In a post about heater core and associated steering column removal there is some confusion about the shear bolts that the factory puts in. These bolts are IMPORTANT. The heads snap off during installation to make sure that they are torqued correctly. The rest of the bolt stays to hold the steering column in place. During a crash these bolts shear off to prevent the column from damaging your body and to allow the front of the van to deform unrestrained. Normal bolts WILL NOT do this and may then make the steering column do some significant damage to the body of the driver. I had to remove the steering column once and the bolts were relitlvly expensive but at maybe $2 each its cheap safety. |
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