re: Steering wheel removal...flame-on?

[Joe Elliott <jee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 5:36 AM +0000 5/1/03, alfa-digest wrote:
> Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 22:39:38 -0400
> From: "Darren Leung" <darren@domain.elided>
> Subject: Steering wheel removal...flame-on?
>
> I checked back issues of the digest for suggestions on getting the steering
> wheel off my GTV6, but didn't find any that mentioned taking a lightweight
> torch to the center bolt for a little expansion magic.
> Does anyone see this as a problem, or has anyone tried it before?
> Thanks in advance,
> Darren
> '83 GTV6 with steering wheel tighter than a (insert colorful comment here).

I'm not sure I follow this--what is the "center bolt" and why is 
expanding it going to help?

My GTV-6 wheel was so stuck that I got frustrated and took it to 
professionals to have it removed.  European Auto Specialists (nee 
Prestige Imports) of Cincinnati said it was the most stuck wheel 
they'd ever seen.  It took them a half an hour to get it off with two 
mechanics and a huge puller.  This was after I'd enlarged and tapped 
the holes in the wheel to 3/8in.  I used Grade 8 bolts, and I may 
have found a way to get nuts behind the wheel to avoid stripping the 
threads (which is a real threat--the stock 6mm holes were already 
unusable from PO's attempts to get the wheel off, the same thing 
occurred when I enlarged them to .25" and then 5/16").  Now that I 
think about it, I don't think I found a way to get any nuts back 
there without damaging anything, hence the need for 3/8" Grade 8 
bolts.

Joe Elliott
'82 GTV-6

PS> One of those 3/8" Grade 8 bolts bouncing around in my trunk 9 
months later came in handy when I needed a punch to replace my 
mysteriously-broken wheel studs while I was at school with no tools!
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