Alternate turn signal stalk?

DeeVeeEight

Fast Pedalphile
Joined
Nov 3, 2008
Messages
2,284
Location
Southern New Jersey, USA
Is there an alternate turn signal stalk that will work on our 'Vettes, maybe from a caddy or a chevy/gmc truck, that is longer and bent forward or upwards so that I can gain a bit of knee room? Even if I bend my current stalk it will be a little too short. (I know, it sounds like a personal problem).
 
Two things, I bent mine back toward the wheel, almost 30* , the steel is hard so I recommend using heat....

I also shortened and repinned mine.....I dunno about any longer....

but this was all done before I modded up the rest of that stuff, LONG time ago...:gurney:
 
Instead of bending it you can take it off and put it back on backwards. Normally it is bent toward the drivers seat. When you reverse it, it is now bent toward the instruments. That solved it for me but making it longer may be more challenging. I have a '68 so it may be different as the years progress on the design.
 
First of all, I don't have any GM interchange information on turn signal levers. However, I do have information (hopefully correct information) on 1978, 79, and later Corvette levers.

The 1978 through 1982 Corvette T&T columns had a pivot inside the steering column head where the turn signal lever just "plugged" into. Just a straight push or pull should facilitate installation or removal. This makes installation and removal of the lever quite easy. The only thing that makes it somewhat difficult is if the lever has a cruise controls and wiring attached to it. I think that the wiring has to be "fished" down the column if you change the lever. All of these levers (1978-82) should interchange and just plug-in to the dimmer pivot.

Now it starts to get a bit more confusing. The angle of the pivot inside the column changed sometime during the 1979 model year. It started out at a shallow 21 degree angle. This required that the turn signal lever (with cruise) to have a 30 degree bend in it. This compensated for the shallow pivot angle and brought the end of the lever (with the cruise button) close to the steering wheel rim. BTW, the turn signal lever without cruise was straight.

Sometime during the 1979 model year the dimmer pivot was changed to a steeper 46 degree angle. This brought the end of the turn signal lever close to the steering wheel rim without having a 30 degree bend.

Now, I don't know what type column that you have (I assume that you have a T&T since nearly all Corvette columns were T&Ts by 1979). Also I don't know if you have cruise control or not.

By just looking straight down on the column, you should be able to tell if the turn signal lever is coming out of the column head at a shallow 21 degree angle compared to 46 degrees. Knowing what angle may give you some alternatives. For instance if you don't have cruise and you have the straight lever. You might find if helpful to use a bent lever with cruise and just cut the cruise wires off. If you have cruise, it might be helpful to change to a straight lever or change to a bent lever depending upon your situation.

The following comes from my T&T Strg Column Disassembly & Repair Paper #3 dated 19JL2009.

---------------------------------
Dimmer Pivots & Turn Signal Levers
The 78 to 79 - The turn signal lever w/cruise (GM 25030522, ZIP SC-337 or Doc Rebuild #2897116) had a 30 degree bend in it because the dimmer pivot had the lever mounting hole that was at a shallow angle (21 degrees) and the lever needs to bend toward the steering wheel rim such that the driver can easily reach the cruise button.

The 78-82 T&T turn signal lever w/o cruise was GM 14009242, ZIP SC-333 or Doc Rebuild #2897118. It was a straight lever.

The next change occurred late in the 1979 model year. The angle of the turn signal lever mounting hole in the dimmer pivot was changed to 46 degrees. The turn signal lever now was pointed more directly at the steering wheel and the turn signal lever was straight. Zip Products lists a 79L-82 Turn Signal Arm Pivot Assembly SC-756. This should be the pivot that works with straight turn signal levers.

Here are the straight T&T levers that I think work with the 46 degree pivot:
GM 25030492, Zip Products 79L-80 Turn Signal Lever w/tele & w/o cruise
SC-332.
1981-82 Turn Signal Lever w/cruise (Resume Switch on side of lever) Doc Rebuild 289119.
--------------------------
The entire series of Disassembly & Repair Papers can be found at www.corvettefaq.com
Click on Jim Shea's Steering Papers
Click on Corvette Steering Papers
Scroll down to the Tilt & Telescoping 69-82 Section

Jim

PS Upon reading your original Post, I don't believe that any of the options that I sight will necessarily shift the lever up away from your leg. Sorry.
 
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This is a top view of a 1978 T&T steering column head. Note the 21 degree angle of the dimmer pivot and the turn signal lever.

1977-82TurnSignalDimmerPivotTopView.jpg

When you move the turn signal lever up or down (right and left turn signals) it causes the dimmer pivot to oscilate up and down as well. There is what is called a crossover arm that connects the dimmer pivot to the turn signal switch. This movement of the dimmer pivot and crossover arm causes the turn signal switch to activate right and left turns just as a typical switch would activate.
TTSignalSwitchCrossOverArm.jpg
There is a common mistake in many Corvette supplier catalogues where they seem to specify that there was a turn signal switch change when the dimmer pivot changed from 21 to 46 degrees. Since the dimmer pivot dictates the angle of the turn signal switch lever and the pivot connects by means of the crossover arm, the switch itself is unaffected.

The change in the switch was the addition of cornering light wiring. Positions A, B, & C in the harmonica connector have additional wires. The later switch (with the additional wires in the harmonica) can still be plugged into the vehicle harness. Those extra wires just don't connect to anything because there are no mating wires in the vehicle harness. I think that all 1980 Vettes had cornering lights. I don't know about 1979s.
Jim
 
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To answer your question, I got banned for not responding to pewter 99's email FAST ENOUGH. I didn't even know I had a friggin email. He IS a napoleonic little prick, even Doc Rebuild has got it in for him!:thumbs:
 
Send Jim Shea a PM- I'll bet he knows of interchange stuff from GM.


Is Jim here on this forum? I am forever banned at CF.

Jeezus Christ....U 2?? what in hell you do,?? I got banned for poly ticks comments, but it's been years....

:gurney:


Who's posting under the mrvette name over then? :confused:

Wasn't a PERMA band like some guys....

I thought Joecool, Phil was permaband but guess not....

:D
 
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