Early Bronco Steering Column

Selecting a Replacement Early Bronco Steering Column

Selecting a replacement steering column for your early Bronco requires a bit of information. You first need to consider the preferred shift method for your Bronco. Once you have decided this, you will want to decide whether to keep the stock early Bronco column or replace it with a modern style tilt steering column. There are no wrong answers here, so we have provided some info below to help guide you in your decision.

1. Identify your preferred transmission shift method in your Bronco. From the factory, all classic Ford Broncos shifted using a column shifter. You may also select to install a floor shift kit or a top-load manual transmission that shifts from the floor.
   
   
• Manual Transmission Steering Column Shifter aka "Three on the Tree"
  For factory 3-speed manual transmissions, early Broncos came with a steering column that had the 3-speed shifter built in. They called this column shifter a three on the tree referring to the 3-speed manual transmission being shifted using a shift lever on the steering column (the tree). 
  
  
• Automatic Transmission Steering Column Shifter
  For automatic shifting on the steering column in a classic Ford Bronco, you have more options. We offer tilt steering columns with the automatic shifter built-in. You can also opt to rebuild your factory 73-77 Ford Bronco automatic steering column using components supplied by WILD HORSES. 
  
  
• Smooth Steering Column for Floor Shifters
  The alternate to a column shift steering column is to move to a floor shifter mechanism and get a steering column with a smooth collar where there is no shifter on the column. This is an option for both automatic and manual transmission applications as there are plenty of floor shift options out there for both types. We offer smooth tilt steering columns for floor shift as well as a conversion smooth collar to use on the factory steering column.
  
  
2. Select between a stock or tilt steering column. The factory early Bronco steering column was a fixed column, meaning it did not have a tilt adjustment for the wheel position. Our tilt steering columns are relatively simple to install and fit right in with the classic interior of your early Bronco.
   
   
• Stock Early Bronco Steering Column
  If you have selected to maintain the classic three on the tree shifter, you will need to rebuild your factory early Bronco steering column. There are no aftermarket columns currently on the market to support this shifting method. We do however offer many components to help you to rebuild your original shifter if this is the direction you have decided to go.
  
  If you have decided to retain the original automatic shift steering column, we also have components available to assist in the rebuild of this column.
  
  
• Automatic Shift Early Bronco Tilt Steering Columns
  If you are running a stock C4 automatic transmission in your Bronco, we offer new tilt steering columns with shifter on the column for this application. These columns can also be used with other automatic transmissions such as the Ford AOD, AODE, etc. but may require some modification to the shift linkage.
• Smooth Tilt Steering Column for Floor Shifters
  Many early Bronco owners opt to run a floor shifter for their transmission. This is acheived by installing a floor shift kit for your factory 3-speed or automatic transmission, or by performing a transmission swap to a top-shifting transmission such as the NP435, AX15 or Tremec TR4050. If this is the route you have decided to go, we offer tilt steering columns with a smooth shift collar for a clean install of the column. This eliminates the shift linkage in and from the steering column making your new column installation much more simple.