Need help with steering column shaft play

[Tuc124]

My '69 has some play in the splined shaft that attaches to the steering wheel. I'm not talking about play when the wheel is turned but if you move the wheel up & down or side to side there's a little slop. You can also feel it when you hit a bump in the road. This started when I loosened the four bolts under the dash to drop the wheel to remove the instrument panel. I would normally expect a bad bushing or bearing but I did something to cause it. Sorry for all the verbiage.

Blair

[vandor]

If you remove the column switch you will see the bushing that centers the shaft in the steering column. It may have popped out, or it may be bad. There is one on the top and one on the bottom. If you need one, we do sell them.

[lanciahf]

On my 70 the ball bearings fell out. It was easy enough to rebuild the bearings with fresh grease. Just time consuming.