I have a 71' Charger R/T, automatic, floor shift car. I am starting to pull the whole dash out to restore it, and the first thing I wanted to do was pull the steering column. I got started and found this! Now way this plate is correct! The holes don't even line up! Can someone out there help me? What is this plate out of? Where can I find the RIGHT one? THANKS!!!
It looks correct to me, just has the wrong bolts to hold it on. Original bolts have a much larger washer to cover the rest of the hole.
So I just have the wrong bolts, any idea where I can find the right ones?
RT Specialties
I think they are the same as the trunk lid bolts so if you have any spare ones of those they should work as well.
http://www.rtspecialties.net/proddetail.asp?prod=6025354
THANK YOU!!!
Curious, what is the purpose of the enlarged holes?
To make up for the tolerances throughout the car. With one end of the steering colum bolted to the dash and the other in the steering gear, the large holes in the firewall plate allow you to keep the column centered. If they were small you may end up putting unwanted sideload on the steering shaft.
There's a specific order to bolt it down also. I think it's in the FSM. Basically you make sure it is attached to the steering box and there's no side load on the lower column bushing, so there's no excessive wear or friction. :2thumbs: