Trying to remove the steering wheel from a '31

katy

katy

Well-known member
Stubborn wheel doesn't want to come off.
I tried a 2 arm puller yoke tied to 2 spokes w/rope and all it did was start to break up the old, previously patched wheel.
I tried drilling a couple of holes to tap out for puller bolts, but all I found was thin metal and hard rubber.
Does anyone know the size of the hub so I can drill in solid metal, see attached pic.
Thanks, Ken
 

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I used a bit of heat and penetrating oil before trying the rope thing.
It sat for about a week before I pulled on it.
 
I am no expert but in the picture you posted it sure looks like the retaining nut is still on.
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It's still on.

is the nut loose?
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It's loose, just flush w/the end of the threads to protect the shaft.
There's about .025"-.030" space between the nut and the hub.
I've been applying penetrating oil (Kroil) for the last 3 or 4 days.
I'm leery of putting heat on it due to the hard rubber.
Would like to drill and tap the hub ifn I can figure out exactly where to drill, w/out making it look like swiss cheese.
 
Removed the steering box, shaft and wheel.
I lossened up the nut, suspended the wheel with two pieces of metal off the ground so that the full weight of the shaft and steering box were on the wheel.
A little oil soaking around the spline, and gave it a good whack with a rawhide mallet
POP, she was loose.
 
katy said:
I've been applying penetrating oil (Kroil) for the last 3 or 4 days.
I'm leery of putting heat on it due to the hard rubber.
Click to expand...

I didn’t say to turn it cherry red just a bit of heat to warm it up a bit.
I did it twice - one time I heated the shaft and let it cool
Then the hub.
 
There is a great how to on Youtube that worked for me. Just a common small wheel puller and nylon rope. popped right off. google Removing Model A ford steering wheel.
 
What ever you do don't hit that nut with a steel hammer to shock the shaft loose. Tried that and it came off, threads and all.
 
burner31 said:
Removed the steering box, shaft and wheel.
I lossened up the nut, suspended the wheel with two pieces of metal off the ground so that the full weight of the shaft and steering box were on the wheel.
A little oil soaking around the spline, and gave it a good whack with a rawhide mallet
POP, she was loose.
Click to expand...

That's the first way I tried, using a brass drift and a 3 lb hammer, no go.

I didn’t say to turn it cherry red just a bit of heat to warm it up a bit.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try that.

There is a great how to on Youtube that worked for me. Just a common small wheel puller and nylon rope. popped right off. google Removing Model A ford steering wheel.
Click to expand...

Tried that, that's when the wheel started to break apart as I posted in my original post.
 
If your column is out of your car, I used Bill’s method altered for out of the car! I needed to remove a steering wheel from a rusty crusty column, placed the column in a bench vice and puled back on one side of the wheel and pushed on the other side of the wheel working back and forth like what Bill has said. Off it popped and I was the only Big Hammer needed.
 
Big hammer said:
If your column is out of your car, I used Bill’s method altered for out of the car! I needed to remove a steering wheel from a rusty crusty column, placed the column in a bench vice and puled back on one side of the wheel and pushed on the other side of the wheel working back and forth like what Bill has said. Off it popped and I was the only Big Hammer needed.
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Thanks BH, I'll try that.
 
If the wheel is already junk,try an air hammer on the hub,it worked for me.
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Tried an air hammer when the column was hanging by the wheel, no go.

Gonna try BH's method (variation of Bill W's) when I get a chance to get back at it.

Les A's book says to not overtighten the nut, I'm assuming that some PO didn't read that. The nut was very tight, took a burp gun to loosen it.
It's not rusted, just stuck tight.
 
I tried all that stuff nothing worked untill I went down the drill and tap route, even then parts of the puller we're bending.
 
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