Steering: Steering wheel removal

[K Russell]

Before owning my '56 Flight Hawk, someone had removed the steering wheel and when putting it back on, didn't pay attention as to its position. It's now about 120 degrees clockwise from where it should be and no, it's not because someone threw it off by replacing front end parts. Everything there looks properly set up and the car goes perfectly straight down the road. Failing to have the shop manual prescribed wheel puller, is there another way to get the wheel off, or does someone know of another puller that will work? Not only does the wheel look ridiculous in its current position, it also raises issues with the turn signal cancellation function, I suppose because of the pin location on the back of the wheel.

[Deaf Mute]

Not having a '56 Hawk, I can't say for sure, but when the horn stuff is out of the way, are there two (appx. 1/4") holes to screw bolts into?
If so most any puller will work, or you can make one (with a drill and a welder). Take a piece of steel angle (appx. 1.5" by about 4" . (the angle gives you strength... or use a thick piece of steel.) drill two holes to line up with those holes in the wheel (oversize a bit) and drill a larger hole in the center. Then weld a nut around the center hole.
Back to the steering wheel. take off the large steering column nut, place your new tool over the wheel. screw two bolts through the holes you drilled and into the wheel. Tighten them down a bit. Then take a larger bolt and screw it through the nut you welded on your tool, tighten it down & the wheel should pop off.
Harbor Freight sells universal pullers that work fine as well.
Good Luck!

[JoeHall]

I use a regular steering puller from FLAPS, and a short socket between the foot of the puller and the steering stem. IIRC, the socket is about 9/16", just big enough to skirt the outer edge of the brass gizmo, yet small enough not to damage the stem's threads.

Put some mild torque on the puller, then tap lightly on the socket end of the puller, and it should pop loose. If that doesn't work, try progressively more torque and harder tapping.

Once off, you should see scribe lines on both the stem and the wheel. The stem line is to locate the gearbox high spot at 12 o'clock, and hopefully is the position yours is in when going straight down the road. If someone has gotten the tie rods out of adjustment, it may go straight down the road, but the high spot be off. The farther off it is, the sloppier the steering, going straight down the road.
Hopefully yours is somewhere between 11 and 1 o'clock, which is close enough, the closer to 12 o'clock (high spot) the tighter the steering.

Hope this answer is not too confusing, since all you asked was how to get the wheel off

[52hawk]

If you have a AutoZone store nearby,they will loan you a puller.

[GinettaG12P]

An old trick for more easily removing a steering wheel is NOT to try to use the central bolt as the only source of pressure to remove the hub. Instead, if you tighten the smaller outer machine screws - the ones that actually screw into the steering wheel hub - until they are snug, and then tighten the central bolt that pushes on the steering shaft so that it exerts some pressure on the steering column, and then tighten ONE of the smaller machine screws further, the wheel hub will break free easier. The minor distortion caused by torquing the smaller machine screws seems to upset the taper or splined fit of the wheel hub, releasing it.

[brngarage]

I had problems using a puller that I've used for years; I couldn't get the bolts close enough together (toward the center bolt) to screw into the Studebaker steering wheel. I bought the $15 puller sold by Studebaker International. It worked great!

[Warren Webb]

I had problems using a puller that I've used for years; I couldn't get the bolts close enough together (toward the center bolt) to screw into the Studebaker steering wheel. I bought the $15 puller sold by Studebaker International. It worked great!

I ran into the same thing as Howard years ago, before S.I. & ended up making my own. I had already bought a puller so I used the center bolt from it on my "homebuilt" one that has worked well for years. If you already have an order to place with S.I. then I'd say it's a no brainer buying one from them.

[K Russell]

If you have a AutoZone store nearby,they will loan you a puller.

So I went to Autozone for that puller but all that's in the kit are 5/16" and 3/8" screws, no 1/4" like the car has, but here's the question; as I suspected, someone HAD removed the wheel at another time and buggered up the threads. It LOOKS like they're supposed to be 1/4-28 but someone had forced 1/4-20 in there a couple turns. Is 1/4-28 what they're supposed to be? I have the proper taps to restore the thread to whatever it's supposed to be.

[bezhawk]

Yes, 1/4 X 28 SAE Fine.

[rkapteyn]

Junk yard trick was to put a large bolt in the big hole and put your knees under the wheel and hit the head of the bolt with a large hammer and it would pop right off.

That is how I ended up with a stash of steering wheels.

Robert Kapteyn

[JoeHall]

Junk yard trick was to put a large bolt in the big hole and put your knees under the wheel and hit the head of the bolt with a large hammer and it would pop right off.

That is how I ended up with a stash of steering wheels.

Robert Kapteyn

Agree with your method Bob, for junk yard scavage purposes. But the OP may want to keep the horn wire in tact. The kit I bought years ago, had the 1/4", fine thread bolts.