Im seriously thinking thats what Im going to wind up doing. Do you disconnect it at the rag joint or at the input shaft of the rack? I remember changing a rag joint one time I dont remember having anyone helping me but I may have it had to be over 12 years ago.

 For now Im thinking of cutting the rod that goes from the cylinder to the switch and see if I can work it by hand. Its drastic and maybe the final straw on the back of using this column,but maybe I can at least drive it for a while to get my groceries

 I just spent about an hour with the wiring diagram I dont know why they make them so hard to read but finally started coming together, just have a major headache now.

Like I said I prefer to disconnect the upper u-joint. Because of it's simple double 'D' design (to me) it makes it much easier to re-index things and
the column is much shorter & you don't have the shaft flopping all over the place. However it's your car, so do it how you wish.
 Be on the lookout for a PM.

 Thanks for helping its been so long since I changed the rag joint. I cant even remember if it was ths one or the 79 I had.

 I did tonight finally take desperate measures and saw the rod so I can get it o start.Im going to do some shopping tomorrow finally cant get much food home on the bus.

 Will it work in a 78?

 Well so far no one has said wil the 73 one work or not. Anyone know?

 Also now that I drove it the steering wheel makes a clack sound when I turn it to the right and back to the left. Small wiggling back and forth I dont hear feel the clunk type noise or feeling you get from bad tie rods. Its a louder clack type sound and vibration on the wheel itself. I onder if we messed up the bearings in it, or if its because we didnt get the wheel back on straight at all (going to take it off and put it back on tomorrow. Check the  wheels yourself, to someone else they might look straight I guess, have to remember that next time).

 And no lights on the instrument panel. Going to check the fuse and maybe I should check the connector on the ignition switch after getting my hand in there to see if it was loose. Can someone tell me if the if the dome light is the same as a courtesy light? I know Im going to feel stupid about asking this later. But the fuse for the ip lighting gets fed from the same power source off the ignition switch as the `courtesy lights` and the dome light works. So if  the dome light=courtesy light the feed from the ignition switch for the ip lights should be ok too.

I think it should bolt in but the wiring is probably going to be different.

 I kind of know that feeling I had this one for nearly 27 years and bought my first one (a 1974 wagon) in 1980. I forgot how I did some tings and not in a real big hurry to try again after all those years especially.

 On my 74 wagonm a friend I had let drive it pulled out the key with pliers, I guess he didnt rdive a lot of cars and didnt realize there was a button you had to push. The key had marks from the pliers and the whole cylinder just turned and turned. They got it out with a slide hammer, but looking at the pictures in the thread and in my chiltons, I believe the older ones had a different cylinder without the pin that we were talking about. And for whatever reason after drilling and grinding down that pin it still wont come out.