steering wheel hubs, and heat

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

There have been two recent steering wheel sagas, first Ian Lomax and now Hal 
Taylor (in AD7-1283) who had a disaster breaking his new hub while trying to 
get it back off to correct a problem during the installation process. That 
(and my own earlier hub struggles) suggests to me that the hub taper would be 
a good place for judicious use of anti-seize paste - - -

In the off-digest correspondence with Ian I had suggested that if the hub was 
reluctant, to the point of possibly risking stripped threads in the 6mm 
threaded holes in the hub, heating the hub with a small torch might help to 
free it. He replied that he didn't have a torch, and if he did he wouldn't 
want to use it that close to so many important and expensive bits of the car. 
I suspect he was probably visualizing something like a standard welding 
torch, which could be intimidating, but there are other torches which could 
be useful in those occasions where heating (and thus expanding) one part 
could break a thread bond enough to save one from the sort of problem Hal is 
now facing.

The "small torch" I was thinking of is one which, complete with its butane 
and oxygen cylinders, will fit in a shirt pocket; it produces an accurate, 
pin-point flame with a temperature over 5000 degrees f, and costs about $30 
complete; brand name "Microflame". While looking it up in a small-tools 
catalog I came across a still smaller one, 7" long x 9/16" diameter, fueled 
with cigarette-lighter butane fuel but only good for 2300 degrees f, at about 
half the price. (There are also more expensive miniature torches that use 
standard tanks of oxygen and various fuels-) I also came across a 
miniaturized version of the standard 115VAC "hair drier" hot-air blower which 
offers a concentrated stream of air over 250 degrees f, which could be better 
than nothing-  

Certainly not a necessity in every tool-box, but possibly worthwhile for some.

John H.
Raleigh, N.C.

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End of alfa-digest V7 #1284
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