steering wheel

[52NowWhat]

I wanted to grab a better steering wheel at the junkyard but we weren't sure how to remove it?????

I am sure we were missing something obvious. LOL ;-)

Help please!

Sandra

[ggdad1951]

basically you need a wheel puller...not to be punny...tools that pull on the back of the wheel/pulley/whatever and a screw that runs against the shaft after you've removed the locking nut.

[Merle Coggins]

Here's the contraption that I used. It's a bearing puller used with an H bar puller.

Merle

[David Muma]

I built a puller from pieces of oak I salvaged from a pallet. Found pictures someone had posted on the net. I thought it was on this site somewhere.

[52NowWhat]

Thanks guys! I was hoping there was a simpler way but I guess a puller is it...We will go better armed to the junkyard next time!

Sandra

[Young Ed]

The puller is the simpler way. The other way involves a hammer and a prayer. Not a good method.

[52b3b Joe]

The hammer method is a lesson well learned by me....it doesn't end well. I ended up messing the end of the shaft up even with the nut flush with the end (very soft metal). The shaft mushroomed out at the end and I had to grind material off to get the wheel off. I had to make a puller which is what I should have done in the first place. To fix the shaft I ended up having to weld up the shaft to machine new treads on. If I had taken time to make a puller it would have saved me hours of work but how else do ya learn??? I always have to learn the hard way I guess...

[Don Coatney]

I bought this steering wheel puller several years ago.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Truck steering wheels are removed differently than car wheels. The car wheels usually havetwo threaded holes in the center hub area. The bolts are threaded in and a steering wheel puller is used.

The truck wheels have no way to pull the wheel off like a car as there are no tapped puller holes in the hub so the wheel needs to have the puller grab and pull on the hub from the backside. You must be careful and pull against the thin steel hub ring only-not on the wheel material. The steering tube shaft threads need to be protected too.

Bob

Edited May 20, 2012 by Dodgeb4ya

[pflaming]

". . .You must be careful and pull against the thin steel hub ring only-not on the wheel material. The steering tube shaft threads need to be protected too."

I may be in troube with my contraption. I've been soaking it 'under pressure' now for nearly 12 hours and it's still tight as 'Dick's hat band'! : I guess I'll just leave it over the weekend if it doesn't yield.

I have a 'three on tree' so the gear shift handle is in the way to get UNDER the hub. Is it difficult to remove that? I got my dash gauges mounted, so that is done, now this is next.

NOTE: DO NOT HIT IT WITH A HAMMER. The wheel is make of some form of 'bake lite' and it breaks like a cookie!

Edited April 7, 2012 by pflaming

[HanksB3B]

I built a puller from pieces of oak I salvaged from a pallet. Found pictures someone had posted on the net. I thought it was on this site somewhere.

David,

I'd like to see it.

Thanks,

Hank

[Dodgeb4ya]

Sometimes depending on how stout the puller is you came give a quick sharp hammer whack to the end of the puller screw and the shock will sometimes release the wheel from the steering shaft.

[pflaming]

Dodgeb4ya: I thought of doing that but I'm afraid I might split that shaft. That shaft is NOT a true shaft, it's a thin walled pipe/tube. I may have damaged the end already. I should have left the nut on . . . I will leave it over the week end and if it doesn't yield will figure out how to get the shift lever out of the way and modify my contraption.

Edit: I was thinking of fixing it and painting in the truck, I may not have a choice now!

Edited April 7, 2012 by pflaming

[pflaming]

This design worked. The first might have. . . I put a washer with a phillips head bolt over the shaft and that worked. To partially remove the gear shift handle I only had to remove the pivot rod, one large phillips head screw on the bottom, lossen it and tap the rod up, losens more and tap again, etc.

If you need a puller, it's available. I made a half moon cut in each cross piece 1 1/2" to go around the steering wheel pillar. THe "H" cross bars held nicely and the gear puller did the rest. The cross pieces are aluminum 2" x 1/2". Took abit of time to figure it all out but its simple and strong.

A blessed Easter Sunday to all.

Edit: The damage on the bottom of the wheel hub was the result of an attempt to drive the wheel with a good hammer and chisel. Not smart! The puller did not damage anything. THe wheel is nice an flat, so I only have some cracks to fill and a chip on the top from the first puller when it flew apart.

Edited April 9, 2012 by pflaming
Added a comment at the end.

[55 Fargo]

Right on brother, gotta do this to mine tomorrow, got a fresh steering box on the bench to go in. The hard part is the steering wheel, I have the rest on and off a few times before...

[Jeff Balazs]

Paul;

Glad ya got it off. There are a few items on these truck that could have been thought out a bit better in my opinion. Steering wheel......rear hubs....master cylinder location....? I don't get what they were thinking on any of these.

But they got bucket loads of character. I can't wait to get mine on the road. I mean it. Had an old friend stop by on Friday. He is an old (almost 80) midwest farm boy that moved to California in the 50s.....should have seen his eyes light up when he saw it. Hadn't seen one in a long, long time. He asked me what I was going to do with? Well Bill I said....when I get it done I am going throw some fishing gear in it and get on the road.....and good luck finding me after that.

Jeff

[deathbound]

Truck steering wheels are removed differently than car wheels. The car wheels usually havetwo threaded holes in the center hub area. The bolts are threaded in and a steering wheel puller is used.

The truck wheels have no way to pull the wheel off like a car as there are no tapped puller holes in the hub so the wheel needs to have the puller grab and pull on the hub from the backside. You must be careful and pull against the thin steel hub ring only-not on the wheel material. The steering tube shaft threads need to be protected too.

Bob

Not sure when the car steering wheels were made with threaded holes in the hub, but, my 38 Ply Coupe doesn't have them. I had to pull my wheel similar to what is shown in the pic, except, I used a garage built puller.

[55 Fargo]

Hre it is, my steering puller, bearing splitter was small, so made some tabs, and bolted a hub puller with 2 legs, and off she came.

This sucker was tight, I did break out a tiny chunk of the steering wheel too, oh well it needs a lot of epoxy anyway.

The pics

[ggdad1951]

I made a puller out of some plywood and oak with a large 1/2" threaded rod. Left the nut on the, tightened it down and a quick rap with a dead blow and she popped right off.

[55 Fargo]

Pulled steering column and box earlier today, whata breeze compared to the steering wheel.

I had a donor steering box ready to go back in, this box is nice and tight.

What a difference, night and day, this is even with a bit of slop in 1 tie rod end, makes driving it much safer and easier.....Gotta paint and repair steering wheel yet. I might pull the another wheel I have and paint and fix that 1 to go in.....

[Guest P15-D24]

can be there difference between destroying it or getting it off cleanly. This is what the correct puller looks like:

Split sleeves mount under the wheel, one of the correct sized three pivots are mounted in the center to protect the thread.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Could you guide us where to purchase that tool or name of manufacturer and model #?

[Dodgeb4ya]

Here's a couple more home made pullers...

Edited April 9, 2012 by Dodgeb4ya

[HanksB3B]

I'd like to make one. Any sizes and dimensions would help.

Very nice job, simple and straightforward.

Hank

[pflaming]

Those are cool. It would take a GOOD weld to hold that 3/4 circle piece on the C-clamp. The V device is interesting. Just proves that there are alot of ways to "skin a cat"!