54 Hornet Steering box wire

[Deleted User]
[Deleted User]
edited November -1 in HUDSON
In the engine compartment at the end of the steering gear box there is a plate held in place by 4 bolts. Coming out of the middle of that plate is a lead wire which is badly frayed. If I take that plate off can I get at that lead wire to replace it? Will all of the steering gear fluid run out ?



Thanks for any help you can provide.



Doug

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Don't take the plate off, That would be your horn wire, the shaft is hollow, you can attach a new wire to it and draw it up from the steering wheel by removeing the horn button. Then again if it's only frayed right where it comes out you could slide a small hose over it a ways to keep it from makeing contact and blowing the horn
  • Ol racer
    Ol racer Senior Contributor
    fyi

    On my '47 I cut the frayed wire below the box then slid a piece of thin 'Heat Shrink' Tubing over then into the cover then heated to shrink & insulate the wire.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    The wire runs the full length of the steering shaft. Remove the steering wheel horn button and there will be a contact point in the middle of the column. The contact point is soldered to the other end of the wire that you can see coming out of the end of the steering box. Pull the contact up and the wire out of the steering column tube. Repair the wire as needed... the shrink tubing method allows the use of the same wire... otherwise... desolder the contact point and replace it on a new wire of the proper gauge. All should be well then... check results with a meter and after replacing the horn button check the horn operation.

    Good Luck
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Ken, thanks for your response. I have tried to remove the horn button without success. Admittedly I am a little cautious about forcing it off and breaking something. Does it just pop off or do you have to twist it a certain way?



    Thanks,

    Doug
  • nick s
    nick s Senior Contributor
    Doug, give the horn ring a little turn counter clockwise (I think) then it will come off. Grabbing the 6 o'clock spoke of the wheel with the fingers of your right hand and applying pressure against the spoke of the horn ring with your thumb should do it. Unlike earlier Hudsons the ring and center button come off together.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    37 Terraplane#2 wrote:
    Don't take the plate off, That would be your horn wire, the shaft is hollow, you can attach a new wire to it and draw it up from the steering wheel by removeing the horn button. Then again if it's only frayed right where it comes out you could slide a small hose over it a ways to keep it from makeing contact and blowing the horn

    Not trying to Hi-jack a thread, but if someone had pulled the old wire out how do you thread a new wire down the shaft and out the small hole in the steering box. I have made a few attempts at installing a new wire, but I set it aside until later when I was closer to finishing the Hudson.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    The wire guage should allow the wire to travel down the center of the steering tube. But a way to get the stubborn wire installed is with a wire coat hanger .... straighten and create a flat hoot in the end ... close the end down on the end of the wire that will go out the end of the steering box and thread through the tube... U will have to grab the wire with pliers and pull hard as there is little clearance at the end of the steering box... good luck... I have also used a small fish tape... used by electricians to pull wire bundles through conduit and walls.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I just did this a few days ago, the wire pushes down from the steering wheel very easily and comes out the bottom with no trouble at all. You might have to rotate the wire a bit if it jambs on an edge somewhere but it only took about 1 minute to do.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Jim... your experience has been mine... glad to know you were able to fix the problem
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

In this Discussion