Steering shaft ... say it ain't so...

Is there any way to remove the steering shaft in the engine bay?

Long story short, I kinda cross-threaded the threads with the bolt a couple weeks ago, so I went to fix it with a tap today.. I fixed the bolt first, and went to use the same size with the tap. I threaded it in, then went to unscrew it, and my tap snapped off in the shaft.

So, the only way I can see to fix it is drill it out, and I don't see me fitting a drill in the bay without taking the engine out


Help

EDit: And it was a Craftsman set too... I have really NOT been impressed with craftsman stuff lately. My toolbox (8 months old) has 2 drawers that are broken, I've snapped swivel sockets and deep-sockets, broken taps just using them normally.. My torque wrench broke inside the head, so it doesn't ratchet anymore... And the ONLY thing that has warranty is the metal handtools. rawr.

Which clamps are you talking about on the steering shaft? I only know of one "clamp" and that's the part the bolt goes through..

Thanks for the reply.

okay... And when I cut the shaft off, how do I replace it? I've unclamped the shaft before (to put my headers on) but I haven't ever replaced the shaft. It doesn't seem to slide off..

Thanks for the help!

So the other end of the shaft is under the dash? That's pretty much what I was asking.. I've never messed with one, so I didn't pay attention to where the ends were.

Pardon my newbness and thanks again.