'53 Special steering wheel removal

[Fryguy]

I am trying to get my steering wheel off my 53 Special to fix a turn signal switch. Pulled off the center cap and horn ring. I am looking at the three slotted holes on the wheel itself. I have my steering wheel puller but the three keyholed slots aren't threaded. I don't think I would have a problem tapping those slotted holes but wanted to see what others have done in their removal. Every other Steering wheel I pulled always had threaded slots, for some reason these '53's dont. I checked my Buick manual and it gives me a Buick part number for the steering wheel puller. It looks like an old gear puller. Anybody run into this problem? Other than trying to muscle the wheel off, anybody tap the slots themselves?


Fryguy

[krinkov58]

Yeah on my '52 I ran into the same problem...didn't bother tapping the holes though. I took a 3 clawed steering wheel puller (yep looks like a gear puller, I think it was $8 at an auto parts store) and shaped the claws on my bench grinder to fit those holes (claws were a little too beefy on mine) Boom, came off no problem. My turn signal was busted too...signal lever just flopped, never engaged anything. If memory serves me there is a flat spring over a switch on the right side of the housing that has indentations for 3 positions and it had cracked/broken. The lever is secured by an allen screw to a fulcrum on the left that connects to a teardrop-shaped mechanism that encircles the column and manipulates the switch. The detents in that busted flat spring were supposed to hold the whole deal up, down or in the middle.

[Fryguy]

Thanks Krinkov, I did pick up a box of gear pullers from a mechainc friend. It had a few of the smaller three prong pullers but the prongs are just a little too beefy for the holes. Unfortunately I can't grind down the pullers as they are not mine. Thanks for the info on the signal switch. I am suspecting its the switch or I should say the wiring on the switch. I have an issue with the turn signals. When I flick the switch for the left signal both front signals flash dimly. The rears work fine. I started by swapping out the headligh switch but I got the same result. There is a contact lever on the headlight switch that acts as a circuit breaker. If I turn the headlights on the breaker arm trips on the switch for the left turn signal. If I put pressure on the breaker arm and prevent it from touching the contacts, the turn signals work fine. This is indicating some kind of short. So my next step is checking the turn signal switch. Chasing a gremlin. . .


Fryguy

[krinkov58]

Yeah you got a short somewhere...my owners manual says there's a thermal relay on the headlamp, tail lamp, parking lamp, and instrument circuits.

"When the current load is too heavy, due to a short circuit, the relay opens and closes rapidly thus reducing current sufficiently to protect the wiring from damage."

If your tailights and instrument lights are working, that's 50% of the possible cause right there already eliminated. If your headlights work fine as long as you don't signal left, must be something goofy in the switch wiring I suppose.

[suntreemcanic]

I also have a 52. I took some 4 inch long 1/4 inch dia. bolts and ground the heads to fit the slots and then used my steering wheel puller with flat washers and nuts on the threaded end to pop the steering wheel off.