Steering wheel removal

nhusa

nhusa

Well-known member
I am rebuilding the steering box in a 31 Town Sedan.
I got the assembly (column and box) out of the car and am now taking it apart.
My problem is getting the wheel off the shaft.
I have the nut off, made a stand that goes to the floor and catches the flange on the steering wheel in two places and tried a hammer with a wood block to protect the threads.
Also tried a little heat and ice but it won’t budge.


I don’t want to purchase a Model A steering wheel puller for one job.

Does anyone have any suggestions
 
Don’t be cheap, it could cost you more in the long run.

Buy, rent, or barrow a puller.
 
I purchased a puller from Bratton's to remove a stubborn steering wheel on my late 1931 coupe. I was unable to make it work because the gap beneath the wheel hub was too small to permit mounting the puller. I called Bratton's and was told to return it as this problem seems to occur often with the later steering column.

I was finally able to get the steering wheel off by dropping a red hot 3-inch bolt into the top of the column, leaving it in for a couple minutes, then quickly replacing it with another bolt of the same size that had been super-cooled in dry ice. The rapid shrinkage of the shaft relative to the hub taper allowed me to knock off the shaft with one solid rap on the top of the cooler bolt with a 3-pound hammer. The bolts used were of a diameter that just fit the shaft tube (can't recall the size).
 
On my 30 there are two holes behind the light switch in the metal pieces that did not completely pass through. I finished drilling the holes and tapped for threads. A steering wheel puller easily removed the wheel using proper length bolts. No visible damage.
 
daren007 said:
On my 30 there are two holes behind the light switch in the metal pieces that did not completely pass through. I finished drilling the holes and tapped for threads. A steering wheel puller easily removed the wheel using proper length bolts. No visible damage.
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Ditto
 
Both of the above operations should work well. I usually pull the wheel before doing anything else. With both feet on the floor and knees pushing as hard as I can upwards on the wheel, the nut loosened and flush with the top of the shaft, I use a heavy brass drift and strike it with a large hammer. Sometimes it takes several whacks but have always been successful. The nut flush with the shaft protects the threads, the hammer shocks the wheel and shaft the brass drift allows a square hit on the nut. There is more than one way to skin a cat!
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
IF the steering is still in the car, SEARCH steering wheel removal & read my FOOL PROOF METHOD.
Bill Tricky
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Bill , Did the search and read the 500 most recent entries listed under your name but did not find it. Perhaps it is among some of the thousands of your entries that have been deleted in the past year or two.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
IF the steering is still in the car, SEARCH steering wheel removal & read my FOOL PROOF METHOD.
Bill Tricky
Click to expand...

Here's Bill's method that he posted Sept 2011:

I can help you! Sure fire way. Do it EXACTLY as I describe.

Screw nut partly on, sit with your feet planted on floor, grasp steering wheel at both sides, with elbows STRAIGHT, lean your upper body back STRAIGHT, ROCK YOUR UPPER BODY SIDE TO SIDE WITHOUT BENDING YOUR ELBOWS.The secret is that one arm pulls up on the wheel, while the other pushes down at the SAME time, and this will cause the taper to "POP" loose. I haven't had to use a puller since the '50's after learning this from an old pro!!

Be sure to have the nut partly on or you will surely get a nose bleed when it pops loose.
Click to expand...
 
Mikeinnj said:
Bill , Did the search and read the 500 most recent entries listed under your name but did not find it. Perhaps it is among some of the thousands of your entries that have been deleted in the past year or two.
Click to expand...
Mike, SORRY you had to search SO MUCH, but it kept you off the streets & out of them BINGO PARLORS! Them OLD BINGO Ladies can be DANGEROUS!!
Bill Safeathomewiththedog
 
Update

I finally had time to try again.
I used Jackson’s method including the plastic rope.:)
I put a bolt with a Allen head in the shaft to protect it.

At first I couldn’t keep the knot from slipping then I remembered that I used a match to fuse the frayed ends of a ski rope.
So I used a propane torch (I know a bit of overkill) to fuse the knot.
A couple of yanks on the tension bolt and a hit with a hammer — the wheel came off.
Then the biggest problem was getting the key out.

Thanks Jackson it worked perfectly.
 
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