Im trying to lift the body off the frame how do i take the steering colunm out do i unbolt the whole steering from the frame or can i slide the steering colunm out some how. Im trying to replace the gas lines and install a 904 transmission mount i figure it would be easier to mount with the body off or or is it something i could do with it on. Thanks for any advice
I never did take my steering column out but I believe that 57-58 Plymouth Service manual shows how to do it.
I know that John F and Dick Koch (and Tom Fox) have done this removal before.
Matthew, you did this when you parted out that your old car didn’t you? Chime in here a bit…
John Q.
The column can stay attached to the steering gear, if you want to take the body off the frame.
Unbolt the column from the dashboard (big “U” shaped brackets) and the column will drop to the floor. Remove the rubber skirting at the floorboard…
I unbolted it from the dash and the steering wheel wiggles but does not come out. Should i unbolt the whole steering from the frame. Im stuck on this. Thanks for the help
I can’t advise on transmission swaps or mods…sorry. Curt can tell you how he put in Volare-sourced parts.
No, dropping the steering wheel from dash to the floor will not disconnect it from the steering gear. You can either pull the steering wheel off the shaft and wiggle the body off the frame, OR, if you must have have the shaft out of the car, (with power steering, you first pull the overwrapping tube off) get access to the rolled pin which holds it to the gear. There is an insulating sleeve where the shaft fits into the steering gear..also a piece of foil metal as I recall which is part of the horn circuitry..you don’t want to mess with all that if it can be avoided. Vic Barone currently has his body off the frame…looking at the photos, he removed the shaft from the steering gear. Perhaps he can advise. Do you have a shop manual?
Ill ask around on here. The manual i have doesn’t say much. Thanks for the advice
First question-
Is your car manual or power steering equipped?
—John
Power steering
Martin, you’re in luck. Big M John Fowlie will take you thru the necessary steps!
Well, maybe you have a service manual, not a shop manual..
Anyway, until John Fowlie comes back with better instructions, maybe you can get a little further with this:
Bolt the steering column back up to the dash. Get a wheel puller and pull the steering wheel off the shaft.
Now loosen the clamp at the base of the steering tube.(The tube contains the shaft).
Unplug and remove the wiring harness which runs into and thru the tube.
Now the tube should pull off the shaft. The tube will most likely be stuck to itself after all these years..requires lots of pulling, twisting, etc.
In the engine compartment, the shaft has a protruding flat piece which fits into a slot in the steering gear. It is held in place with a rolled pin, and the connection is wrapped in a metal? jacket (going by faulty memory here). Remove the jacket to access the pin.
As I recall, I selected a piece of metal (an old drill bit, with the smooth section toward the pin) with a diameter just slightly smaller than the rolled pin, and used that to drive the pin out. Don’t peen over or damage the pin or you’ll be in a world of hurt!
Once this pin is removed, the shaft disconnects from the steering gear.
Watch for small parts…that rubber insulator, and a copper strip which grounds the shaft and allows the horn to work.
Thanks ill get started on that im trying to get it going i got a wedding in September after that it a complete restoration
Is there any pictures or a site with some info on this
Not that I’m aware of. I sold my service manuals to John Quinn…all i have left is some Parts Books, which are in storage. The Parts Books ARE also available for viewing on-line, but ever since this site morphed/expanded from 59sportfury to 59plymouth, I’ve been lost!
LATER: I did find the parts books pages, but the exploded drawings aren’t going to help you. For a moment there, we had John Fowlie online, inquiring if your car was Power Steering, but then he was gone again. He runs a business… he must have been called away from assisting you. I know how difficult it can be to wait for help to come..
I had to pick several cars up, so I wasn’t able to get back to the subject.
After removing the steering wheel, there is a small snap ring on the steering stub shaft that has to be removed. I have found a few Mopars in this vintage that did not have them, though. Remove the two bolts that hold the column mast jacket to the dash, disconnect the plug for the turn signal switch, and loosen the clamp at the base of the mast jacket. Now, if you pull directly up, tha mast jacket should slide off the steering stub shaft. There is a roll pin that holds the stub shaft into the top of the steering box, use a pin punch to drive this out, and the stub shaft will pull right out.
Hope this helps, John
Thanks alot i haven’t had time but maybe this weekend ill get started on it thanks everybody
I forgot about the snapring 
Don’t think this was mentioned but when you pull the wheel with the puller, leave the big nut on the shaft, otherwise the puller will collapse the end of the hollow shaft.
Before you pull shaft, spindle and whatever, be sure to mark those things as to how they were put in. I pulled mine 10 years ago and when putting back together, the steering wheel ended up being upside down. It still is like that, but only I know it, oops, 
up until now.
Since the shaft has a keyway at the steering wheel connecting point, allowing the steering wheel to fit only one way on the shaft, apparently when Fins59 re-connected the shaft to the steering gear, he accidentally rotated the shaft 180 degrees, much like some folks do with the distributor shaft.
Aha…Roger, that must be what happened. This summer, I just might fix that. But it seems something always comes up. Last summer it was the vibration which turned out to be a loose rear end, and probably a few other things I can’t remember. Too many irons in the fire. Winter’s a good time to do that stuff but my storage garage has no heat and my heated house garage is filled with my youngest son’s projects. (and that leaves the ol’ man out in the cold)
