VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Horn Bushing Size - 1931 vs 1930 Are Different

I have a second steering system from the steering gear housing to the steering wheel. I was in the process of restoring it and than would switch it with the one in the car.

I just found out, that the new mast jacket horn bushings currently available for a 1931 has a different size diameter and do not fit a 1930 system. OOPS! The second system apparently was from a 1930 Chev, and the 1930 mast jacket tube is 1/16 smaller diameter than that for a 1931. (Yes, my car is a 1931).

Therefore, the horn bushing doesn't fit by 1/16" into the 1930 steering column tube.

Has anyone else found this out, and what did you do to fix the problem?

Thanks.

Peter

The 1929-1930 are the same.
The 1931-1940 (with exceptions) are the same.
The exceptions are 1933-1936 Standards, 1939 and up cars....part number is 1854761.

I suspect you have a '33-'36 Standard steering column. Its mast jacket is indeed smaller diameter than the '29-'30, '31-'32 and later. The Standard bushing has not been reproduced.

I have a 1931 and up mast jacket bushing in my 1930 steering column and the bushing fit perfectly.

Starting with the second run of bushings the wire was long enough to connect with the '29-'30 wiring harness. Requires that several inches be cut off for the later columns.

Hello Old Crank,
If you were to make the mast jacket bushing fit somehow, would it function properly concerning the steering shaft diameter and the horn operation? Is it possible to file the outside diameter to the proper size without ruining the part? Could it then be installed to the proper location in the column and be retained there using a rubber sealant to secure it there? Say 3M Black window sealant. Don't know if that would work, just a thought.

I just replaced the bushing in my 32 and found it to be too tight. Unfortunately I didn't figure it out until too late. I thought it would compress some but I was not able to drive it all the way down to its correct location. I finally got it far enough to put the wheel on. Had to shorten the horn contacts quite a bit though.

I spoke with Steve at The Filling Station and he looked up the part numbers for a 1930 and 1931. The horn bushing is a different size for the 30. I am not sure what year the spare steering system I have is, but everything else appears to be the same as a 31. I am guessing my spare steering system was a 1930. However, if a 1932 is smaller than a 1931, I'm not sure what I've got. The part numbers are the same for a 1931 thru 1940. Somebody who can interpret the numbers in the Master Parts book can figure that out better than me !

I took the 31 horn bushing and carefully sanded it down on a belt sander (I put the sander in my vice to keep it steady) to a difference of 1/16' smaller, and made sure the top of the mast tube was not buggered up. A little oil on the outside of the bushing and it pressed in just fine.

Anyhow, I am now ready to finish up the spare steering system and swap it with the on in my 1931.

Thanks for everyone's input !

Peter

That seems to be the case,Chipper.

According to the 1929-30 and the 1929-32 Chevrolet parts books, the mast jacket itself is the same for 1929 thru 1932. Also, the 1931-40 mast jacket bushing will fit in a 1929-1930 mast jacket. I installed a 1931-40 mast jacket bushing in my 1930 mast jacket and it fit perfectly.

The 1929-1930 mast jacket bushing is listed in the 1929-32 parts book as being different than the 1931-40 mast jacket bushing due to the longer horn wire used in 1929-1930, but the O.D. for the 1929-1930 mast jacket bushing is the same as the mast jacket bushing for 1931-40.

I measured a 1933-1936 Standard bushing have and it is 1 1/4".

I just measured a a 1931 bushing and it is 1 7/16"

I am the one that reproduces the mast jacket bushings. When the bushing reproduction project was starting several mast jackets from 1929 to 1936 were measured. The ID varied as much as 0.040". Since the bushing must wedge in the mast jacket and not rotate the OD of the bushing was made to have a tight fit in the largest ID mast jacket. That means that some if the "rubber" might need to be removed for the smallest ID mast jackets. I installed bushings without removing any "rubber" in all the mast jackets that I had available. Some were very difficult but all could be properly installed. The brass ring was exactly duplicated and wire attached the same as the originals.

Yes there are three part numbers: P/N 1837956 Application '29-”˜30 all; P/N 1854761, 1931-”˜40 all (exc. CC, DC, EC, FC, JA, KA, KB, KH, COE) and P/N 1839742, 1931-”˜33 all (exc. CC). The supplied bushing will replace all three. The '29-'30 are the same mast jacket tube ID as the later columns. The difference between the '29-'30 and '31 and later is the '29-'30 horn wire is soldered directly into the wiring harness and the later ones used a bullet shaped connector. So we decided to lengthen the wire so the bushing could be used on the early columns as well. There should be an installation instruction sheet with each order. Maybe it is not happening 100% of the time.

That's great info, Chipper. Thanks!

What's the source for the bullet-shaped connector used from '31 onwards?

All the Best, Chip

Rhode Island Wiring Service has the connectors. So do several other parts sellers (they are in the Filling Station catalog somewhere but I can't find the listing).

Thanks!