Removing the steering wheel

[Mertz]

I have removed the bolt that holds on the wheel but I can’t get the wheel off. I don’t want to force it to much because it has bunch of cracks and I don’t want to make it worse before I make it better. There is dirt and rust around it. Is it splined or is it just rust holding it on?

[Los_Control]

The most insert finger quotes "professional way" is to use a bearing splitter

 

 

This one here is $47 from Amazon. You can get under the wheel with it then use the puller to remove it.

Many have used a combo of plywood or 2x4 lumber, some threaded rod and made their own pullers.

You will need to create some way to get under the wheel and mechanically pull it off.  Be careful to not damage the threads on the shaft.

[kencombs]

I just had that problem with my 56 pickup.  Even with the right tools, the plastic was so brittle that the wheel was heavily damaged when pressure was applied.  Luckily for me, I'n not reusing the column or wheel.  Sometimes the combination of tapered splines, age and rust is just insurmountable.

[Tooljunkie]

Not easy. Left the nut on the shaft, about 1thread from tight and added another nut and lined up the flats. Socket, 4” extension and a big hammer. 
beat on extension while pulling up on wheel. Sharp blows. But know when to give up, before trashing it. The hollow steering shaft wont put up with much, im sure of that. 

[Mertz]

I made a piece to pull up on the wheel with 2 boards with a hole in it to go over the column. Then I made another board with a hole in to pass the working part of my pulley puller through. Put a bolt in the shaft with the nut on it. Drilled the top of the bolt to receive the rounded end of the puller. Clamped the boards together then turned the pulley puller tight but nothing is moving except the boards bending. I’m leaving the tension on hoping for an eventual release. 

[billrigsby]

You might spray it with a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF.

[Mertz]

That normally would be my go to but I’m worried about acetone and the plastic. If nothing else works I’ll try it. 

[wallytoo]

the horn button plastic?  otherwise, the wheel itself is bakelite.

[Jerry Roberts]

The horn button is bakelite too . And yes the shaft is splined . 

[kencombs]

4 hours ago, wallytoo said:

the horn button plastic?  otherwise, the wheel itself is bakelite.

Bakelite is plastic.  One of the first in common use.  Therefore old, and thus brittle from age.

[Mertz]

Bakelite is not the same type of plastic as the ones that melt with acetone. Its a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin. Thermosetting plastics are hard to glue but I think plastic JB weld will work. It has held on my horn button which I assume is Bakelite. 

[wallytoo]

7 hours ago, kencombs said:

Bakelite is plastic.  One of the first in common use.  Therefore old, and thus brittle from age.

yes, but acetone won’t ruin it, which was the concern expressed by the OP.

[Jeff Balazs]

I used CRC Freeze off and PB blaster penetrating oil on mine. You have to be patient and give it time to work. But that is the case with a lot of things on these old trucks. ? Better get used to it.

 

Hth Jeff

[Mertz]

I’ll have to go out and check to see if it popped off overnight. I turned the wrench and it made a few easy turns before tightening up again. Some of the wood is warping though. 

 

BTW Jeff are you related to Harold Balazs the Spokane artist?

[Jeff Balazs]

? Not that I am aware of.  But it is a fairly common name in Hungary. Just not so much here.

 

Fwiw it sometimes take a while for penetrating oils to work. Putting fasteners through several heat cycles (or in this case freeze cycles) has worked well for me. Be patient and try not to damage.

Jeff

[Mertz]

I went and checked but my wood clamp broke instead of the wheel coming loose. I’ll need to be rebuild my clamp with some harder wood. I’ll see if I can find CRC Freeze and it appears safe to use trans fluid and acetone. 

[Los_Control]

While I mentioned wood, you can use some scrap steel such as angle iron.

Would be simple to get 2 pieces of angle bolt together loosely from side to side of the column. Then use your puller to connect to the angle iron to pull up on the wheel.

 

If you go to the browse section then use the search function with "steering wheel puller" The quotes seem to be important when using search.

 

Here is the actual tool sold to remove steering wheels back in the early days I am sure all or most makes Ford, Dodge, Chebby used the same tool.

Really no market to reproduce them today when you can make something.

 

Using plywood you may want to reinforce it somehow with some large washers or some scrap plate steel ... just to spread the load.

https://p15-d24.com/search/?q="steering wheel puller"&quick=1

[keithb7]

Goto the 12 min mark here. See what I did. It worked well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mertz]

I’m using the same principle but using wood as the bottom clamp and grabbing the wood bottom clamp with wood working clamps and using the puller without the caws under another block of wood clamped to the wood under the steering wheel. The pictures I posted might not be clear enough to show the setup. Essentially the same as the jaws holding the bottom clamp under the wheel and forcing pressure on the shaft with the puller under another block of wood.