring likely wouldn't be plug and play. I guess my biggest concern is getting it bolted in and drivable again. The truck has been kind of a driving project for a few years now and the colomn had always been a mess. The way I understand it they tend to be a ticking time bomb, is this a correct observation? My hope is that I won't have to do anything with it again for at least a very long time. Would there be any advantage from a restoration standpoint either way do you think?

 

If you're restoring, it would be better to use the factory one rebuilt.

And actually, according to my steering column guy, they're better than most tilt wheels; they just tend to get misused and abused over the years.

OTOH, the new columns are supposedly wonderful in feel; it's all up to you at this point.

(I had mine rebuilt, but then, I also swapped some of the funds out by chasing some popups out of his computer. Barter is Wonderful.)

I almost forgot one possibility: Find a non-tilt column and swap that in.

RwP

 

Okay, sounds like I'm probably better off replacing it with another stock column. The non tilt idea is pretty interesting. And I'm guessing either one would have to come from another 87-90 Dakota right?

 

Yep, 87-90 Dakota with either a manual or automatic like yours. Thankfully, columns don't change 3speed/4speed autos.

Down side: NONE of the switches are the same.

Up side: It's a bolt in swap.

BTW, while it's out, check out my writeup on an intermediate shaft; turns out a purchased 12" double-D shaft will work fine, no need to trim an 18" shaft like I did.

RwP

 

Thanks for all the good information, this is my first Dakota so the technical details are much appreciated. I will make sure to check your write up on the intermediate shaft.
So far after about 2.5 years of driving it daily. I can easily say it's the favorite vehicle I've owned so it has been a real shame since I had this catastrophic failure lol