Hallo ALL

The car is a 1969 W115 200Petrol...you guys in the US have it as the 220

I have been having a 'clunk' from somwhere in the column...I checked the whole steering system and its definately in the column.

These past few months I've been dismantling the car'sinterio as I plan to paint the car and get the inside redone... with the dash out I decided to trace the clunk...

Inititally I thought it has at the coupling at the base of the steering shaft ...when I took it apart Isaw the nylon bushes and thought I'd found the cause..BUT...I then looked closely at the column proper and found that the free-play was in the shaft itself!

The shaft is a telescopic device...a small rod inside a tube and crimped so that it will still transmit turning input but will telescope in a crash.

Is there any way to repair this? My thoughts are running to putting this sucker in a 5ton press and 'crimping' it... any other ideas?

Are all MBs built like this ? I usually see the normal crush tube.

BTW I checked and the part is not in stock here... ordering it new would be twice what I paid for the car!

TIA
Anil