C-120 steering column disassembly

[John T 9]

Gentlemen,

I am trying to completely disassemble my C-120 for sand blasting. I have the steering wheel / shaft / front aluminum dash casting still together. I got the hex tightener in the collar loosened just fine with marvel mystery oil. I have removed the roll pin from the steering wheel. Now I see what appears to be a round headed bolt holding the steering wheel to the shaft. What is it? How do I remove it?

Thanks!

[C-Series14 15]

Should just be the roll pin holding the steering wheel to the shaft. A pic would really help.

[rmaynard 15,716]

There shouldn't be anything holding the wheel to the shaft except the roll pin. The top of the steering shaft should be more or less flush with the top of the metal hub in the center of the wheel.

Can you post a picture of your problem?

Edit: Mike you beat me to it. All great minds think alike...

[tbbahner 27]

It might speed the process of losening rusty bolts, etc. if you use a penetrating oil. PB Blaster, Kroil, or a 50-50 mix of acetone and ATF.

1st two are usually found locally at parts stores, sometimes even Wally World.

Just a suggestion

Tom B

[Irv 115]

Might just be the top of the shaft that looks like a round head bolt. Soak it with PB for a few days and try turning the steering wheel on the shaft. They are sometimes very hard to remove. Type "steering wheel" in the search box and you should find a lot of experiences and suggestions for removal.

[John T 9]

Will do.

[rmaynard 15,716]

Last steering wheel that I removed was from a B-80 (same as yours). After getting the pin out, I couldn't budge the shaft out of the hub. So I took the whole assembly and banged the steering shaft (gear end) straight down onto the concrete floor. What I was trying to do was to get the dash housing and collar to move down far enough so that I could cut the shaft with a sawzall. But much to my surprise, the steering wheel moved down also. Once it moved down, it just as easily moved back up and off the shaft. No damage to shaft or wheel. Rust is as amazing as it is aggravating.

[John T 9]

Excellent I will give it a try.