Dropping the column allows you to drill the hole into the steering lock
assembly so you can remove the lock cylinder.  You can remove the entire
steering lock without dropping the column, but this now requires
considerable work and special tools to replace (and you still have to drill
the hole to get the lock cylinder out).

Another point to consider: if the shearing heads are to control install
torque, why work so hard to make them difficult to remove
afterwards?  Furthermore, *what purpose* in engineering terms would this
accomplish?  If the bolts themselves are designed to shear off in a
collision (and just what sort of collision would apply shear forces to
these largely-vertical bolts?), what does the install torque have to do
with it?  That should be controlled by the material of the bolt
itself.  Furthermore again, shear pins are ordinarily installed in very
close-fitting assemblies, not in a mounting point where one of the parts
accommodates a range of mounting positions.  All right, here's a
counter-point -- suppose that the object of the exercise is to tighten the
bolts only loosely, so that the bracket can slide if needed so as to bring
the shearing edge in contact with the bolt?  And by the way, does anybody
know at what torque these things actually break off (the 6-mm hex-socket
part, that is)?

david

At 10:59 PM 3/21/2001, Rico Sapolich wrote:
>Scott,
>
>There is one obvious fallacy in saying that the steering column shear bolts
>are an antitheft measure: the shear bolts do not retain the steering lock
>housing.  Removing the shear bolts does allow the steering column tube to
>fall away from the dash, but the steering lock remains firmly attached.  Now,
>I suppose a determined thief may see this as an opportunity to substitute an
>unlocked steering column in toto, but I doubt it.

David Beierl - dbeierl@attglobal.net