steering column shroud options?

[lagunaMS]

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I had to remove the steering column shroud in my 83 Toyota recently, and of course when I put it back together all the screw posts shattered into pieces and aren't fixable. I've seen some forum posts of people plastic welding the screw posts inside the shroud back together, but that's not an option here. They're all too busted.

I currently just have the two pieces mated together just sitting on there, with a long zip tie wrapped around it holding them together. That was holding just fine until I got in the truck to go to work this morning and bashed my knee on the column shroud, and apparently something inside there broke too because it rattles with every bump now.

What's the best fix for these? I'd hate to spend $80 or more on eBay for another factory one that is also brittle and will do the same thing. Does anyone have theirs just wrapped in something? Anyone gotten a sheetmetal one made to replace it or made their own?

Open to any ideas. I want to take the rattly cover off and replace it with something so it doesn't look ghetto with all the innards exposed, and also not invite thieves with all the wires in plain sight.

I didn't post to the Toyota subforum so I didn't limit responses from non-Toyota people with good ideas

 

[Lawless]

Maybe find someone who is 3D printing them? I've seen lots of oddball hard to find parts replaced this way.

 

[larboc]

I put 100k on my tdi with all the plastic off of the column because lazy. You get used to the look quick.

 

[Squamch]

Parts truck.

Aluminum.

Steel.

Some kind of sheet plastic heated up and bent.

Saran wrap.

Not giving a fuck.

Your options are many and varied.

 

[M92PV4U]

Drill out and Glue/epoxy plastic wall anchors where the screw posts were.

 

[87manche]

picture of this shit?

assuming it's big plastic posts that broke off, wrap masking tape around the bottom forming cylindrical mold, pour epoxy into mold, drill out new epoxy post, reinstall, /? profit?

 

[Filthy McChevy]

When I had a 86 Toyota single cab pickup I pissed off a Toyota fanboi at work who had put up something about Toyotas being the best when I wrote on it something like "I hate banging my knee on the steering column every time I get in". Can't make this shit up.

And yeah I can't picture what you're talking about either but theres got to be a way to fix it if all it's missing is anchor points. I just made an impossible to find in the right color door handle/armrest for my 72 Chevy out of a piece of 2x4, Epoxy is your friend on this one, or maybe clear Gorilla tape.

 

[grapehead]

This is relevant to my interests. Had mine apart on my 87 runner the other day and busted one of the screw posts reinstalling it. Superglued it for now, but plastics this age are becoming very brittle and I'd think a new 3d printed version would be ideal, or maybe dunking the whole thing in epoxy or something.

 

[lagunaMS]

Maybe find someone who is 3D printing them? I've seen lots of oddball hard to find parts replaced this way.

Good idea, I'll do some searching for that

I put 100k on my tdi with all the plastic off of the column because lazy. You get used to the look quick.

That's my backup plan if I can't figure out what to do

Parts truck. Aluminum. Steel. Some kind of sheet plastic heated up and bent. Saran wrap. Not giving a fuck. Your options are many and varied.

All good options, especially the saran wrap. I can't weld so I wouldn't be able to make one myself but if I can't fix the plastic one I could pay someone to make me one out of thin steel or something.

Drill out and Glue/epoxy plastic wall anchors where the screw posts were.

Good idea, I will look into this

picture of this shit? assuming it's big plastic posts that broke off, wrap masking tape around the bottom forming cylindrical mold, pour epoxy into mold, drill out new epoxy post, reinstall, /? profit?

I'll walk out to my truck in a little bit and cut the zip tie off and get a pic for reference, I like that mold idea though

When I had a 86 Toyota single cab pickup I pissed off a Toyota fanboi at work who had put up something about Toyotas being the best when I wrote on it something like "I hate banging my knee on the steering column every time I get in". Can't make this shit up. And yeah I can't picture what you're talking about either but theres got to be a way to fix it if all it's missing is anchor points. I just made an impossible to find in the right color door handle/armrest for my 72 Chevy out of a piece of 2x4, Epoxy is your friend on this one, or maybe clear Gorilla tape.

Dude I hit my knee on the damn column every goddamn time I get in the truck. It's just so tiny and I'm not even tall or fat, I'm 5'9 and still have to wiggle to get in there. Dailying this thing makes me miss the room of my Chevy. I'll get a pic in a few but yea it's just the anchor points that are fucked, the main surround pieces are in tact, minus a little corner piece but that can be fixed.

This is relevant to my interests. Had mine apart on my 87 runner the other day and busted one of the screw posts reinstalling it. Superglued it for now, but plastics this age are becoming very brittle and I'd think a new 3d printed version would be ideal, or maybe dunking the whole thing in epoxy or something.

If you look at this plastic wrong it will shatter like a mirror. If I can repair the anchors then dunking the whole think in epoxy would certainly beef it up a bit

 

[87manche]

Good idea, I'll do some searching for that



That's my backup plan if I can't figure out what to do



All good options, especially the saran wrap. I can't weld so I wouldn't be able to make one myself but if I can't fix the plastic one I could pay someone to make me one out of thin steel or something.



Good idea, I will look into this



I'll walk out to my truck in a little bit and cut the zip tie off and get a pic for reference, I like that mold idea though



Dude I hit my knee on the damn column every goddamn time I get in the truck. It's just so tiny and I'm not even tall or fat, I'm 5'9 and still have to wiggle to get in there. Dailying this thing makes me miss the room of my Chevy. I'll get a pic in a few but yea it's just the anchor points that are fucked, the main surround pieces are in tact, minus a little corner piece but that can be fixed.



If you look at this plastic wrong it will shatter like a mirror. If I can repair the anchors then dunking the whole think in epoxy would certainly beef it up a bit

I've done it before and it works. assuming that you still have the bottom of the broken piece on te shroud.

don't just dip it in epoxy, use fiberglass on the back. rough it up with some 120 before you stick it on.
shoe goo and drywall repair tape also works great for keeping rc car bodies from breaking, so maybe an option, but I don't know about the plastic.

 

[lagunaMS]

Now that I’m looking at these pics it seems like the above person’s masking tape cylinder mold idea might work just fine

 

[TatonkaII]

I might have one laying around.

 

[DWT]

Drill out the posts and epoxy in longer tubes that put the screw heads on the outside of them. That way you are putting pressure on the posts and not the brittle shroud. The polystyrene they made that generations plastics out of is terrible 40 years later.



Edit:

Looking at the pics that's a tilt shroud so good luck finding another.l let alone another that's not brittle shit too.

 

[lagunaMS]

I might have one laying around.

Let me try and fix this one, if I fuck it up or otherwise can't fix it I'll hit you up. Mine is tilt though

Drill out the posts and epoxy in longer tubes that put the screw heads on the outside of them. That way you are putting pressure on the posts and not the brittle shroud. The polystyrene they made that generations plastics out of is terrible 40 years later.

Edit:

Looking at the pics that's a tilt shroud so good luck finding another.l let alone another that's not brittle shit too.

Yep it's a tilt one, and all the ones on eBay right now say NO TILT.

Can you explain what you mean by putting pressure on the posts? Do you mean the nut plate they screw into on the column? Or the tall posts that I will be epoxying?