Drdialtone Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 I just have the front suspension rebuilt on my Club Coupe. HUGE improvement. My question is: The steering wheel bar used to be horizontal when the car was going straight; now it's not. Does the steering wheel shaft have a key or can it just be pulled off, straightened out on the splines? Quote
RobertKB Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) The steering wheel can only go on one way. The only way to make it sit straight is to adjust the tie rods. You just turn them equal amounts until the wheel is straight. Should not affect your alignment if adjusted equally. There was a thread on this very recently. Edited June 20, 2011 by RobertKB Grammar Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 If your wheels are pointing straight ahead in that picture, you aren't too far off. I just went through this with mine. Put the wheel so that the horizontal bar is where it should be and see where your tires are pointing. Then you know what adjustments need to be made. Quote
desoto1939 Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 If the steering column has splines onthe engine where the steering wheel attaches you should be able to remove and then reposition the steering wheel. Yes you might be off onthe number of turn to the right and to the left but if your current wheel are straingt then I would think the repostioning should not make that big od a deal. I am not an expert on this but just my thoughts. Did thy put in a new sector when you did the front end. rich Hartung Quote
P-12 Tommy Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 The steering wheel can only go on one way. The only way to make it sit straight is to adjust the tie rods. You just turn them equal amounts until the wheel is straight. Should not affect your alignment if adjusted equally. There was a thread on this very recently. That's exactly what I did. It will work for you.Tom Quote
Niel Hoback Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 Rich, the column and the wheel have splines that are not even. There is a wide space on both pieces that allows the wheel to fit on in only one position. Kind of like a keyway without the key. Quote
Jim Yergin Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 Must be different on the '41 Plymouths. My wheel will go on many ways and I have had to re-position it to get it centered after having removed it. Jim Yergin Quote
desoto1939 Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 Rich, the column and the wheel have splines that are not even. There is a wide space on both pieces that allows the wheel to fit on in only one position. Kind of like a keyway without the key. Neil. I have a 39 Desoto and two extra steering wheels that were on a car. I will look at the spline on the steering wheel to see if there is a difference in the splines. You learn something everyday. rich Hartung Quote
Socal48 Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=16230&highlight=adjust+steering I found this thread in my search of how to adjust the steering in my 49 SD Club Coupe, it's def a must read. Pay special attn to post 7 Quote
desoto1939 Posted June 21, 2011 Report Posted June 21, 2011 Neil. I have a 39 Desoto and two extra steering wheels that were on a car. I will look at the spline on the steering wheel to see if there is a difference in the splines.You learn something everyday. rich Hartung I lloked at the splines in the two steering wheels that I have for my 39 Desoto and the splines all are of the same spacing. So I should then beable to pull mine and then center as need be. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com Quote
Niel Hoback Posted June 21, 2011 Report Posted June 21, 2011 We can say for certain then that 39 DeSoto wheels are different than P-15 wheels. You can see the flat spot in the hole on this P-15 wheel. It looks to be missing a groove. there is a corresponding flat on the shaft. Quote
Jerry Roberts Posted June 21, 2011 Report Posted June 21, 2011 We can say for certain then that 39 DeSoto wheels are different than P-15 wheels. You can see the flat spot in the hole on this P-15 wheel. It looks to be missing a groove. there is a corresponding flat on the shaft. I have been taught to call that a blind spline . Quote
desoto1939 Posted June 22, 2011 Report Posted June 22, 2011 I have been taught to call that a blind spline . Jerry, Thanks for the picture of your wheel. I looked at mine again this morning and I verified that there is no flat or key in the hole where the splines or grooves are. I have all grooves so I should beable to reposition mine without any problems. All these cars are different as they changed each year. rich Hartung Quote
TodFitch Posted June 22, 2011 Report Posted June 22, 2011 ... so I should be able to reposition mine without any problems.All these cars are different as they changed each year. Not sure if they changed this over the years either, but on my '33 the worm and sector gears are cut such that you have less lash when the box is in the centered position than when you are turning. If that is the case on your year and model, then even if you can center the steering wheel by pulling it and replacing it slightly rotated you may end up with more slop in your steering for the straight ahead position. And then if you adjust that out you may end up with it binding when turning one direction. All this to say that you might be better off centering the steering wheel by adjusting the tie rod lengths so that the steering box is in the centered position when the wheels are in the centered position. Quote
P-12 Tommy Posted June 22, 2011 Report Posted June 22, 2011 We can say for certain then that 39 DeSoto wheels are different than P-15 wheels. You can see the flat spot in the hole on this P-15 wheel. It looks to be missing a groove. there is a corresponding flat on the shaft. My P12 also has the blind spline.Tom Quote
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