Although I've worked on cars for more than 35 years, I've never removed a steering wheel—not that I shouldn't have. Some of the cars I've owned have had horns that didn't blow and signal lights that didn't cancel. And more than one of my resto projects needed to have the cracks in the wheel rim repaired and painted to finish off the project. If I had known how easy it was to remove and replace the steering wheel and hub assembly, I would have done it a lot sooner.
Since we are talking restorations here, it goes without saying that we are not talking about modern, airbag-equipped steering wheels. Considering the theft rate of airbags, they can't be that difficult to remove, but anything with an explosive device behind it, should in our opinion, be serviced by professionals who know what they are doing.
Consult a shop manual for your vehicle to find the exact sequence of steps. All that is required are common screwdrivers and socket wrenches and a steering wheel hub puller. Hub pullers are available at auto parts stores or can be easily fabricated with a piece of bar stock and three bolts.
Author: Leonard Emanuelson
2000-2009 autoMedia.com Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Click here to read more from autoMedia.com