HELP, HELP, ASAP, HOW TO REWIRE STEERING COLUMN

HI EVERYONE,

HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH EVERYONE, I HAVE SLID ALL OFF THE MAIN SHAFT AND PAINTED, DONT KNOW HOW TO TAKE THE CLUSTER PLATE OFF TO REWIRE, ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED SOON AS POSSIBLE, HEADING TO UPHOLSTER MONDAY THE 8TH AND WHERE DOES THE WIRE IN THE CENTER OF THE SHAFT GO AND HOOKUP, AS ALWAYS THANKS FOR EVERYONES HELP, ITS A 1940 BUICK SPECIAL CONVERTIBLE COUPE, THANKS BOB

I don't have a 40 Buick, but that wire is most probably for the horn button.

Mark is correct. It is a horn wire.

And being the horn wire, it is a GROUND wire to ground the horn relay.

Ben

There is a ring (brass?) on the outside of the steering shaft (roughly 10 inches above the steering box). The wire going down the center attaches to that ring. There is a spring loaded contact assembly that screws to the steering column cover at that point and the wire from there goes to the horn relay. With everything in place, (1) you push the horn button/ring and that grounds the wire, which gives ground to the relay coil, the horn blows.

Here is the diagram from the 1938 service manual.

If you remove that horn grounding wire at the bottom, you will have to solder the new one to the copper "sleeve" that is visible after you remove the two screws that hold the contact plate. Not much fun, I had to do my '39 about 6 months ago.

Gary

I did this recently as well. Here is a hint: use a 100W gun. If you use anything less, it will take too long to heat up the solder on the ring and you might overheat some of the rubber components down there. Take off the contact (2 screws) at the steering box end of the column and rotate the steering wheel until the solder spot is exposed (there will also be a vertical slot for the wire to pass thru to go up the center of the shaft). Get some solder wick at Radio Shack, double it over a couple of times to increase the surface area (you want to get the old solder away quickly), place it on top of the solder spot, and the place the hot iron on that. It should heat up pretty fast and you will see the solder being taken up into the wick. Don't let it sit too long (max of 15 secs). If there is still some left, cut off the used part of the wick and repeat. The horn wire will come loose during this process.

To save yourself some grief, carefully solder a 6' length of wire similar (wire gauge and insulated) to the end of the horn wire that you just pulled loose, then withdraw the old wire out from the steering wheel end of the column. The wire that you soldered on will go up with the old. Once you get it out at the hub end, you can cut off the old wire. In this way you can avoid snaking the new wire down by hand. Solder on a new button contact at the steering wheel end, size (leave a little bit of slack for turning the wheel), cut and strip the other end of the new wire solder to the solder spot you wicked out earlier, and you are done.

If you bought a "put together" wire with the hub contact already on, just solder the stripped end onto the end of the wire you just pulled up, and then go back to the other end and pull that wire back down, so the stripped end of the new wire/contact assy is at the steering box end of the column. Place the contact properly in the shaft end, size the wire (leave a little bit of slack for turning the wheel), cut, strip, and solder into the solder spot you wicked out earlier. Voila!

Make sure you check for continuity before declaring victory. Also shorts. And make sure the horn contact wiper and column contact bushing are clean.

I made it sound more complicated than it is. It took me less than 30 minutes to do this.

Cheers, Dave

Dave:

Thanks for the advice!  I found this thread on a search as I have the same issue on my '40.  Is papafarms still around?  Ken

Hi Ken!

I don't know if it helps, but in post 660 I also had to run a new wire down the column and solder it to the brass contact ring in the column.

I un-soldered the wire that was there, attached a thin "snake" wire to it and pulled the horn wire up into the car.  This left the "snake" wire hanging in the car to attach the new horn wire to.

Then pull the "snake" wire from the column and the new wire will be in position to get soldered into position.

Yes, Gary, I saw your post afterwards.  Many of the things you are doing for the '37 translate to my work on the '40.  Except that is, for the speed at which you are progressing.  Of that, I am envious.   I started with a piece of junk, that put me way behind but I expect to be driving in about two years.