Went out to start the '81 Diplomate in the garage. Battery dead. Factory steering wheel spokes have the horn buttons and they are imbedded in a degraded open cell foam. They hap hazardously turn on and stay on. Looking to replace the factory wheel with a Grant. Nothing listed for my car. Anyone have a thought? Going to replace the horn switch too.
STEERING REPLACEMENT
- Thread starter CM360
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M_Body_Coupe
Well-Known Member
But you do not have to replace it...just re-build using a new foam strip. Been there, done that, and that worked out very well.
I actually went looking for some photos of that resto but didn't find any...just the final product.
I actually went looking for some photos of that resto but didn't find any...just the final product.
Mikes5thAve
Well-Known Member
It's a gm style column, that might make it easier to find whatever mounting hardware is needed.
Yup, S Type T-top car.
The car has an oddball history all centering Dippy.org. I had met the previous owner of the car, Tom through the board about 16 years ago. Turns out he lived 20 minutes from me here in Michigan. We had hung out a couple times and floated the idea of selling me the car, but I was a broke college student at the time. He ended up moving to Seattle for work and took the car with him.
Few years later Dad wants to get a car after seeing the fun I was having with my 5A. We looked locally at a couple Miradas and Aspen coupes, but they were all rot boxes. Then Dad gets shipped out to Washington for work. I looked up Tom and sent him a message. Turns out he was still interested in selling the car, so I flew out to Washington and Dad and I drove the three hours north to meet him. Dad bought the car and shipped it back to Michigan.
The motor it has now is a roller 360 block I drove to Maryland to get from another forum member by the name of Reggie a few years before. Dad built a 408 out of it when I decided to go big block instead.
A few years someone at the Woodward cruise recognized the car and started up a fairly long conversation. It's been a fun project.
So yeah, long winded answer to a short question: Dad bought the car in 2010ish.
I have information on how to fix those horn button strips on this site (one or two places) . . . somewhere - which is much like what @M_Body_Coupe is talking about.
A person would need to do a search with my name and horn (...I think).
I've rebuilt a ton of these strip switches before. Not hard, but time consuming.
BudW
A person would need to do a search with my name and horn (...I think).
I've rebuilt a ton of these strip switches before. Not hard, but time consuming.
BudW
Aspen500
Well-Known Member
Somebody here posted a detailed rebuild using 3M foam/tape and a hole punch, had a detailed diagram... does the steering wheel have to come off for the repair??? mine is bad too...
M_Body_Coupe
Well-Known Member
No detailed write-up here, but a couple of photos.
So basically you'd need to remove the horn button assembly, then you have some trim to pull and you're there.
Yes I know, I assume the process is the same for my 2 spoke steering wheel as this, my question is, do I have to pull (take off) the steering wheel, all the examples I have seen, including this one, have the steering wheel off when repairing...
Mikes5thAve
Well-Known Member
It shouldn't matter if the wheel is on or off.
Thanks, guess it was just coincidence that every post I saw here and other places had the wheel off... I was told your need a 'puller' to remove steering wheel and I don't have one... found a NOS, replacement for my 81 LeBaron Medallion 2 spoke wheel, but don't know if it is good, heard the membrane/contact separator can go bad in older NOS, depends how it was stored, but it was cheap compared to other NOS I have found, going for $200.... for essentially a switch... Thanks again...
M_Body_Coupe
Well-Known Member
Ahh...sorry, I used these pics because when I took them I had the column out of the car and it was just easier to document the build that way.
But...even when the whole column is installed in the car you can certianly do the same. This means you do NOT have to remove the steering wheel itself. In fact as you see in these photos to wheel is still attached to the steering column (the spline and the blue nut are visible in the middle), and the whole horn assembly has been removed.
That's all you need to get to in order to fix up any horn contacts issues.
Now if in addition to the horn fix you are also looking to replace/fix any turn signal issues, at least on my coupe that would require the steering wheel to be pulled.
Mikes5thAve
Well-Known Member
Oh and yeah that padding is the sort of thing that breaks down over time so you're right there is no guarantee an nos one would still be good.
Its the same sort of stuff they used in the 80s radios with the 6 or 8 little memory buttons that causes them to go bad over time.
Its the same sort of stuff they used in the 80s radios with the 6 or 8 little memory buttons that causes them to go bad over time.
Yeah, I know, hoping to test it before installing (although I don't have voltmeter), But it was pretty cheap, so i figure I can do the repair on it, thanks to the info provided here by M_body_coup and others in a few threads (forget who they all are), without have the steering wheel apart. Will save the old one even if this one works, no telling how long it will last, repair that one if needed. Thanks, any advice on pulling the cover pad??? looks like it just needs coaxing...
