Remove steering wheel

[620slodat]

I have a 1979 King Cab that I need the steering wheel removed. I have removed the steering wheel on many different cars, but this one seems to be different. I just have removed the screws on the back of the spokes to remove the front of the spokes/horn buttons to get to the nut on the steering shaft. But, this is different, no screws on the back of the spokes. The steering wheel is different in that it has three spokes instead of the two like I am used to on early Datsuns.  There is a dividing line between the front and back of the spoke, making two pieces out of the spoke, but no screws holding them together. Are the front and back just snapped together? I need somebody with experience with this type of wheel to give me some pointers as I don't want to damage this wheel.

 

I am going out there to the pickup as soon as I finish this post and will get some pictures, if they will be needed.

 

Don

[datzenmike]

Post a picture, this doesn't sound like the stock 2 spoke wheel.

 

 

 

Once the nut and the star washer are exposed and removed the wheel is free to slip up and off the spline. I would put the nut back on and turn a couple of threads. This will keep it on for the following.... place hands in front of wheel, palms towards you and strike the wheel suddenly and HARD towards you. Just in case, turn head to the side. The nut should hold the wheel from flying off into your face.

[620slodat]

DM, here are pics of the steering wheel. I am assuming it is a Datsun wheel because of the D in the center of the spokes in the first pic. The wheel is sideways in that pic as the spoke pointing to the right in the pic is actually the vertical center spoke at the bottom of the wheel. The second pic is of the back of the center spoke. I am used to screws showing up here and on the other spokes, and having to remove them to get to the nut on the steering shaft, but there are no screws. In the second pic you can see the dividing line between the front half and back half of the spokes. These are two separate pieces, and will be the assumed place where the front half comes off to expose the steering shaft and nut. What I am needing is someone who has experience with this type of wheel and can tell me how it comes apart.

 

Don

[datzenmike]

That is a stock wheel, I forgot about that one.

 

 

I think....

 

Hold the steering wheel with your knees so it doesn't turn and push down on the black center part and turn to the left? to detach. The horn will probably honk.

[Preacher]

Turn the wheel straight. Put your hands over the horn buttons, your 4 fingers in the seam of the wheel cover and the steering wheel on top and your thumbs in the seam at the bottom. Now grip it and pull with some force back toward you and it will separate the two halves. Each spoke has an expander clip that clips over a plastic piece on the wheel. Do Not push on the “D” and try to turn it, you could break it. 

[Preacher]

Better yet, take a standard screwdriver and use it to pry it off. Place the screwdriver in the space where the black spoke meets the brown when facing the wheel. Start at the top. This is better because it looks like your steering wheel could be brittle near the seams. Good luck!

[620slodat]

Thank you! I will try that on Sunday. Don't worry, horn won't honk. No battery.

 

Don

[datzenmike]

See Preacher above. It's been a long time and he is probably right. It may be another Datsun that I remember.

[420n620]

7 hours ago, Preacher said:

Better yet, take a standard screwdriver and use it to pry it off. Place the screwdriver in the space where the black spoke meets the brown when facing the wheel. Start at the top. This is better because it looks like your steering wheel could be brittle near the seams. Good luck!

no, don't do that. You'll fuk it up. 

Believe you got to hold the outer steering wheel while you push the "T" part down and turn counter clock wise. 

Once it gets a little more day light, I'll go out and check my 78 620 in about an hour --> 8 PT. 

[datzenmike]

I'm looking at the diagram for this style spoke wheel and there is no spring to compress. Looks like there are two clips.

 

Looks like the 520 you push in and turn.

[420n620]

ok, went out and checked, you pull on the lower "T" section that doesn't have the horn button, towards you, now where the horn buttons are need pulled towards you also. Have a good grip, it's tighter on the sides.  

 

WALA, it should come right off. 

[620slodat]

Thank you to all who replied. With your help I got the horn buttons/front plate off without any damage. I haven't removed the steering wheel from the shaft yet, but that will be easy.

 

First, I turned the steering wheel vertical (not really needed, but I did it anyway), then I applied outward pressure to the bottom spoke front cover(no horn button), and with only a little pressure to the left spoke front cover the cover popped off.

[datzenmike]

On 12/4/2020 at 1:37 PM, datzenmike said:

 Once the nut and the star washer are exposed and removed the wheel is free to slip up and off the spline. I would put the nut back on and turn a couple of threads. This will keep it on for the following.... place hands in front of wheel, palms towards you and strike the wheel suddenly and HARD towards you. Just in case, turn head to the side. The nut should hold the wheel from flying off into your face.

 

[yenpit]

...............pretty sure that is the 620 Deluxe steering wheel, with the 3 spokes.  The standard steering wheel is a horizontal two spoke 😎

[620slodat]

Must be the deluxe wheel because the wheel I'm used to for a 1973 620, and all the subsequent years that I have seen, have been just two spokes. Also, I tried what DM said to try, and it didn't work for me. I have a cheapy steering wheel puller that I dug out. But, with all the bolts I could find I was unable to find an M8 x 1.25 thread that was long enough to fit the wheel puller that I have. Tomorrow is seniors day (10% off on most all items at Coastal Farm) and I will get some bolts the right size and thread there.

 

By the way, if you live close to a Coastal Farm store they have gift cards available until Dec 31 (I think) where you get about 10% more put on the card than you paid, in other words if you buy a $500 card you will get $600 put on your card. To top it off if you are 55 or older you get 10% off most purchases on Tuesdays. Couple this discount with the discount card and you will get both discounts. Needless to say, I like Tuesdays at Coastal Farm. Coastal Farm is in western Oregon and a few places in western Washington, and maybe a few other places.

 

Don

Edited December 8, 2020 by 620slodat

[620slodat]

I have another wheel to get the horn buttons/plate off of in order to remove the wheel. I think it is for a 1985 4X4. It is similar to the wheel i started this thread about In that there are no screws on the back of the spokes. The horn button is the non-round item in the center of the wheel, and is on springs which allow it to move. The silver part appears to be fastened solid to the main part of the wheel. I tried pulling, pushing and twisting, pulling and twisting, and maybe something else that I don't remember right now. I can just barely see two bolt heads at the top area between the horn button and the silver part of the wheel. Do these bolts need to be loosened/removed to get the cap off the wheel so I can get to the nut that holds the wheel to the shaft? If so, it is very tight quarters to get the wrench in there. Or is there another trick to getting it off?

 

The steering column is temporarily bolted into place in a 620. Temporarily is the key word. That is why I haven't been too forceful yet trying different combinations to get the wheel off. Maybe I just need to be more forceful, but I am leary of the way the column is currently mounted. There is also no seat, so it is harder to do anything.

 

The wheel is not something I am wanting to use. But, there are parts on the column that I may want to use.

 

Don

Edited December 31, 2020 by 620slodat

[datzenmike]

The '83-'84 810/Maxima is exactly the same as what you have. The center horn pad is stretched over a metal frame. You should be able to slip fingers around the edge and slip it off. The horn will likely honk. Before '83 it said Datsun.