Mike1326 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I am restoring a 1928 buick sedan. The steering wheel is in great shape but I am not sure how to go about removing it without damaging it. The shop Manuel says use a special tool but I dont have any idea what that is. There are no holes in the wheel for a puller and it has a keyway.I would appreacate any help Thanks .Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Mike, I don't have a 28, but I think the hard part is removing the spark and throttle levers without breaking them. My 29 (now my son's car) had a bakelite ring and horn button. Do you already have the horn button & ring removed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike1326 Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Thanks I have the levers off and the wheel nut removed I have tried pulling by hand and taping the nut, I dont want to crack the wheel as it is perfect so that is where i am right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 OK, try penetrating oil first (I like PB Blaster). Warm up the center of the wheel and use ice (Dry Ice works better) to shrink the center rod while keeping pressure on the wheel to pull it off. If it is really stubborn, you may have to fabricate a two piece metal ring to mount below the wheel and use a puller on the ring with a cushon between the ring and the wheel to protect it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_B Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Mark has the right idea, you may have to make your own puller. I made one out of some angle iron I salvaged from a bed frame. I cut notches in two pieces to fit around the base of the hub. I then used pieces of allthread connected to a couple of short lenths of angle iron across the top which pressed on the nut. I had the nut loosly on the steering column. I think I might have used a large socket as a spacer between the nut and the angle iron, can't remember it was years ago. Most likly none of the preceding made any sense so you may want to try a really big gear/bearing puller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hanna Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 If you should break the levers I have a complete set for a 1928 standard. riv65@hotmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 (edited) Don't think I would put too much heat on the alloy metal steering wheel hub!Penetrating oil is a must in the first instance. To remove both my 28 and 30 wheels I made a timber plate or block ( about 1" thick soft wood ) with a circle cut out the diameter of the steering column ( those door lock cut out saws make the big hole easy to drill ). I then cut the plate in half to fit it around the steering column, then bolted the two halves together under the wheel hub. Gentle tapping on the underside of the block should push the steering wheel from the shaft. Good luck. Edited August 5, 2009 by 50jetback (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
42crazy Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I used the similar procedure on my '30, which was really stuck. If you have a small gap between the bottom of the steering wheel hub, (1/8 inch) and the top of the steering column tube, I took a piece of 1/8 plate and drilled a hole in the center, the size of the steering shaft. Then I cut the piece in half. Then I took another piece of plate steel 3/8 thick, drilled a hole in it the size of the tube that goes over the steering shaft, cut in in half, then slid the 1/8 inch piece around the shaft, the 3/8 inch piece around the tube, turned them 90 degrees to each other for strength, then bolted them together, using long threaded rod, then made another 3/8 inch plate to run the threaded rods thru above the steering wheel, put the nut back on the shaft, leaving 1/16 inch space, then put a socket over the shaft, smaller than the nut, to protect the threads, and then tightened the threaded rod. One tap of a small hammer after the rods were tight, and it popped right off. Absolutely no damage to the aluminum steering wheel. Worked like a charm, and, I can send you a picture of it, if needed. It sounds complicated, but, was very easy, especially since you want to protect the aluminum hub. I don't know about a '28, but '30 has a small collar that actually covers the 1/8 gap, and that has to be moved to get to the 1/8 gap. Hope this helps, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Paul,If you don't mind, please post a photo of your assembly. I read it over twice, but I don't quite get it. Of course, if I had recently spent time on my '29, perhaps my brain would be in better shape for understanding.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trp3141592 Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Hi,The description above sounds like a bearing separator and hub puller. You can get this from McMaster.com, but it's damned expensive. Harbor Freight has a similar but less polished bearing separator kit for considerably less money. Or, you can make your own. --Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 The same puller Tom posted will work well for pulling rear wheels too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trp3141592 Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Here's a hint for re-installation. In 1982 I had to pull the steering wheel from my 40 Lasalle. It was a bit of a project to remove it as I vividly recall. I think that's when I bought the puller that I posted here. Anyway, I re-installed it with some Never-Seize on the spline. Last week I had to pull it again for repair to the deteriorated plastic--it easily came off with only some gentle bumping with a dead-weight hammer.The lessons? 1) Think 27 years ahead. you don't know when you'll have to take it off again. 2) Dead-weight hammers RULE--you get movement without damage.--Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Here's a couple photos of Paul's puller...he e-mailed them to me and asked me to put them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Rawling Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 A couple of taps with a rawhide hamer got my 28 steering wheel loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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