You can easily get that steering...
You can easily get that steering wheel out of your way with Grant's new quick-release steering wheel adapter.
The steering wheel is a grand paradox of an automobile necessity. Without it, how would we steer our cars? But, it's always in the way! Until someone invents a steer-by-wire control system for automobiles we are forced to slide our legs under the big round wheel. It's not a particularly difficult maneuver to accomplish in normal cars, but the steering wheel sure gets in the way once you add a rollcage to the mix. What's a clever car guy to do? The answer has come to us from Grant Products in the form of its new quick-release steering wheel adapter kit.
Grant engineered its quick-release kit to work with most of its automotive steering wheels, and designed it as a replacement for the cast-aluminum wheel adapter commonly used to mount all Grant steering wheels on the factory column. The old cast-aluminum adapter and its related hardware are not used with the quick-release kit. The new kit instead uses a splined tubular steel coupling that slips onto the factory steering shaft. The quick-release wheel adapter is machined from aluminum and features a mechanism that allows you to slip the wheel on and off the column in an instant. To remove the wheel you simply pull up on the black steel release ring in the back of the adapter and the wheel will pull right off in your hands. To reinstall the wheel you just push it back down over the column and it automatically locks in place.
There's nothing slicker or more convenient to get the wheel out of the way when you're climbing in and around the rollcage of your race or Pro-Street car. Removing the steering wheel and taking it with you when you leave the car unattended also makes a terrific theft deterrent! How can the car be stolen without a wheel in it to steer with? The only drawback to Grant's quick-release wheel adapter is its lack of a horn mechanism. But, most cars that can make use of a removable steering wheel usually don't have much use for a horn.
 The aluminum wheel adapter...  The aluminum wheel adapter bolts to the quick-release mechanism with three Allen head bolts supplied in the kit. We also used Loctite on the threads of these fasteners. |  Loosen the nut and apply some...  Loosen the nut and apply some red Loctite to the shaft. |  Thread the retaining nut back...  Thread the retaining nut back on the shaft and tighten it to 5 ft-lbs only. Since most torque wrenches don't read that low, you can get close by barely tightening it with a 3/8-inch ratchet. It doesn't take much force at all and the Loctite will keep the nut in place. |
 The first step is to make...  The first step is to make sure the front wheels are pointed straight ahead, and remove your old steering wheel along with any adapter it may have used. Slip the Grant quick-release adapter over the splined steering shaft and thread the nut on loosely. Pull up on the quick release mechanism once and remove the adapter to make sure it's working properly. When using the quick-release adapter, Grant's old-style cast-aluminum wheel adapter is no longer needed. |  The five steering wheel screws...  The five steering wheel screws go on next. We coated them with Loctite and snugged them down hand tight. The whole installation took less than 30 minutes and the wheel is very secure when it's locked on the shaft and easy to get out of our way for vehicle entry, exit, and interior maintenance. Nothing gets in your way worse than the steering wheel when you're crawling under the dash to fix a loose wire. Now the wheel will never bother us. | |