Good Morning Baypac...I generally just tap on the friction plate and bend it up just slightly until there is a slight drag and then the spark and throttle rods are happy...Ernie in Arizona
How about shimming the retaining springs at the bottom of the column?
Neither of these rods make contact with the friction plate and won't stay in place. Is there a way to tighten them other than removing the steering column? Do they bend or can you bend the plate?
You probably have a two tooth steering column and that bushing at top of the column has to be set a good 1/8 of an inch below the friction plate.
You can also put a small chamfer at each of the rod holes that will let the rods go a little lower.