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Horn Questions
My horn sounds all of the time!
Column Questions
Will an ididit column shift column work with a 2, 3, or 4 speed automatic transmission?
I cant get my column to shift into park or low - what am I doing wrong?
What should I do for a neutral safety switch?
How do I measure for my column?
How come my turn signals don't cancel correctly when I turn left or right? (video instructions)
How do I align my Neutral Safety Switch? My car starts when I'm in Drive or Reverse.
How do I get my drop over my wires?
What adapter do I need to fit an ididit column?
Can I powder coat my column with other colors?
Do I need to take apart my column to paint it?
How should I prep my column for paint?
Should I paint the inside of my column?
How do I get my horn to work?
The first step is to identify which horn system your
vehicle is
using.
A. Horn Wire System
- This is a standard setup on all of ididit's columns as well as most GM columns 69' or newer.
- The horn wire will connect from the spade connector in the center of the horn button to the inside of the white plastic tube (horn cam) on the top of the column.
- Many companies include a horn wire with their steering wheel adaptor.
- You can buy them from GM (part numbers: 9769448 or 474102)
- Horn wires are available from ididit inc. (Our Part #HORNWIRE)
B. Horn Plunger (metal pin) System
-
Horn plungers were used in many pre-69 GM columns.
-
The horn plunger will fit inside the white plastic tube (horn cam) on the top of the column.
-
As the horn is depressed the metal plunger acts as a wire to transfer the ground.
-
This horn kit is available from ididit inc. if you don't have one. (Our Part #2620000010)
C. Ford System
-
Allot, but not all of the original Ford wiring systems will use two wires coming out of the column. Power in, and power out. (if you have a single wire in your Ford column your column can be wired as GM columns are)
-
GM uses a ground type system though a relay.
-
You can not mix one type horn system with another. It will fry the spring inside the column faster then you can disconnect it.
-
To convert your Ford system to the GM system found in your ididit column a relay is required.
-
Relays are available from ididit inc. as well as most auto parts stores. (Our Part #CON370113)
Back to Top
My horn sounds all of the time
-
Somewhere in the system the black wire is going to the ground. This should be an open circuit waiting for the ground.
-
The screw that fastens your turn signal lever in place may be loose. This may allow the screw to touch the bottom side of the horn cam making the horn sounds. Be sure this screw is tight.
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Will an ididit column shift column work with a 2,3, or 4 speed automatic transmission?
Yes, except early power glides (reverse pattern transmissions)
Back to Top
I can't get my column to shift into park or low - what am I doing wrong?
The length of the pivots must be the same on the transmission as the steering column (the column is 2 7/8 and the transmission linkage should be the same). When you set up your linkage start with the column and transmission in neutral. This will give you a central location to start from, allowing you to split any variation in the low gear and park detents.
Back to Top
What should I do for a Neutral Safety Switch
While many "Retrofit Columns" come complete with a neutral safety switch, "Street Rod Columns" do not. A transmission mounted neutral safety switch is the easiest alternative. If that is not possible, a column mounted switch is also available.
To add a neutral safety switch to an ididit inc column follow these simple steps:
-
The switch must be attached to the column. Some machining is required and must be done by ididit inc. Installing your own neutral safety switch in the column will void any warranty.
-
We need to know where the neutral safety switch is to be installed
a. The switch must be installed below the wiring slot.
b. We need to know the distance from the top outer housing of the column, as well as a position on a clock face for rotation. Be sure that this is done as though you were sitting in the vehicle (3 o'clock is towards the passenger)
(Standard labor charges will be applied)
Back to Top
How do I get my drop over my wires?
Our polisher is always proud of this question. Our column drops split at the center of the hole by removing the two bolts from the bottom side of the drop. This split is nearly invisible, so we have created a diagram to help you understand our column drops a bit better.
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What adaptor do I need to fit an ididit column?
The top of the column is the same as the 69' or newer GM passenger car column (pre-air bag). This is also the most popular adaptor used in the aftermarket industry.
All ididit inc. adaptors will match this spline. The Standard 3-bolt Adaptors are 1-1/8" deep. The Standard 5, 6 and 9-bolt adaptors are 2-1/2" deep.
We do carry an adaptor for the Stock GM 1955-68 Wheels. To find out more about this and see if it will match your application click here for the page this refers to.
ididit inc also offers custom machining to adapt most pre-69' original wheels to the top of an ididit column. Call us for more details.
Back to Top
We do not recommend it. After many years of painting display columns we learned that the following: Lacquer, enamel, polyurethane, or epoxy clears will not seal.
Back to Top
Can I
powder coat my column with other colors?
We offer powder coating as an optional finish.
If you would prefer to use your own powder coater, you
can pay for the column and/or accessory from ididit, and we will send
just the parts to be finished to your powder coater. Once those pieces are
powder coated and sent back to ididit, they are assembled and the finished
product is sent to you. By having us do the final assembly, your warranty is
fully intact. This column would be considered "custom" so additional
charges may apply, call for details.
Back to Top
How should I prep my column for paint?
All raw steel columns are wiped down with WD-40 before they leave our
facility to
prevent rusting. You are going to have to remove the WD-40 with something non
abrasive.
If the column is a tilt column you should see the black primer inside the
column when you tilt it. This portion is pre-primed at our shop
because it may oxidize from moisture being able to sneak in there. When
painting your column make sure you tilt the column each way to prevent any missed spots.
To start prepping we recommend that you suspend the column from both of its
ends, try not to hang the column on anything because it drops quite hard as
you could imagine. We would suggest placing 2 pieces of 2x6 boards 12" long and
drill a hole in the center of each for the shaft. The top board should be 9/16" hole and the bottom of the board either 1" or 3/4" depending on the
shaft size. This way the column can be rotated safely and also have both
ends supported.
When masking your column it is necessary to close off the top but its not
necessary to mask off the holes. We do however recommend that you remove
the grommet wire where the wires actually exit the tube and then just tape off
the wires. Some people when masking will tuck a piece of paper in the tilt
area and turn hole which is ok but not really necessary.
Back to Top
Should I paint the inside of my column?
Painting the inside is not necessary. In fact we recommend that you do not
paint the inside of the column as the turn signal contacts could be affect by doing so. The
inside of the column has already been protected with a rust inhibitor.
Back to Top
Do I
need to take apart my column to paint it?
We do not recommend that you take apart your column! The above instructions explain
how to paint your column without disassembly! When you disassemble
your column you then void any warranty that ididit offers! If you have already dissembled your column,
please call us immediately so we can get you a return authorization number. You then can send your
column back to ididit so we can reassemble it for you and make sure that
your warranty is valid. When calling us please remember that we will
charge you $50.00 plus shipping to get your column back in working order.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to call ididit with
those questions.
Back to Top
Yes, the horn requires a ground to work.
Normally the under dash or floor mount will provide an adequate ground. This is not always true on a fiberglass car
however. In that case, you can run a ground wire to one of your
mounts to secure a grounding connection.
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ididit inc.
ididit inc. All rights reserved.
Revised:
5/1/09
