Replacing the steering column and gearbox is one difficult job! At least as horrible an experience as my first job as an MG mechanic / shop owner. Take that back, worse was replacing a clutch on a 65 chevy nova on a gravel drive on a cold and rainy day. Good advice however here
http://www.jimrothe.com/mazda/steering.html

 

If I ever have to do it I'll switch to the RE-Speed steering rack & pinion.

 

+1 for Re-Speed. Also a PITA, but at least it was worth it!

 

Damn not what I want to hear. My project car has the steeringwheel nut threads stripped on it. Found an SA in a local junkyard that I was going to take the coloumn out of to replace my exitsting one.

 

It's not that hard if there is no engine and you can jack the car up and drop the cross member. Makes it much easier to get the thing out.

 

^Agreed, with the engine and cross member in the car its very difficult to get out. If you remove the hood, radiator/oil cooler etc you can do it but even then its hard to manuver around.

If you are removing the box to go to the Rack and pinion kit you can pull the steering column tube out of the steering box and remove it from inside the car, then drill out the plastic sheer pins that hold the two halves of the steering shaft out, remove the upper shaft (again inside the car) this makes the whole box/column assembly much shorter (since its only the short lower half of the steering shaft and box) and easier to manage.

Then again if you going to the re-speed kit you will be changing the crossmember anyway, just puting it out there as an alternative for someone.

 

Agreed! If you are replacing all that - might want to toss in a little more $$ and get the re-speed kit. Then everything will be brand new!

Its a whole 'nother car once the rack kit is in. It wa sone of the best investments I did on the car.


Good luck ! And no matter wht you do, its sort of a pain!