If you’ve ever worked on any type of project car, you know there are a lot of things you have to contend with to get it finished. A steering column might seem like an easy thing to deal with, but in reality, it can make life difficult if you’re not careful. We talked with NMCA Xtreme Street world champion Eric Bardekoff about why he decided to use an aftermarket steering column for his 2021 Mustang GT500 build.

If your project began life as a vehicle that rolled off an assembly line at a major manufacturer and is a popular model, chances are a company makes a direct-fit steering column for it. Bardekoff was able to use a Pro-Fab column from IDIDIT for his Mustang.

The IDIDIT column is designed to be a direct fit for the S550 generation Mustang, so it saved Bardekoff some time since he didn’t have to fabricate any mounts.

“The Pro-Fab column bolted right into the factory location. I only had to make a new steering shaft to accommodate my custom headers and Strange Engineering steering rack. It really wasn’t that bad to make the steering shaft,” Bardekoff explains.

The aftermarket column allowed Bardekoff to get rid of all the unnecessary OEM features he didn’t need on a race car. The column also made it easier to use an aftermarket racing steering wheel, plus it removed a good amount of weight from the car. Bardekoff also liked the fact the IDIDIT column is much smoother than the OEM column with no binding or dragging.

If you’re thinking of switching to an aftermarket steering column head over to IDIDIT’s website to see if they have a direct-fit column for your vehicle.