I know it doesn't take a special tool so how do you get a steering wheel off without breaking anything. Mine wants to move about 1/8 of an inch but then stops. So what's the trick? I appreciate any and all help on this http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Lindsey

Go to your local NAPA and buy a steering wheel puller. It is almost impossible to get a steering wheel off without one. You can use a little anti-seize to make it easier next time.


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Regards,
RLK
TC Member #918
ACES member
Metroplex Muscle
My Cars (http://home.texoma.net/~rknipe/)

knipe is 100% right on!!! Good advice my fellow MMCC dude. Alan K.

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ACES #3355
ChevyTalk Silver Member
Metroplex Muscle Car Club

1972 Chevelle SS (clone),black/black
350ci

Well if you work in or around a machine shop, you will know what I'm talking about. When doing work on a mill there are flat hold-down clamps that tighten the work down. Generally about 1/2 thick and 1 1/2 inches wide. They have a slot running through them. Borrow one about 4 inches long. Run the nut on the column all the way up. Lay the bar across the nut. Use a couple of screws and washers to tighten into the wheel. Return the clamp to the shop. Works great every time and if you don't pull a wheel too often saves a couple of bucks.

I used a harmonic balancer puller with the correct size screws that fit the threads in the sides of the steering wheel.

W-cubed you don't say the year of your car but if its a 70 or newer you need to get the steering wheel lock plate snap ring and the lock plate off. You won't be pulling the steering wheel unless you do. It takes a special tool to remove those two.

You guys won't believe this, but an old timer (at the time he was probably my age) showed me how to get them off without a puller. Doesn't always work, but if your desperate, you can do it. After taking the nut and lock washer off the colum, grab the steering wheel right where the wheel and spoke come together. Turn the wheel until both of your hands are centered in front of you. This is to get maximum leverage on it. Get a good grip with both hands. Plant both feet firmly on the floor and yank as hard as you can. If you do it right, it will pop off on about the third tug. If you don't have any a$$, you need to get a puller.
The guy that showed me this ran a junkyard.
He's gone now, but I'll always remember him.

I went in there one day looking for a radiator for my mopower. Said he didn't have one, but I could look. If I found something I could yank it out. Well, I found one. It was on his yard truck. ( Yard truck looked ROUGH. ) Cut it out with hacksaw and took it back to the office to see what he wanted for it. After it was all over, we laughed so hard we were cryin. He let me have it for 10 bucks.
I was only 16 and broke.

Dave

That's a great story. I can just see a kid cutting the radiator out of the yard truck.



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Regards,
RLK
TC Member #918
ACES member
Metroplex Muscle
My Cars (http://home.texoma.net/~rknipe/)

Man, if I'd done that at what used to be my favorite 'yard (it's closed now) they'd have killed me and hidden the body! I would have probably ended up as dog food for their very intimidating guard dog.

This works 100%:
Follow ss dave's post but leave the nut on the shaft. Loosen the nut till it is flush with top of shaft. Pull up on wheel as described and have a friend hit the top of steering shaft with a heavy hammer and a piece of brass with a quick hard blow. "The wheel will come loose on the first hit" Remove the nut and washer and there you have it. This works on tilt and regular columns.
Have fun Jon

SS_Dave's feet on the floor hands on the wheel works well on a conventional steering wheel assembly but don't try it on a tilt wheel assembly. I did that and broke the tilt mechanism. It was a major surprise when it broke and I got to buy a new steering column for my customer. I had always used the "Jack Armstrong" method too. Now I have a proper puller.

Jon,
You are right, that does work if you have a friend. I forgot to say, leave the nut on a couple of turns. This avoids smashing the wheel into your head. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/eek.gif If you don't care if you hit your head or not, you could use Jons method without a friend and smack the nut with your head to get it off on the first try. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif


Rich, you are right. If the guys buddy hadn't started laughing so hard he fell off his chair, the guy probably would have killed me. The guy on the floor laughing kept saying " You told him if he found one, he could yank it! ".

Dave

[This message has been edited by SS_Dave (edited 01-29-2002).]

You know, a puller is a very simple tool and it is very easy to use. It also does not load or damage the column bearings. It is not good to hit the steering shaft with a hammer to try and "shock" the steering wheel hub off of the steering shaft taper.

W-Cubed,
It bothers me that you say it moves 1/8 inch and then stops. Once you get the steering wheel hub to move off the steering shaft taper the wheel should come right off. If you look closely, is the steering shaft and steering wheel hub still "locked" together and is the steering shaft and hub moving together that 1/8 inch?

It sounds to me as if you might have a problem with the upper bearing in the steering column.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JIML82:
You know, a puller is a very simple tool and it is very easy to use. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is very true...
I always meant to get one of those. Someday I will. I also agree with the 1/8th play. Sounds excessive, although there will be a little play if you pull straight up on the wheel. Not sure what it should be exactly, but 1/8th sounds like a lot.

Skip lunch and give up a pack of smokes if you have to... The puller is cheap and the right way to do it!!

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...Dennis
The '69 (http://chevelles.com/showroom/fine69_03.jpg) & the '96 (http://chevelles.com/showroom/fine69_02.jpg)
Team Camaro (http://www.camaros.net)
Camaros Limited (http://www.camaroslimited.com)

Just spring for the puller. There's nothing better than having the right tool to do the job.

ok, ok I'm savin up for a puller. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Some auto parts stores have 'loan a tool', steering wheel puller is usually on the list.

Jim H.
69 Malibu

HOKEY SMOKES!! This question got 17, er, 18 replies? http://www.chevelles.com/forum/eek.gif

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MalibuJerry350
TC Member #1279
Original owner '70 Chevelle.
568,000+ miles on car.
Hey, if it's got wheels, DRIVE IT!
My Chevelle: http://hometown.aol.com/erie614/myhomepage/index.html

Only 18? http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif I think we need another! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Just last week I was roaming in a U-Pull-It yard. Looked inside a Buick- http://www.chevelles.com/forum/confused.gif Nova clone to find a three spoke sport steering wheel. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif I used my cressent to loosen the nut. Then did pretty much what SS Dave said. Except I pulled on the right, then on the left etc. until it popped off. The nut, still on the shaft kept me from eating the wheel. I have used this technique many times to pull steering wheels. I do have a puller. Just don’t always have it with me.

ss dave:
This might be the last post but I don't think so after this. Got tired of bothering my friends and decided to remove wheel by myself. Why not use the tools you have. Put your knees under the lower part of wheel "this automatically puts your feet on the floor" and pull upper part of wheel with left hand. (you might have to change hands depending on whether you are R or L handed).
Use your air hammer to hit top of shaft. I have done this many times with no problem. When working flat rate time is money. If you want a new tool or are working hourly use the steering wheel puller. Quite a topic. Jon

I am guilty...I just had to see what could possibly cause the simpliest of questions to get 20 responses ( oops 21)...unbelievable http://www.chevelles.com/forum/confused.gif

Autozone and many parts stores "loan" pullers, no $$$ !!! well, just pay then return and get your deposit back...........

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1970 SS396 AKA 454/4spd
My Chev-Hell Page (http://hometown.aol.com/jnkb2cool/home.html)
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Wow, I think I have all the possible answers imaginable!!! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif By the way, the car is a '72 and the reason I asked the question was because I know that I saw someone do it with some garage "junk" that he mickey-moused together, I just forgot what I saw. I do have a harmonic balancer puller so I can try that before I buy another puller that I will only use once in this lifetime. Thanks for all the replies and especially SS Dave for the warning about having the wheel fly off into my head.....that would be funny in a painful sort of way.

Lindsey

Here's one you never had before.

Back in 1967, our Advanced Engineering Section at Saginaw Division was developing the function locking, energy absorbing steering column for the 1969 model year. One of the ways we envisioned someone trying to break into our steering column was with common tools. If a thief could get the horn pad, the steering wheel, and the locking plate off the column, then he could remove the lock cylinder and drive off the car.

So our steering column engineers would invent column designs that would at least slow down a potential thief from this type approach. Why do you think there is that damnable round wire ring that holds the locking plate on the steering shaft?

The object was to have a design that a thief couldn't defeat with common tools in two minutes. Our Advanced Engineering group was designated to try and defeat the various designs that the column engineers came up with.

We discovered that the socket of a lug nut wrench (tire iron) would fit the steering wheel nut. So the engineers would give us a $15,000 prototype steering column and request that we attack it. We would use the sharp end of the tire iron to rip the horn pad off. We then used the socket end to remove the steering wheel nut. We would then take the tire iron and beat on the steering wheel rim to shock the hub off the steering shaft. Finally, we attacked the mechanism that engineering had designed to retain the locking plate.

One engineer would man the stop watch to time the break-in attempt. The other engineer would attack the column. I almost got killed one day when the tire iron slipped out of my colleague's hand while he was battering the steering wheel.