Technical Gm grants 3 hole steering wheel adapter problem big time!!!!!

has anyone ever had a grants 3 hole steering wheel adapter strip the splines on the adapter before? I'm using a gm column and its the right splines. The gm column is the run if the mill 70's style late 80's style with tilt turn signals and hazards but i only use it for tilt. The column splines look to be good but the adapter splines are shot. Im wondering if i should change the column all together. But i cant find a 2 inch column rom speedway with 1" dd theyre all 1 3/4 with 3/4 dd and if i went that route I'd have to change my coulmn drop floor mount and u joints.... Anybody have any idea's

 

When guys dont have the adapter tightly bolted down, they strip. If bought a few cars that way over the years.

If the column splines are good, just get another adapter.

 

Thanks if the splines on the coulmn arent any good how hard is it to change it out? Would that be something i could grt at a parts store or have to go to a junk yard?

 

The column sucked to change out in a musclecar, but if it's in your avatar probably easier. Try a stiff wire brush on the splines. What might look stripped is galled aluminum from the wasted adapter. The hard steel shaft is likely to be fine. If Autozone has a store in "Place'', they have the kits.

 

Agree^^^...

 

My heap came to me with a steel 3 bolt adapter (and ancient metalflake wheel). First one I've ever seen, got a dozen of those aluminum hockey pucks. Now that I think about it, I wonder if someone made it out an old stock wheel hub. Not a bad idea.

 

.............could be someone before you had a pair of vice grips on that column instead of a steering wheel. Or used a lot of heat on it to remove a stubborn wheel and damaged the splines. Prewarcars4me is right..clean up the splines and take a long look. As far as I know nobody sells a simple "spline repair kit" and to swap out the splined stub requires total disassembly of the column.
If the splines are shot, replace that column.

 

yup.....................It, the adapter might have been the wrong applcation and "forced" on sometime before. Maybe?

 

yup.....................It, the adapter might have been the wrong applcation and "forced" on sometime before. Maybe?

 

I'd just buy a new adapter (they're cheap enough) and properly tighten it.

 

Shaft splines are probably still good, the shaft is a ton harder than the aluminum adapter. Clean the shaft splines as mentioned, get a new adapter kit and you should be OK.
Seen the adapters galled up like that several times, usually wrong application or nut not tight enough and let adapter slip on shaft. Only shaft I ever saw messed up was from putting vise grips on the splines.

 

Agreed - those splines are pretty tough. My dad once used a hammer to put a mismatched wheel on his '56 Ford. Messed up the steering box but not the column splines

 

Small triangular file should help clean splines, even if slightly damaged.

 

I have stripped the splines off them before. I made a steel hub out of an old cracked wheel. End of problem.

 

It was a brand new column from gearhead enterprises im wondering is it was a cheap chinese adapter i got when ordered parts online i tightened it properly but still stripped i imagine its cause it wasnt made well im gonna go buy one from an auto oarts store and hope it works better if not i d k what to do my coulumn is 2" with 1" dd i would buy a speedway column expect theyre 1 3/4 with 3/4 dd so then i'd have to make a new drop, floor mount and nee u joints. Which i dont really want to. Ive thiught about making an adapter out of an old steering wheel. Because theyre steel. But if was really a drag when turning a corner at 10 moh and the steering wheel turned but the car didnt im super lucky!!!!!! I was barely goong and didnt end up wrecking or dying.... I want it fixed right because i dont want to have the thought in my mind that it could do it again

 

In that case; I would take a hard look at the splines, wouldn't surprise me a bit if they were out of spec on a Chinese column.

 

Is Gearhead one of those names that are all the same s#!~ company? Google search that name; you might have a totally unsafe column!

 

Figured you had a stock GM column, since it's aftermarket, all bets are off. Depending on who made it, it might be as good as a GM, or a total piece of shit. If that name is associated with the Hoffman Group, throw it in the scrap pile before you or somebody else gets killed!!!!

 

http://www.gearheadworld.com/store/...Tilt-Steering-Column-GM-Hot-Rod-P3303C76.aspx This is where i got it

 

I just searched google types in gearhead enterprises hoffman group and first few links showed up people talking shit so im gonna but a new tilt column from somewhere else rather its from ididit, speedway, or flaming river there more than i can afford but life is priceless F#@k it

 

How good are the summit gm column? I ask because they look like ididit or flaming river but lower in price

 

Has anyone ever seen one of those aluminum adapters that didn't strip out? It's almost suicide to use them. The splines in the steel shaft are much harder than the aluminum or zinc so they wont be damaged. It costs more to put splines in steel so they make cheap adapters. They have always been a problem even when they were made in the USA. As has been said, take an unused factory wheel, cut out the center and have it machined to match the adapter. Much stronger and safer.

 

all of them I have seen state not to be used on tilt wheels. I locked mine down with a allen head bolt .

 

I went to the auto parts store and picked up another one made by pilot this fits how it should. The other ones i could pull off with my fingers and this one i have to actually use a steering wheel puller its on there for good so wasnt the column just shitty adapters

 

Glad you got it solved. The reverse engineered offshore stuff is scary.

 

Thank you. Yes that stuff is. Gotta watch it. Like the sayin goes "you get what you pay for!"

 

Were the bad adapters you ordered on line actually "Grant" brand?

 

I'm unsure.