Fitting removeable sterring wheel

[rje]

Just buying a 1600 Road sport and want to replace the fixed Momo sterring wheel with a removeable one (easier to get in and out and securit). Has anyone done it, is it a relatively simple task or does it reguire bits to be cut off?

Any help very welcome.

Thanks

[casbar]

Not a major job, but from memory the kit costs around 200 notes

[charley farley]

Bought my car from Caterham Midlands last month- It had a fixed wheel- paid £300 to have the removable fully fitted. Well worth it IMO- if not just from a safety viewpoint... Plus much better security than an immobiliser!

[Tango7]

Very simple job. You will need to remove the horn push and undo the wire. Undo the large nut that holds the s/wheel to the upper column but don't remove it completely yet. In the engine bay, you will need to remove the clamp that holds the upper column to the main shaft. Undo/remove the two bolts that hold the clamp together. I tend to leave the grub screw / large nut untouched so that the clamp can be quickly bolted together when you re-assemble it all. You need to remove the upper steering column now.

You can either try the brute force and ignorance method and risk removing a couple of front teeth by sitting in the car and pulling like buggery on the s/wheel or take the much simpler option of using a ratchet strap looped between the the s/wheel and the roll bar with something on the bar to protect the powdercoat. A cheap luggage strap works fine and as ou tension it up, the bush holding the upper column in will easily slide out.... You can now remove the large nut holding the column and s/wheel together and pull the lot out.

When reassembling use a little bit of fairy liquid to help the top bush go back in. Its a little tricky to get the thin plastic sleeve to stay in place as you insert the column but it just takes a little patience. Before you fit the clamp to hold the upper column to the column, just check the orientation with the steering wheel fitted. Some bosses have two holes uppermost and one below and others have them the opposite way round. If the s/wheel is fitted upside down, loosen the UJ at the base of the steering column, withdraw the column and rotate it 180 degrees and then tighten it back into the UJ. When you tighen the upper column to the column, there is a small amount of fore/aft adjustment you can have to save grazed knuckles on the hi/lo switch. Make sure you tighten up the clamp and UJ bolts thoroughly (obviously!!) and the last thing to do is find somewhere to mount a horn button...

Don't forget with a standard QR kit, there is no steering lock on the car now. You can have the collar welded on to the new column if you knock it off the old one. Its only tack welded in place.

And the job's a good 'un!

[pesmo]

You can do it cheaper than that. Some motorsport manufacturers eg SPA will sell you the splined weld on section of upper column and the removeable boss, so that you cut off the last 3 inches or so of the original column and weld on the one that they supply. I did this many years ago and it has been fine. Cost saving at the time was significant. Not sure how much the saving would be now though, but it is worth a look. Some folks have complained in the past that the Caterham kit seems to wear quite fast and that within a couple of years that can be noticeable movemnent in the splined joint. Not had that problem with my SPA one

[RobM77]

I'm about to go the other way and thus will shortly have my removeable steering column available. It's an 03 race car with 5k on the clock of track and road use and the removeable wheel was fitted by CC when the car was new. There's a bit of play in it, which I hear is normal? I can't cope with the play, some I'm converting to a fixed wheel. I also have a leather steering wheel if anyone's interested.

[SimonY]

Only a tiny bit of play is normal, you should never be able to notice it when driving. The more 'normal' sources are the clamp on the column and the rack.

Edited by SimonY on Sunday 6th May 00:08

[RobM77]

SimonY said:

Only a tiny bit of play is normal, you should never be able to notice it when driving. The more 'normal' sources are the clamp on the column and the rack.

Edited by SimonY on Sunday 6th May 00:08

Mine has play on the splines where the wheel fits on. I'm just not sure that I see the point of the removeable wheel on my car, as I can climb in and out without taking it off, and I think a marshall could pull me out quite easily as well. On a road car it would be an excellent security measure though.

[SimonY]

If you pack it full of grease it seems to help. Mine is removable because it was a road car for its first two years.

Will you be racing in the Roadsports this year Rob, I noticed you were registered?

Edited by SimonY on Sunday 6th May 16:11

[RobM77]

SimonY said:

If you pack it full of grease it seems to help. Mine is removable because it was a road car for its first two years.

Will you be racing in the Roadsports this year Rob, I noticed you were registered?

Edited by SimonY on Sunday 6th May 16:11

Yes, as soon as my car is ready It badly needs a respray, so I dropped it off today for that. Once it's back I'm hoping to hurriedly get it ready for Donington. Fingers crossed that they'll be time to finish it! All I have to do once it's back is refit the roll cage, aeroscreen, fit the tonneau (previous owner had it screwed on with self tappers! I'm fitting pop studs) and change the steering column and wheel to a fixed one (I don't get on with the slack in the removeable ones). I'm hoping for a test at Donny on the 24th before the race.