Re: steering wheel hell

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

Joe Elliott asks about what else he can do to get his steering wheel off,
after stripping threads, retapping, hammering, probably cursing and perhaps
praying. One resource he hasn't mentioned is heat. There are many small,
inexpensive (like $19.99 from Northern Supply, a Harbor Freight clone) torches
that offer pencil-point flame at a couple of thousand degrees f with butane
cartridges, and there are insulating pastes bodymen use to localize target
areas and protect surroundings. Depending on the configuration of the wheel
one could move the car away from house and other flammables, reread the fine
print in the insurance, protect surroundings, apply tension, and add heat
judiciously on the wheel hub. Expansion can do wonders on tight tapers,
splines, threads, etc. One can of course use a larger torch if available.
Flame should not be the first resort, but it often makes a damned good last
resort. Some people find a torch every bit as useful as a four-pound ball-peen
hammer, a.k.a. the Ford wrench -

John H.
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