54 Steering wheel removal

[Benjamin C.]

How do you get the darn thing off?????????????

[Wayne P.]

Re: 54 Steering wheel removal

Do you have a steering wheel puller? Will be about impossible without one.

[Russ U.]

Re: 54 Steering wheel removal

I have pulled the steering wheel off my 54 a number of times, and it really is pretty easy.

Wayne is right - you need a steering wheel puller. Get one from Corvette Central. Steering wheel pullers come in different flavors. You want one that uses bolts that go thru the hub of the steering wheel. The other kind ("L" shaped bars that grab the outside of the hub of the steering wheel) might damage the steering wheel.

Before using the steering wheel puller, you need to remove the nut that holds the steering wheel down. Look at the nut after you remove it - you will see that the nut has a nick in it. That nick is there on purpose - holds the nut down and prevents the nut from backing off. That nick goes away from the wheel when you reinstall the steering wheel.

After you get a steering wheel puller, everything will be pretty obvious.

Hope this helps,

Russ

[Eric J.]

I made my puller...

Faced with the same problem many years ago after midnight I made mine out of an old cheap open end wrench. cut the open/box ends off drilled two holes spaced for the threaded holes in the hub. Grabbed two bolts placed a larger socket to act as a spacer in the middle between the cut wrench and the center shaft. THen cranked on the two bolts simaltaneously... presto wheel came off. Been meaning to get a real one but I always forget and the 'made' one is still in my tool box. Eric

[Robert S.]

Re: 54 Steering wheel removal

B.J. Any FLAPS will have a steering wheel puller with the bolts. Be sure to take photos or notes of the position of the steering wheel to the shaft. Also make note of the correct position of the horn parts and pieces before and during removal. Believe me you wont remember by the time you get the recon'd steering wheel back.