Recently replaced my turn signal switch in my 63 Dart wagon with a new one from SSDan - thing is a work of art. Looks so nice and original and fits and functions perfectly. Thank you Dan.

After installation, it worked correctly for months with zero problems and no noises.

The reason I'm posting this in Suspension & Brakes is to give the caveat - I have to rebuild the front end of my car. The upper and lower ball joints are worn out, bushings have crumbled, the strut rod bushings are practically gone, haven't replaced the front shocks in forever, and I'm hearing some knocking sounds from the steering column that sound like two long wood sticks when you tap them together gently. So by no means is everything else 'all right', but I will put that out ahead of time as the next big project that I have to do. And I know I have to do it now.

Now my issue: the turn signal canceling finger - the curled wire attached to the underside of the steering wheel has started catching on the plastic turn signal canceling cam legs in the wrong way. It makes a loud 'CLICK" when I turn the wheel right OR left, depending on (it seems) the state of the front suspension - where I've driven the car, have I just gone over a bump, have I driven up a driveway and backed out and I have to crank the wheel over, all these positions seem to affect whether I get a loud "CLICK" from the canceling cam or not. As the steering wheel turns around and around and sometimes or not, it catches the switch legs from the turn signal switch and brushes them DOWN or UP but not from the the switch actually being activated - when the switch is in it's 'neutral' position.

This makes me think that the front suspension issues are starting to affect the actual steering column shaft. I'm thinking the steering linkage is worn enough and has caused some kind of wear through the gearbox that the steering column shaft itself is rotating within the column slightly off center. Minutely shifting enough when cranking the wheel left and right that the canceling finger is rotating off center enough to catch the signal switch legs incorrectly.

Is my thinking right? Are the two related? Or are there bearings in the steering column shaft housing that are unrelated to the suspension components that could just need replacement? I have already pulled the steering wheel once to examine and tighten. Nothing with the switch is loose, broken or out of sorts. It has to be the steering shaft/wheel itself that is not rotating fully on center without some side-to-side or up and down movement.

One thing additional that has bugged me ever since I replaced the original turn signal switch: I have not been able to force the steering wheel down on the splines as far enough as I would like by using the large nut and a torque wrench and tightening. Now when you look at the steering wheel installed in place, there's more of a gap between the steering wheel and the column 'cup' it slides into than I ever noticed before. I've pulled the wheel off, repositioned it, and tried reinstalling it again, and it will not slide further onto the splined end than it already is. Thought this might be affecting the issue I'm having but don't think it is. I would like the steering wheel to sit farther on the shaft end though so I don't see any gap between the column cup and the back of the wheel.

Before I go down this rabbit hole further, can anyone correct my thinking if it needs it?