Removing the steering wheel lock on a 96 mustang is a real pain in the ars. I did it many years ago and wanted to kill myself. A year later during the first enduro the column gave out and at the end of the race I could move the wheel about 5 inches in any direction. I would advise trashing the whole steering column and installing a solid race type set-up. It takes a little fabrication but is a ton easier than messing with the stock unit and in the end you have something that is solid and trouble free. Take a look at my set-up or any of the other guys at TWS. FMR