horn rod delima

[larry harding]

i'm finally starting to put my speedster project together (working on it 1 1/2 years) at some point i think the steering column must have been replaced because the steering shaft was too long and the steering wheel sat about 1" inch above the spark/throttle levers. i found a shorter steering shaft at a swap meet and took care of that problem, now i find the horn rod is too long. it looks lke i need the gemmer rod at 44 31/32", that is 45 inches in my world. i have another long rod that is damaged up at the button area. has any one tried to shorten one of these rods? new repops are $100.00 + and i'm a tinkerer(and cheap ass) any suggestions?