Tilt-a-scope in a Charger. Could it work?

[Dino]

I know I know, I'm going crazy with all these options but I'm having a ton of fun with it so why not!

A movable column would actually be something we could use seeing my wife and I differ in height a bit.  But to be honest, I just love sticking all these options on there.   

Does anyone have a c-body with a tilt-a-scope column?  Would it be doable to stick it in a 69 Charger?

As long as I have your attention, what else can I add to the car?  So far I have alarm, remote start, power doors, power trunk, power windows with remote and one touch operation, 6 way power seats (working on that), and that's on top of A/C and the light package that's stock on my car.

I also have some parts for the rear defogger but not all of it and I'm thinking of adding cruise control if I find a unit for a decent price.  Anything else I can add?   

[tan top]

thought / think i read or seen pictures somewhere  of a new repop OEM style  column for E-bodies  but a tilt set up   

but if you got to modify , better off finding a C-body or similar i think 

[kab69440]

I'll let you know. There's one in my trunk.  One if these days, I need to come up with an adapter that will mate it to the steering rack I also plan to install. I've never looked hard into getting them to cooperate, but have a rough idea how to make it happen.

[mauve66]

no power antennae??
power curb feelers??
spark plugs in the tailpipes to create flame throwers??

[Mike DC]

                                      
I don't like most tilt columns because the pivot point is usually right out near the steering wheel.  I like it better when the tilt point is much farther down the column.  That way the steering wheel doesn't change its angle to any big degree.  The end result is that the steering wheel mainly just moves up/down vertically.  

The pivot being near the steering wheel also makes the wheel prone to jiggling/vibrating when the car goes over bumps.  The "rickety" feeling really bugs me.   I've looked at the OEM tilt mechanisms of a bunch of 1970s-2000s cars in junkyards and they actually seem pretty tightly built.  I think the problem is the weight making the whole column jiggle in its mounts rather than slop in the tilt mechanisms.

Another issue is the wheel location itself - on a Charger, the wheel doesn't point/locate directly at the driver seat at all, it's located/points outward a few degrees.  The steering gearbox is closer to the middle of the car than where the steering column emerges from the dashboard frame.  

-----------------

My ideal Charger wheel/column:

- Points directly toward the front seat

- Tilts from a pivot down near the firewall.  It doesn't need to move more that a few degrees down at the pivot to make it several inches at the steering wheel.

- Telescopes.  I would only bother with this one if it could move a good 4+ inches.

- Doesn't lose the factory safety features in the process.  Everybody knows the steering shaft telescopes at the lower end of the column, but there is also the column itself.  It's built to collapse towards the dashboard if the driver gets thrown into it hard (no seatbelt, etc).  The way the column attaches to the dashboard is part of the design too.  
                       
         

[kab69440]

no power antennae??
power curb feelers??
spark plugs in the tailpipes to create flame throwers??

There's a four foot whip on the decklid with a gain booster if it makes you feel better....

Hell no.

Naw. No use for that.

[Dino]

no power antennae??
power curb feelers??
spark plugs in the tailpipes to create flame throwers??

Power antenna might actually be a good idea.  If I keep hitting that low branch around the corner I may end up ruining my current antenna.

I'll pass on the feelers and sparkers.

I'll let you know. There's one in my trunk.  One if these days, I need to come up with an adapter that will mate it to the steering rack I also plan to install. I've never looked hard into getting them to cooperate, but have a rough idea how to make it happen.

I'd like to see them side by side before I decide how to do this.  I don't know how hard it'll be to find one but that's half the fun.

                                     
I don't like most tilt columns because the pivot point is usually right out near the steering wheel.  I like it better when the tilt point is much farther down the column.  That way the steering wheel doesn't change its angle to any big degree.  The end result is that the steering wheel mainly just moves up/down vertically. 

The pivot being near the steering wheel also makes the wheel prone to jiggling/vibrating when the car goes over bumps.  The "rickety" feeling really bugs me.   I've looked at the OEM tilt mechanisms of a bunch of 1970s-2000s cars in junkyards and they actually seem pretty tightly built.  I think the problem is the weight making the whole column jiggle in its mounts rather than slop in the tilt mechanisms.

Another issue is the wheel location itself - on a Charger, the wheel doesn't point/locate directly at the driver seat at all, it's located/points outward a few degrees.  The steering gearbox is closer to the middle of the car than where the steering column emerges from the dashboard frame. 

-----------------

My ideal Charger wheel/column:

- Points directly toward the front seat

- Tilts from a pivot down near the firewall.  It doesn't need to move more that a few degrees down at the pivot to make it several inches at the steering wheel.

- Telescopes.  I would only bother with this one if it could move a good 4+ inches.

- Doesn't lose the factory safety features in the process.  Everybody knows the steering shaft telescopes at the lower end of the column, but there is also the column itself.  It's built to collapse towards the dashboard if the driver gets thrown into it hard (no seatbelt, etc).  The way the column attaches to the dashboard is part of the design too.   
                       
           

Good stuff.  I don't need it to telescope more than an inch or two but more certainly won't hurt.  I would actually like to push the steering wheel closer to the dash to give myself a bit more room.  For my wife it has to come away from the dash and drop a bit.

[Cooter]

Sounds like you might just wanna newer Charger Dino....It already has all that Bullsh*t on it and the weight to prove it.

[Dino]

Sounds like you might just wanna newer Charger Dino....It already has all that Bullsh*t on it and the weight to prove it.

The new charger is nothing but a sedan to me with a familiar name.  I'll stick to the old.  I was waiting for someone to point out I need a 69 New Yorker though.   

[kab69440]

The Tilt- A-Scope telescopes 1" and a bit of spare change.

[HPP]

Does anyone have a c-body with a tilt-a-scope column?  Would it be doable to stick it in a 69 Charger?

Anything is possible with the right amount of time and money.

The late 70s B, and the J and M bodies would be good sources for these. I've picked and sold a dozen tilt-a-scope columns from these cars, but never adapted one to my own vehicles. I do have one up in the garage that I'm sitting on for just such a purpose.

I believe these columns are saginaw based, so they aren't a direct plug and play. They do have similar under the dash mounting features, but the wire harnesses are different, the couplers and length are different. The the telescope features has some unique pieces in its mechanism that prevent you from just bolting on a better looking steering wheel, so you may be stuck with the skinny, two spoke "luxury" design unless you have access to a machine shop.

[Dino]

The Tilt- A-Scope telescopes 1" and a bit of spare change.

That's not much but it may have to do.

Does anyone have a c-body with a tilt-a-scope column?  Would it be doable to stick it in a 69 Charger?

Anything is possible with the right amount of time and money.

The late 70s B, and the J and M bodies would be good sources for these. I've picked and sold a dozen tilt-a-scope columns from these cars, but never adapted one to my own vehicles. I do have one up in the garage that I'm sitting on for just such a purpose.

I believe these columns are saginaw based, so they aren't a direct plug and play. They do have similar under the dash mounting features, but the wire harnesses are different, the couplers and length are different. The the telescope features has some unique pieces in its mechanism that prevent you from just bolting on a better looking steering wheel, so you may be stuck with the skinny, two spoke "luxury" design unless you have access to a machine shop.

I can work on the money issue but time is going to be a problem...as usual.

I forgot about the steering wheel itself, I need to keep my woodgrain wheel.

[kab69440]

If you are going for the column, buy the steering box too. I didn't save mine and the 69 has an altogether different coupling setup. I believe the woodgrain wheel will mount up. You will have to grind the tack weld off the face of the steering shaft to remove the telescope lock lever before you pull the wheel.

[Mike DC]

  
I have a thought about telescoping columns.  This thought also applies to seat heights.


The OEMs put in a lot of work to make something infinitely adjustable, with one hand while driving, and the result usually can't travel more than an inch or so.  

I suspect it would work at least as well to only have 2 or 3 possible settings, with a total range of a good 2-3 inches, and it could be adjusted with a more primitive two-handed method while the car is stopped.    


The point is that these kinds of adjustments (telescoping column, seat height, etc) are used mainly to adjust for drivers who are widely different in size.  They usually aren't used by one primary driver to make small adjustments on the fly.  A given driver usually sets it all one way and forgets about it until a different driver moves everything.   

[Lord Warlock]

spark plugs in the tailpipes to create flame throwers??

Hey, i've been wanting to do that for years, the charger dumps enough unburnt fuel out the tailpipes to generate a good flame.

[AirborneSilva]

darn, your putting lots of gadgets on your baby    I do miss not having cruise control and I find myself looking for the ambient temp gauge too then I realize I'm not in my Ram satellite radio is also nice and a USB connection for the radio.

[Dino]

darn, your putting lots of gadgets on your baby    I do miss not having cruise control and I find myself looking for the ambient temp gauge too then I realize I'm not in my Ram satellite radio is also nice and a USB connection for the radio.

Hey Tony good to see you again!

Yeah it started with a few mods and then it got a bit out of hand...

I'm having fun with it though.  Swapping the windows over from manual to power will be a challenge so hopefully the car won't sit in the garage all summer.

I'm sticking another radio under the dash (old one got wet).  I can do without the satellite but it's real nice to have a front usb port. 

[AirborneSilva]

darn, your putting lots of gadgets on your baby    I do miss not having cruise control and I find myself looking for the ambient temp gauge too then I realize I'm not in my Ram satellite radio is also nice and a USB connection for the radio.

Hey Tony good to see you again!

Yeah it started with a few mods and then it got a bit out of hand...

I'm having fun with it though.  Swapping the windows over from manual to power will be a challenge so hopefully the car won't sit in the garage all summer.

I'm sticking another radio under the dash (old one got wet).  I can do without the satellite but it's real nice to have a front usb port. 

Thanks Dirk, good to see you too!

Yeah I guess you can do without the satellite if you have the USB but I like listening to the satellite so if I hear a song (I listen to the 60's and 70's stations), that I don't have then I can go download it 

Keep the power windows for next winter that way you wont losing any driving time.  I finally got my project to where I can use it as a daily driver, unless it's raining - has some leaks.  So I try for now to do things that wont leave it sidelined in the garage.  I will sometime in the future have to have the dash apart to completely re-do it to include the AC, just have to gather all the parts needed before I tear into it so it's down a minimal amount of time, well that's the plan anyway!

[Mike DC]

I'm having fun with it though.  Swapping the windows over from manual to power will be a challenge so hopefully the car won't sit in the garage all summer.

This is gonna sound weird, but I've thought about putting power motors on just the two passenger side windows.  


It seems like 90% of the benefit of power windows is just being able to move the passenger side windows while sitting on the driver's side.  Somebody is always in the driver seat, and it's pretty easy to reach a few inches backward to move the LR quarter window from the driver seat.

You would also keep some of the benefits of manual windows that way.  The most commonly used window would remain manual (longevity of the power window components).  And you would retain the ability to at least move one window manually in both the front & back of the cabin when the electricity is off (trapped inside a flooding car, etc.)  

------------------------


Either way, IMHO it's stupid that the factories still don't leave a way to manually raise & lower the glass on cars with power windows.  

All it would take is a little hole or something in each door, like behind a plastic cover or something.  They could supply a little crank handle or socket wrench for it in the trunk along with the spare tire stuff.  

They could give the manual setup a low/slow gear ratio to make it feasible to crank the power assy by hand.  It doesn't have to be as comfortable & convenient as a real manual window.  It just needs to give people a way to manually move the window by the side of the road in a pinch.  It seems do-able to me.  

[b5blue]

Did someone say power antenna?  http://www.ebay.com/itm/190804269085?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
  I was looking at this yesterday...

[Nacho-RT74]

Power antenna added here.

Actually did it because seems my car had that from factory. When I removed the dash frame, wiring for it was there with Chrysler PN

[Dino]

Did someone say power antenna?  http://www.ebay.com/itm/190804269085?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
  I was looking at this yesterday...

Hmmmm I don't run the car through anything but the no touch wash so no need for it there.  They cut the low hanging tree limb around the corner so I won't be hitting that with the antenna anymore.  It's not in the way and it's pretty straight....oh hell who am I kidding, I want it!...just not $80 want it that's all....

[b5blue]

  I'm tempted to try one as I need a new one anyway, but not if I have to remove the fender! 

[kab69440]

You can do it without removing the fender, but you will have to remove the splashpan.