In <1997Dec22.100527-0600@spike.vuse.vanderbilt.edu>, A. B. Bonds wrote:
>In <349EBE4B.E9E@BusinessOn.com>, Frank R. Krajewski wrote:
>>Almost hate to disrupt the list with a tech related question! Anyone
>>have a tip on removing the steering wheel from a 1953 TD? I removed the
>>nut, the bolt that locks the adjustment and can adjust the wheel in and
>>out but cannot get it to come off the splines. The shop manual mentions
>>removing a key (?) but the only key I can see locates the wheel on the
>>shaft and does not appear to be removable (I did try to no avail!). Is
>>it a rust problem? I have been soaking the splines in Liquid Wrench and
>>WD 40 for days now but still no luck. Would appreciate any tips from
>>those more experienced with TDs!
>
>Yes, there is a key, and I'm not referring to the one that locates
>the wheel on the shaft. It is kind of oblong with rounded ends. It
>sits flush with the outer casing, so is very hard to detect. It is
>under the chrome coil thingie. As I recall, you have to push the end
>of the chrome coil (I don't remember whether outer or inner...) up (or
>down) as far as possible, so as to compress the coil, and the key is
>visible. Since it is flush with the surface, you have to pick it
>out with a very tiny screwdriver or some such. You can't remove the
>key unless the wheel is NOT against a stop, i.e., it is neither as
>far out or as far in as it will go. I know, clear as mud, but trust
>me, it's there, and you won't get the thing off until the key is removed.
>
Well, there's more to the story. The TD wheel is attached to a shaft
which slides up and down on a splined steering column. The key to
which I refer above keeps the shaft on the splined column, and has
nothing to do with the wheel on the shaft. The removal of this key
lets you take the shaft off the (main) column and get the assembly out
of the car. Removal of the wheel from the shaft is then easily
accomplished with a suitable drift (BF puller). While this can be
done on the car, I found it easier if the wheel/shaft assembly is
removed first. YMMV....
A. B. Bonds
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