Steeringwheel swaps are popular, particularly in pre-air bag vehicles (which we’llfocus on here—we’ll leave air bag applications for another time).
SummitRacing offers more than 1,300 different choices for universal steering wheel applications.Whew! As a result, the sky is pretty much the limit when it comes to steeringwheel choice.
When that cool, shiny new steering wheel and installation kit arrives, how do you get it on?
First, theold wheel must come off, and that’s often the most difficult part of theequation.
You mightbe able to cobble up a mix of pullers and parts in an attempt to remove it, butif you look closely at many stock pre-air bag steering wheels, you’ll findthey’re setup so that they can be pulled easily. The provisions become evidentonce the horn shroud is removed (typically, this comes off from the backside).
The actualsteering wheel body will have a pair of holes on either side of the main nutthat fastens it to the column. Those threaded holes are designed so that a pairof long bolts can pass through the puller body, effectively anchoring thepuller to the steering wheel body.
In practice,you remove the main nut, then lightly thread one of puller bolts into the wheeland install the puller over the column shaft. Then you install the second bolt.Tighten both of the side bolts evenly (usually until they’re threaded all theway in). Next, tighten the main bolt on the puller. It won’t take much and thesteering wheel will become loose on the splines.
Steering wheel pullers range in price from $8 or so and up to almost $100 for a full range pro kit. Typically, examples such as the puller in my toolbox (and shown in the accompanying photos) sell for $20 or so.
With thesteering wheel removed, you’re still faced with a major dilemma for manyapplications—the lock plate found on many Saginaw columns. You must remove thisplate in order to access the horn mechanism.
Manysteering wheel installation kits mandate a change in the horn components.
Here, you’ll need a steering wheel lock plate removal tool.
This toolmounts onto (and over) the threads on the column shaft. In turn, it pressesdown on the lock plate. This compresses a heavy spring found under the lockplate and also allows access to the round wire retainer clip on the steeringcolumn shaft.
To removethe wire retainer (think round wire wrist pin retainer), you’ll need a verysmall flat-blade screwdriver and perhaps a pick to pry it out. If you workcarefully, you won’t damage the clip. The idea is to roll it upward so that itslips over the smooth center shaft of the lock plate tool.
It often takesa few tries to roll the clip out of the groove, but be patient and don’t try toforce it, else you’ll mangle the retainer clip. With the retainer and clipremoved, you gain complete access to the horn and other steering columncomponents (for example, the signal lamp switch).
Lock plate toolsrange in price from $9-$46.
Wheninstalling the new steering wheel, you’ll need the lock plate tool again (theround wire retainer ring must be installed), but you won’t need the puller.
New steeringwheel installation is pretty straightforward. Simply follow the manufacturer’sdirections.
The bottom line here is, proper steering wheel tools are an absolute necessity when it comes time to swap a steering wheel or to service a steering column.
For a closer look at the tools, check out these photos:
