My guess is that part of the shift collar has broken due to metal fatigue. If so, you need to pull the column, and possibly replace it. You will probably only get a shift collar from another column, so might as well replace the whole unit. Don't be picky about color, you can repaint. Alternative is to find a shop that repairs/rebuilds columns, but that can be pricey as well as time consuming, and you still have to do the R&R. Good luck!
If the head of the column had broken (as the hinge on mine had), You could use an '80s column head to rebuild it. But, the shift tube and outer tube are different between the '70s intermediates and the the '80s trucks. So If you can find a complete column (and upgrade to tilt, if it's not originally a tilt column), great, but if not, just find one with a broken head, and transfer the lower body and shift tube to your column's head.
There are a lot of cars that use the same column. The one I am using came from a T-Bird. Rebuilding a column is not difficult. Take it apart, replace the bearings, weld up anything cracked or broken, put it back together. Some of the plastic sleeves can be difficult to find, but I haven't encountered one I couldn't make if it wasn't available. Most of them are really just isolators, so flat stock cut to fit and rolled by hand does the job quite well.
Found the problem. Pulled out the whole column for nothing. The pin that locks the steering wheel had gotten stick downwards, keeping everything from moving
Any idea how to get the steering lock pin out? On the red ranchero it just pulled out, but we need a spring for it, so we tried to get it from the Torino. Spent about an hour trying to get it all out, but it won't budge
It comes out when you undo the collar, because it's connected to the actuator. As you remove the collar, it will slip out, but you have to have the ignition lock removed and the turn signal switch pulled up to access the three screws.
Then remove the three screws holding the collar on, remove the ignition lock cylinder and pull the collar off. The pin will pull out when you do this.
They're buried behind the switch mounting. One's about 5:30 low, one's 1:00 above, and the last one's about 7:30? I just tightened the screws in Dad's column, so you'd think I could remember? Nooooooooo.
I got it out. My uncle used violence on the colunm though, and the shift collar is screwed, so I can’t use it, but I got the parts I needed and the red 72 is a runner again
I’m having that exact same issue. Just got the car. I’ll be waiting until the shop manual comes from Amazon before I dig into the steering column. I’ll be looking up shift tubes now ...
The shifter on the column is not moving The arm at the base of the column in the engine compartment (not sure what’s that called yet, but I’m sure I’ll learn).