1960s 1960 Horn Wire

[60eldo]

  My steering wheel squeaks sometimes when I turn the wheel. Can someone tell me how that wire comes out of the center bolt with nut around it. I cant pull it out to take off the wheel and try to lube the shaft.

[Big Fins]

It doesn't come out, unless you cut it. That leads to the relay and without it, your horn isn't horny anymore.

[60eldo]

Then how do I get the steering wheel off

[Big Fins]

With a steering wheel puller. You need the cup press end to do it without crushing the button.

That's how I remember it. Those here with current 59/60 cars may have a lot better memory than I.

[David Greenburg]

You want to be very gentle with that button/wire. The wire is prone to chafing in the column and if that happens, you won't get less horny; you'll get more horny, and not in a good way, like having it honk if you turn the steering wheel. Happened on my former '59; I wound up bypassing the horn button in the column and installing a big old-school horn button on the dash. IIRC there's an old issue of the S/S that has an article on how to pull the column and fix it correctly, but it's not a simple job.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

When I pulled the steering wheel off my '60 CDV, I made a thick washer to put over the end of the column, and cut a slot in it so the wire could be protected when the pressure from the puller was applied.

Bruce.

[59-in-pieces]

Jon,

There have also been other strings on this forum about the issues with pics - I love pics.

Getting past the clever play on words of horny - Bruce has what sounds like a good approach - BUT YOU NEED TO BE DAINTY, and have the right steering wheel pulling tools.

Bruce you shouls post a pic or 2 or many on the how to and the washer - thickness.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[gkhashem]

I used a puller as shown here. I just did this about 2 months ago to refit my turn signal cam. OTC 7245 is the part number. Also cross references to a Kent Moore J-1859A

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SREBI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

First and obvious pull off the steering wheel center cap. Then the trim on the back side of the steering wheel spokes on both sides. Screws are on back side.

As I remember you pull the horn wire out from the steering column center, it plugs in.  The wire has a metal tip on it that plugs into the center. Get the wire out of the way. Then loosen the center nut some and thread it back towards you some but do not remove it. Leaving a gap between the nut and the base of the steering wheel center. This gap will provide enough space to pop the steering wheel off.

Then I used a large enough socket (do not remember the size) that straddles the center (where the wire gets plugged into, but rests on the nut. then use your puller so that it pushes on the socket then the nut (socket back side so the puller post rests on the socket) but not the center of the steering wheel column where the horn wire plugs in. This puts the puller pressure on the nut and not the center threaded tube where the wire plugs in.

Use your puller to popped the steering wheel off the spline then remove the puller and then the center nut and remove the steering wheel. The fun part then is when you replace the steering wheel is to get the turn signal cam back on in the correct spot so it cancels correctly. The cam has a small nub on it that fits into the back of the steering wheel center a real pain for me to get it back in the correct spot.

I hope I am clear, I think the original wheel puller was a Kent Moore J-1859 which probably straddled that center horn wire socket somehow.

Sorry Steve no pictures! But I am sure this is how I did it just 2 months ago.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

This is what I made.

I got a heavy duty washer/spacer, and cut a groove in one side.

This sits on the column with the horn wire exiting the underside, and with the puller pressing down on top of the piece, there is no pressure applied to the wire.

I created the picture showing the placement by using an old shaft that I made for something else.

Bruce.

PS.   My puller is home made too, with three sets of holes for different steering wheel applications.

[gkhashem]

Bruce

All well and good but I remember that center horn wire just plugs into the center of the steering wheel on my 1960.

I think that is not needed to avoid the wire. The issue as I remember is not to apply pressure to the center area or it will break pushing on the nut that has been loosen some but not totally removed with the wire removed worked fine for me.

That center area where the wire come out of is some nylon or something not metal and it is prone to break. When it does you have no horn wire running down the center of the steering column. The center is like an electrical outlet that the wire plugs into.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I sold my '60 a long time ago, and I thought the wire did pop out, as I had the wheel off a few times to attack the dash board.

But, making the spacer might help others that need something like it.

Looking back at my old pictures, I see that the wire is not there.

Bruce.

[gkhashem]

Jon

Did you get the steering wheel off?

[60eldo]

  No, I want to take it off because theres a squeek when I turn. It bugs me. I wanted to spray something around the shaft see if it works. Im thinking that thing with the 2 wires in it must pull out

[gkhashem]

No, I want to take it off because theres a squeek when I turn. It bugs me. I wanted to spray something around the shaft see if it works. Im thinking that thing with the 2 wires in it must pull out

Jon

Read my comment above, yes the wire pulls out. The other ends each go into the spokes on each side and ground the horn when you depress the buttons to blow horn.