Steering wheel centering/alighment
 

OK. Maybe I am missing something and have been for a lot of years. I take my good wheel off every winter and store inside to avoid cracking. This means I get to line the wheel up straight twice a year. I, or somebody put a mark on the hub of the good wheel, so there is at least one reference point. The shaft has got a bunch of marks from the wheel puller, so difficult to deal with there. I usually try to get the wheels lined up straight when I begin, but the ratio is such that there is a lot of margin for error.

What is the right way to do this or, how do you guys line up the wheel? It took me about 10 tries this time, & I think I finally got it. It is totally screwed up if you are going down the Hwy. and it is off. I know that much. I don't remember it taking this many tries before, but the old grey mare ain't what she used to be.

No answer for your problem, but would'nt a full steering wheel cover solve your dilema?

I'd paint a fine line across the end of the shaft and onto the wheel. You could use regular paint, some White-Out, fingernail polish or whatever is handy.

There should be a chisel type mark on the shaft and a one on the hub of the wheel from the factory @ the 12:00 position.

There is one on the hub, but the shaft gets bunged up from the puller, so can't ID anything on there. A hard finish will just get flaked off when the puller presses on the shaft. I used a sharpie, but that seems to disappear. Maybe a Dremel cut on both once I get it lined up.

A steering wheel cover will not protect the wheel. The biggest enemy of these clear wheels is very cold temperatures. When they shrink in the cold the clear pulls away from the solid color portion and or cracks depending on where it does or does not adhere to the metal center.

My solution would be to restore the chisel mark and either use a blunt end puller, Snap on has pullers that the pointed end can be changed out to a blunt swivel. Another possibility would be to use a piece of flat aluminum between the puller and the shaft to protect the reference mark from the puller.

BTW don't overtighten the nut on the shaft, it just has to be snug. Tightening the nut too tight forces the 2 tapers splines together and makes removal harder than needs be. A little never seize on the spline might also make it come apart easier requiring less pressure from the puller.

When I have to get the wheel straight here is what I do. Find either a Empty parking lot or a Deserted straight road. Loosen the steering wheel drive slowly in a straight line, remove the wheel while still going straight then put the wheel back on in the correct position. Just make sure you are in a place where nobody will bother you.

Amen to this! The first wheel I pulled was on my original '66 I inherited. The factory had that nut on so tight that it destroyed the threads on the shaft. Never again after that.

I like the idea of doing it in motion. Not sure I can find a flat open area around here big enough for that to be comfortable though.

Got it lined up and will attempt to rechisel or use a metal blade on Dremel to mark.

My first attempt had me out on the Hwy with the cracked wheel on the roof. Fortunately, the roof rack snagged it. Was just planning on using the 1/2 mile driveway, but could not find a spot straight enough (new place).

Is this fairly standard practice?

I've never heard of removing a steering wheel for wintertime storage.

I suspect it gets a bit colder here than it does in Virginia.

K

I use a similar technique in terms of driving ahead with the wheels straight, but come to a full stop while preserving the straight ahead positioning of the road wheels and steering wheel.

K

I got the idea from a member from Northern Europe. When he mentioned it, I began looking back and also checking wheels in the dead of winter, and I really believe this is where the majority of my cracking came/comes from. Makes sense when you think of the device and materials it is made of. I observed the clear pulling away from the solid portion of mine by 1/8" + when we were in single digits. I do not have the option of heated storage so, I opted for this as well as storing the extra wheels I have. It is not difficult, and if it saves me a grand or two it is worth it. We are totally screwy in the climate Dept. It is not unusual for us to have 30-40* swings per day and we have periods that can be in upper 90s or 100 in summer, and we always get weeks of 0 or below in winter. Example, forecast for 93 high & 54 low for Saturday. Totally normal.