Straighten steering wheel

Jim Kilday

The bars in the steering wheel bars in my 1946 Hudson Commodore Coupe are presently at the 10 and 4 o'clock position when cruising down the highway.



I asked my mechanic if he could remove the wheel and move it so the bars are at 3 and 9 o'clock..



He came back saying this adjustment could be made at the tie rod ends by a good alignment shop.



I am certainly no expert at this but it sounds reasonable to me--is he right?



Thanks.



Jim Kilday

Jon B

Sounds reasonable, but you'd want to get the spokes as close as possible to where you want them, before they start making their adjustment in the tie rod ends. Remove the horn button, then the large nut holding the wheel. In some cases you may be able to get it off without a puller (I can). Then, making sure the front wheels are aimed straight ahead, put it back on as close as possible to the orientation you're looking for, and replace the nut.



Then they can fine-tune it at the alignment shop.

Lee ODell

Jim, Lee O'Dell here. I have been been aligning cars since 1959. I hope the information I give you will be helpful. Remove the horn button and turn the steering wheel to the 3 and 9 o'clock position. On the end of the steering shaft there will be a notch that should be at the 6 o'clock position. If it is you are ok. Just take the car to a good alignment shop to make the adjustment at the tie rod adjusting sleeves to center the steering wheel. Then the steering wheel, steerling gear box and tires will be lined up properly for best handling provided all suspension parts and tires are in good shape. However, if the notch is not at 6 o'clock then turn the steering wheel until the notch is at 6 o'clock. If you have a puller remove the steering wheel. If you do not have a pull you may loosen the steering wheel nut but do not remove totally. Pull on the steering wheel and it should come loose, with some effort, provided the nut wasn't tightened to tight. Remove the nut and steering wheel. With the notch at 6 o'clock turn the steering wheel to 3 and 9 o'clock and reinstal the steering wheel, nut and horn button then take it to the alignment shop to adjust the alignment. I hope this is helpful to you. The reason not to remove the nut is; so you do not bust your nose or teeth when the steering wheel comes loose. Have a good day. Lee

Unknown

Lee O'Dell wrote:

Jim, Lee O'Dell here. I have been been aligning cars since 1959. I hope the information I give you will be helpful. Remove the horn button and turn the steering wheel to the 3 and 9 o'clock position. On the end of the steering shaft there will be a notch that should be at the 6 o'clock position. If it is you are ok. Just take the car to a good alignment shop to make the adjustment at the tie rod adjusting sleeves to center the steering wheel. Then the steering wheel, steerling gear box and tires will be lined up properly for best handling provided all suspension parts and tires are in good shape. However, if the notch is not at 6 o'clock then turn the steering wheel until the notch is at 6 o'clock. If you have a puller remove the steering wheel. If you do not have a pull you may loosen the steering wheel nut but do not remove totally. Pull on the steering wheel and it should come loose, with some effort, provided the nut wasn't tightened to tight. Remove the nut and steering wheel. With the notch at 6 o'clock turn the steering wheel to 3 and 9 o'clock and reinstal the steering wheel, nut and horn button then take it to the alignment shop to adjust the alignment. I hope this is helpful to you. The reason not to remove the nut is; so you do not bust your nose or teeth when the steering wheel comes loose. Have a good day. Lee

Super explaination! Just piping in for one small comment... In 45 years of fooling with Hudsons, I have never been able to remove a steering wheel without a puller... in some cases the steering wheel won the resistance test and did not get pulled.



Cheers

Richard E.

In my somewhat limited experience, 30's era steering wheels come off easy, stepdowns require a puller!!

Park_W

If the front end is aligned properly and the wheel isn't centered (shaft notch not at bottom center), an adjustment should be made at the drag link. See the service manual for details. It's important that the steering gears themselves are centered when the car is going straight. Compensating by adjusting tie rods or shifting the wheel on the shaft is not desirable.

[Deleted User]

Jim Kilday wrote:

The bars in the steering wheel bars in my 1946 Hudson Commodore Coupe are presently at the 10 and 4 o'clock position when cruising down the highway.



I asked my mechanic if he could remove the wheel and move it so the bars are at 3 and 9 o'clock..



He came back saying this adjustment could be made at the tie rod ends by a good alignment shop.



I am certainly no expert at this but it sounds reasonable to me--is he right?



Thanks.



Jim Kilday

THE ONLY WAY TO CENTER YOUR STEERING WHEEL IS TO HAVE THE NOTCH AT THE TOP OF THE SHAFT AT 6 O'CLOCK. THIS IS A MUST AS THAT IS WHAT SETS THE STEERING BOX ON CENTER. IF SPOKES ARE OFF THEN YOU MUST RESET THE WHEEL TO ALIGN WITH THE NOTCH. NOW AN ALIGNMENT SHOP TIES THE WHEEL AT 9 AND 3 AND ADJUST THE TIE ROD ENDS. THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE THERE FOR. THE DRAG LINK HAS SHIMS THAT LET YOU SET IT DEAD CENTER, THE REAR ONE. WALT.

Lee ODell

Jim Kilday wrote:

The bars in the steering wheel bars in my 1946 Hudson Commodore Coupe are presently at the 10 and 4 o'clock position when cruising down the highway.



I asked my mechanic if he could remove the wheel and move it so the bars are at 3 and 9 o'clock..



He came back saying this adjustment could be made at the tie rod ends by a good alignment shop.



I am certainly no expert at this but it sounds reasonable to me--is he right?



Thanks.



Jim Kilday

I recently aligned Gordon Hays 53 Hollywood Hornet. The steering wheel was off about 90 degrees and the steering gear was off center. I corrected the steering wheel to the notch on the steering shaft and centered the gear box. A remarkable improvement in steering responce. It is very important to have the steering gear box on center for any car to handle properly. Lee