73 Skier Restoration

It was not dumping down snow today and actually got nice and sunny, so I got out there and solved the mystery of the steering wheel... Almost. Here is a pic for anybody needing to take apart their steering wheel. The "wood" under the chrome is actually some sort of vinyl. Surprised it still looks so good! Still confused about the puller and how that works.

Try a hammer and a brass punch.    Put the nut back on flush.
Two or three smacks and you'll have it off, without destroying a vintage wheel with a bunch of holes.

DrCC wrote: Try a hammer and a brass punch.    Put the nut back on flush. Two or three smacks and you'll have it off, without destroying a vintage wheel with a bunch of holes.

Al!!! The holes for pulling would be hidden under the metal trim. Hammer and brass punch? The plastic is so brittle now, did you notice it's already cracked at the hub!

Keeganino wrote: Or could these be the tap holes behind the wheel?

Keegan,
Good eyes!!! Looks like you found them and the tapped holes are in the metal hub!

The marks on the hub are from a PO trying to "seat" the hub onto it's taper. Probably loosened up at one time. The hub being the die casting, it's relatively soft and could be easily misshapened. When you put the wheel back on, find a large flat washer to go under the nut so the nut can push the wheel farther back on it's taper. No hammers!! The washers ID needs to be bigger than the tapered steel shaft.

Try to see if you can get some epoxy down into the cracks at the hub. It may or may not work as some plastics don't like to be glued. Won't hurt and may stop the cracks from going farther. The hammer blows from the PO (or "mechanic") could have done the damage!!

Came out clean. I had the shop vac in one hand and the grinder in the other. Tried as best I could to suck the dust up as it came off the wheel. Had to do a bit of hacking around the vent hoses, then with a little muscle with the pry bar and the glass finally came up. What a chore! Oh and look- No Steering Wheel!!!

How Did I get that foam out so Nice?


My weapons of choice were the sawzall to cut around the perimeter of each cavity making sure to get all the way down to the hull. I knew I was in the right place when the blade tip would just bounce off the hull. Then I took this wrecking bar and dug strait down to the hull with a wiggling motion that seemed to further loosen the foam from the walls and then I would push the bar up under and forward as far as I could and pry it up. Presto. That was so much more fun than cutting out the airbox!

Looks good Keegan, I found a bar like this to work the best...



Granted...your almost done, but when you start on that CC down the street you'll be better off!

storm34 wrote: Looks good Keegan, I found a bar like this to work the best... Granted...your almost done, but when you start on that CC down the street you'll be better off!

That looks like it would be better, and that Mustang down the street has got my name on it. I almost wish I could do them both at the same time... no pun intended

The more the merrier!

In regards to foam removal, what worked best for me was my 14 year old son with a heavy claw hammer. Only cost me a couple of Monster drinks.

Really, a claw hammer worked well. Chipped it out in small pieces and then through them over the side of the boat into a garbage can. When this was done I took a sharp chisel an scraped it off of the bottom and stringers.

Frank

bkhallpass wrote: Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall you asking if you had to pull the wheel to get the column unit out. I thought you were trying to pull the wheel to fix cracks. Oh well, next time. BKH

Well somebody mentioned removing the steering wheel to make it easier to work in the confined area. I thought great! I need more room and the entire assembly needs to be cleaned, painted ant rebuilt anyway. Pulling the wheel to fix cracks was secondary to the issue at hand which was how to get the bloody thing out. It was a puzzle but now its out and I can move on with the stringer job.

I think the plastic has a lifetime and that lifetime is probably nearing its end. How about making a mold for it so it can be recast. I bet the core of that wheel is steel and you could re-use the metal on the new one. Half original!

Keeganino wrote: FrankT wrote: In regards to foam removal, what worked best for me was my 14 year old son with a heavy claw hammer. Only cost me a couple of Monster drinks. Really, a claw hammer worked well. Chipped it out in small pieces and then through them over the side of the boat into a garbage can. When this was done I took a sharp chisel an scraped it off of the bottom and stringers. Frank Since I did not have the benefit of expendable labor I went for the biggest chunks with the least amount of effort. I had lots of little chunks too but I only have about 3 hours tops in foam removal at this point. The bulkhead looks like it will take about another half that. I am thinking a brass brush on the end of a drill will work nicely to remove all the tiny pieces stuck to the sides.

Having done it both ways, I can tell you that the large chunks is much easier. Ill let you know in 20 years when my son is 14 if I have changed my mind!

Keegan, DO NOT throw away that steering wheel! The cracks can be repaired with epoxy. Put a new coat of paint on it and it will look as good as new. Finding an original wheel is a huge PITA- be thankful you have yours!

Tim- I was never considering replacing my steering wheel. It is really cool and is structurally sound. Those cracks are tiny and none of them go all the way through. I was mentioning making a mold from it so that if the big break ever happens I would be ready to make an identical replica.(By the way I have no idea how to do this but it sounds cool!)

Do you use the same epoxy for repairing the stringers? What kind of paint will stick to that old plastic? I assume it would need to be roughed up to create some tooth for adhesion. A thorough cleaning and bleaching would probably make it look new too. Any thoughts out there guys?

8122pbrainard wrote: Keegan, Try a "cleaner" type wax on the wheel. 3M marine "cleaner wax" comes to mind. It has some abrasive in it so it may clean it up pretty well. Befor you do put the wax on it, do try to get the epoxy in the cracks like Tim and I suggested. Force it into the cracks with a piece of rubber like a small squeegee.

Do I use the same type of epoxy as on the stringer layup? CPES to really soak down in there? They are tiny tiny cracks. Gosh and I think of all the times we have used the wheel to pull ourselves up and really put a lot of pressure on it. Will not be doing that anymore. It must have a steel core.

Use google and do a search on "steering wheel repair" and you will find some nice Youtube videos on filling the cracks.

Here is an example:
KBS Epoxy

Not necessary to use KBS just an example of process.