steering column/pedals

[b454rat]

Toying with the idea of making my 98 Tahoe a 5-speed. Someone told me years ago that the columns and pedals can be year specific, quick search on carpart says they are. Anyone know for sure or what the differences are?

 

[AK49BWL]

95 I'm not sure of but I believe it's the same as 96.

97+ has a wheel position sensor for the variable power steering, but otherwise 97 is the same as 96.

98 I think was the last year for the old wide airbags, but the first for PassLock.

99+ has the smaller square airbag but is otherwise the same as 98.

I also remember someone saying the airbag connectors are different between a few years. Of course a lot of this is right off the top of my head so I've probably got something wrong but generally, yeah they changed every single year for the 95+ trucks.

At the end of it all, you don't really have to change out the column tho... You can remove the gear shift lever from the column. That said, you will need the trim so the big hole is no longer there.

If you do try to find a complete column, I wish you luck... They're hard to find for a manual. I have one, but it's for a 97 so you'd have to disable PassLock.

 

[sewlow]

98 I think was the last year for the old wide airbags

My '98 has the small airbag.

If you do try to find a complete column, I wish you luck... They're hard to find for a manual.

Try finding a manual column with tilt & cruise. I looked for the 10 years I had my '97. They do exist!
Over the years I found two. Both in 2dr. Yukon GT's. Pick-a-Part. So of course the ham-****** yard apes had trashed them beyond repair.
Apparently, according to Dave (88GMCtruck) stick columns w/tilt were fairly common in C3500's.

 

[AK49BWL]

My '98 has the small airbag.

Yeah I think the 98s may have been split, the early ones had the 97-style bag, later ones had the newer style. I know in the S-Series this was the case.

Try finding a manual column with tilt & cruise. I looked for the 10 years I had my '97. They do exist!
Over the years I found two. Both in 2dr. Yukon GT's. Pick-a-Part. So of course the ham-****** yard apes had trashed them beyond repair.
Apparently, according to Dave (88GMCtruck) stick columns w/tilt were fairly common in C3500's.

My 97 is a manual and its column has tilt and cruise, so yeah, they're out there lol

And I'm pretty sure the cruise issue can be fixed with just a new multifunction switch assembly.

 

[b454rat]

I'd be fine doing away with airbags, but mine is the small one. I had a 2000 3500HD that was a stick, I think that was tilt with cruise and delay wipers. I'm just thinking about it. AFAIK original trans at 210k-ish miles. Lockup in OD is temperamental, and kinda miss shifting. Don't really need a heavy duty 5-speed, but can find them cheap if catch one in the junkyard before someone else grabs it. But since I can't sell the 6.0 I have maybe should start looking again....