I should have taken pictures but I was so excited to be actually doing it, that I didn't want to be slowed down by the hassle of going back upstairs to get the camera, LOL, so don't beat me too bad. I promise to take pictures next time. I bought a straight stainless T column from a fellow Tbucketeer (as well as a signal switch from Mickey Lauria) which helped me mock up my steering and to figure out the true length I wanted/needed. I was able to figure out that if the stainless column was 4" shorter, that that would be the ideal length for me. I really wanted a tilt though. So, not having the money for an Ididit, or Flaming River column especially since I would need an even more expensive custom length unit built, I bought one of the cheap $250 chrome tilt columns off ebay a week ago in the hopes that I could cut it down and make it work. It measures 32" out of the box. An hour later and I've got it completely torn down and figuring out my gameplan. I'm running a CCR standard body, so the u-joint is right at the firewall, and from the measurements I had, I knew I needed to take 9 inches out of the new column. The bottom bearing also isn't really a bearing, but just a plastic bushing, so I wanted to somehow fix that. The output shaft is 1"DD, and I'd prefer a 3/4" DD. If you take it apart you'll find that the upper shaft that has the tilt swivel joint on it, is a solid 3/4" DD and the lower is a 1" DD sleeve welded to the upper 3/4" DD. I wanted a 3/4" DD at the firewall due to a larger U-joint selection in the aftermarket, so I ground through the weld, slid the 1" DD sleeve off, whacked off 7 or 8 inches of the 3/4" DD, cut down the 1"DD to use as a filler or extension inside the tube, used the whacked off 3/4" DD as the new lower column output, lined up everything to give me the length I wanted and tacked it up (for mock-up). Got a flanged ball bearing that fits both the outer column tube and the new 3/4" DD lower shaft. I took the original lower bearing/bushing retainer and ground the flange off, moved it up inside the outer tube and welded it to the new lower ball bearing and rewelded it to the inner tube. I now have 2 inches of the bottom end of the column that has solid chunks of steel inside it that will withstand any crush from whatever lower column mount I can fab up. The hole for the wiring is untouched and in the perfect spot between where a lower column mount and an upper column drop would attach. Quick test-fit in the T and so far, I'm a happy camper!