I am not a Spec E30 racer, rather a lowly LeMons racer, but I figured I’d ask my question here since this would be the most likely place to find help.
The ignition switch/key on my LeMons racer is broken, and we no longer need the wiper or turn signal switches, so I had the brilliant idea of removing the steering lock assembly from the column to clean things up and simplify things.
So we drilled out the fracture bolt, took off the snap ring, and pulled the steering lock assembly off the column, only to learn that the support bearing that keeps the steering shaft centered in the column is part of the lock assembly, and not the column itself.
Our first thought was to cut/grind down the steering lock until it’s barely big enough to hold the bearing and reinstall it on the column, but cutting it down is a pain. See the photo below for progress.
Other thoughts include somehow getting a generic bearing to just shove in the column, but a search on McMaster Carr’s site reveals no bearing that will match the OD of the steering shaft and ID of the column. Or I could just admit defeat and get another lock assembly, but this would be a PITA in itself because I can’t easily get one from a junkyard car since I can’t remove the steering wheel without a key, and no junkyard cars have their keys. Any thoughts?
