How to fab a steering column from aluminum tubing.

Its really not rocket science...I am sure many of you have had occasion to fab one up in the past. For those who haven't and would like to know how...Read on. Materials necessary: Your choice of tubing, it can be steel, brass, copper or aluminum depending on the look your after. This one is aluminum tube in 3/32 OD for the main column tube and 1/8 for the collar. Coincedentally, the 1/8 tubes ID is 3/32 so one will slip over the other just fine. First step is to ensure the ends of the tubes are clean and burr free so they slip together. Sand paper or a file will do fine. Once the tubes fit well, you can polish the main tube with some fine grit sand paper or polishing cloths. I use an old 1800 grit cloth to get a proper brushed aluminum look to the tubing. You can go finer, say 2400 grit then use your favorite polishing compound on it to shine it up like polished aluminum or chrome! Now for the collar of the column. This is the part that holds the shift lever/turn signal lever and is capped of with the steering wheel. Most collars are multiple pieces so, its necessary to put a few grooves in your collar to give it the multi piece look. A small tubing cutter works well for this purpose. Just don't cut the tube off, you only want to make a prominent groove or two for that added realism. Chamfer the end of the tube with some sandpaper or a file to get the rounded off look common to most columns of the day. Now polish this component up to eliminate burrs in the grooves and scratches at the chamfer you made. Once grooved and chamfered, you can accent it with your favorite panel line accent technique to give it even more depth.This one will only have one groove making it a two piece collar since this is an old school ride without turn signals or a gear shift on the column. The second line is my cut line, but gives you a visual for what I am going on about. If you are using a gear shift and or T.S lever...Now would be the time to drill those holes in the collar with an appropriately sized pin drill for your levers. Once cut down and installed on your main tube,this is what your column should look like... you can now move on to figuring your appropriate overall length. Once your length is established you can give the whole thing a final polish if needed and mount your chosen tiller wheel to the top. Don't forget to file the mounting surface for the wheel on the collar flat. It will have some drift from the tubing cutter, giving it a taper that could cause your wheel to sit crooked. You can also glue  a piece of rod to your wheel that fits inside the main tubes diameter and just drop the wheel in. No falling off this way while test fitting!! 


When all done, you will have a proper custom column to make your friends jealous or intrigued. (They will undoubtedly look upon you with god like awe and beg you to teach em the technique) LOL

AS an aside: If you do not have a tubing cutter or razor saw to cut with...You can use an exacto blade. On a flat surface place your tube, put the blade on the tube where you wish to make your cut and simply roll the tube back and forth under the blade. Use moderate pressure and do your best to make it a very linear movment so the blade does not walk up and down the tubing. With a little practice you will be making precise clean cuts!! I try to cut on a strip of tape...Less chance of the tube flying off into limbo when it cuts loose!!

Hope this helps someone out sometime. Try it...Its fun to fab...Or is it Fab to Fab?? Oh well, enjoy!!