Steering wheel removal
 

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

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

Don’t be cheap, it could cost you more in the long run.

Buy, rent, or barrow a puller.

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

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).

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

The hot and frozen bolt sounds like a great approach.
I’ll try it next weekend,

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

https://youtu.be/er3gKmcWZJs

Here is a video that shows how I got a real bad one off.
If this link won’t open, just search YouTube for. Pulling off a stuck model a steering wheel.

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

Jackson,

Thanks,
It is a great idea. I will try it before the heat and cool method.

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

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.

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

X2 post # 7

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

Ditto

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

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!

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

Had to drill and tap mine. The dimples on the casting perfectly located the holes for the puller.

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

IF the steering is still in the car, SEARCH steering wheel removal & read my FOOL PROOF METHOD.
Bill Tricky

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

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.

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

See next post . . .

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

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

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

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

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

Be sure to have the nut in place or you will get a bloody nose! I forgot the loose nut and became the loose nut :-)

Re: Steering wheel removal
 

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.