hello everyone! I bought a 1987 iroc-z 5.7 that came with a grant GT steering wheel. The problem is that its not centered per say. I've taken it off to see the mounting and that's the only way it fits on. Has anyone else had a problem like this before?



Thanks!

 

Your front end is out of alignment... Try that first, it's usually $50.

 

Not centered, as in straight?

Make sure your front tires are STRAIGHT ahead. Take the steering wheel off & reposition it.

If you put it on straight, most likely your wheels weren't steered straight ahead when you put it on.

Only need a front end alignment, if the car pulls left/right or wears the tires badly. Alignment has nothing to do with how the steering wheel sits.

 

when I removed the wheel the wheels were straight, and even then when I was putting the steering wheel back on it only fit in one position (which is in the picture above). Its strange!

 

I'm assuming your wheel used those adapter hubs, to bolt to?

If so....Did you get the adapter on straight? I've never see a keyway, that would make the hub go on, only 1 way.

 

Hmm I wasn't aware of any adaptor hubs. It looks like whoever replaced the wheel originally just bolted it right on. Since I don't know alot about steering wheels and might be giving false info its posible for me to get the wheel off and take some pictures later on... that would basically show you what I'm working with.

 

I've always seen all the Grants with those little block bolts in the middle, holding the wheel to the hub, like in your pic.

And the hub made to fit which ever vehicle the steering wheel is going in to.
http://www.grantproducts.com/c-225-s...tion-kits.aspx

 

Wow, that is the nicest Third Gen interior I have ever seen.

 

This is a simple fix, a Grant wheel can really only bolt on in three positions, get the closest one you can.
Next, remove your steering shaft from your gear box, it is a fine splined shaft, and after you remove your steering shaft, rotate it till you get your steering wheel where you want it, then slide the steering shaft back onto your gearbox.
Problem solved.
Make sure your wheels are pointing straight when you accomplish this.

 

I have that same wheel on my 92. When you unbolt if from the column, there is a black metal column cap that should basically fall off the column. The wheel bolts through it into the adapter hub. The adapter hub is what needs to be moved. It is a VERY tight fit on the steering shaft, you'll need a wheel puller to remove it. You can pick them up cheap at any parts store, or rent one for free. After you remove the adapter, loosely bolt the wheel to it. Line up your wheel straight and push it onto the shaft. The end of the shaft is threaded, use the nut that threads onto it to "pull" the hub adapter onto the shaft. Unbolt the wheel and reinstall the cover plate, wheel, and horn button.

 

You don't want to do it that way. The input shaft on the box has a flat on it so the bolt to clamp the steering shaft fits properly. If you don't have the bolt lined up on that flat it will not line up properly across the clamp and you either won't be able to get the bolt in, you'll crossthread the bolt, or you'll get it in but it won't clamp the steering shaft end tightly enough around the input shaft.

The proper way to fix it is to move the wheel.

 

Ok sorry for the wait! I went out today to take some pictures..




Here you can see how its mounting





Yes that's duct tape on the smaller tube..I removed it after the picture haha






Its pretty plain jane and needs a good cleaning but thanks!

 

That's the exact same wheel I've got. Yours looks a lot better than mine does though. Just make sure when you put it back on that you line up the horn connection with one of the holes on the adapter. I always seem to forget to do that.

 

I think the hub wasn't positioned right on the shaft. If you remove the steering wheel from the hub. You'll see the hub has a notch (small arrow) that indicates the "top". The steering shaft should have the same notch. Just lign up and match up the 2 notches and the wheel should be straight. If you bolt it up correct and the wheel is still not straight, then your front end is out of alignment. I have the exact same steering wheel on my Trans Am (but mines black ) and had to get it align-centered right...

 

You guys sound like you know a lot more about this than me but once I had my car realligned. When I got it back the steering whel was positioned wrong when I was going straight. I took it back and they straightenned it. So I know it can be adjusted with a reallingment. I am not saying you need reallignment but the steering can be adjusted underneath. However, It would cost to take it in and get it done. I hope this is helpful.

 

^^not trying to ruin your life man but i guarantee the second time you took it back they just took the wheel off and put it on the right way....an alignment is ONLY to correct for a pull to either right or left, improper angles for the way the wheel touches the ground(camber, caster, toe, etc), and also some cars can need a 4 wheel alignment because the car gets so out of wack that it looks like its crab walking when its going straight, for the impaired this means it looks like its sliding sideways whiles its actually going straight(this was a big problem with some older pickup trucks)....either way an alignment doesnt fix the way your wheel is centered...i mean you could adjust everything up front so the wheel does look straight but that is crazy amounts of work for no reason...just make sure all the angles are good up front and take the wheel off and put it on as straight as possible....just my .02cents

 

iv been rounds with what the OP is dealing with and the thing that is causing the issue is the horn straw that holds the horn wire. if yours is a tad off or a few notches to say it another way, i grabbed a round file and filed the straw hole back a bit the direction the wheel needed to go.

BTW my alignment was dead on when i did the steering wheel.

 

Is the adapter the grey metal piece on the back side of the wheel? If so then that/nothing else will come loose and I've determined the I will need to drill my own holes for the small horn tube. Once I have access to my vehicle I'm going to take off the wheel again and check into drilling.

 

ok there are 2 ways to do this, right, or wrong, you car is misaligned. sounds like someon aligned the car without centering the wheel, probably an at home job, spend the 80 bucks and get your car aligned PROPERLY and that will take car of the wheel issue, otherwise your turn signals will always work funny, and you will have half a turn of travel EXTRA in one direction or another, meaning the danger of steering bind or wheel rub, if that hrn tube lines up, the wheel is on right, and your front toe is shifted to one side.

 

Just spend the money to get it aligned and make sure you mention you want the wheel straight then make them figure it out, its their job.

 

you know... i replaced my old steering wheel, the wheels where straight, the steering wheel was not missaligned or anything on my original wheel, i replaced it with the same exact wheel as yamban. everybody that i mentioned this problem told me the same things people in this post told me.. im guessing its the wheel itself, that wheel is probably not meant for our year or something.. the wheel is categorized as classic cars/truck according to the gt grant website, which could make it universal.anyways, what i did to save me money and stuff was to just drill new holes and be done with it! im sure you might need an alignment, just like my car does, but im sure "that" is not the cause of a missaligned steering wheel. the guy you bought it from probably did the same exact thing i did to install it, got a puller, took the old one out and put the new one in and ended up with a un-even wheel, i got out the car and made sure the tires where straight, and where. if you can find a better way than my solution let us know! but you are not the only one who is in the situation you are in with the same steering wheel. good luck!

 

as i look at the wheel the OP has, you can pull all of hte 8 or so screws that bolts the wheel to the center section and move it around some that way. this will get ya VERY close or dead on.

 

I have this wheel and mine mounted on about 3 teeth off from the center mark in clockwise rotation of the steering shaft, due to the plastic pieces' (Forget what goes there) hole being off, drill out some and good to go. Anyway the 8 screws only hold the center black plastic ring of the wheel in, other than that those screws don't do anything else, meaning no rotation of the wheel by doing so.

 

Unfortunately, its not quite that simple. The hex bolts around the center of the wheel hold the front and back of the wheel together. The center part doesn't actually separate from the spokes or the outer ring of the wheel.

Edit: Sorry, I skipped over I H8's post. Completely missed that he already pointed that out.

 

I see you guys need some help here. See those three bolts in the middle of the wheel in this picture?



Take them out and rotate your adapter one bolt hole counterclock wise. Then one or the other of those two holes through the adapter for the horn should line up correctly. If not rotate it to the next one. Now it may be that the orange part is in wrong. In which case you need to take out the black screws in the satin part and rotate it till it lines up.