Box Panther Steering Wheel/Shaft Interchange

[VicCrownVic]

So you want to swap your steering wheel in your box but the new steering wheel you have will not mount to your steering shaft.
There are two styles of steering wheel mount/steering shaft for '79-'89 box panthers.
If I understand correctly, '79-'82 has a round splined shaft that the steering wheel mounts to while '83-'89 has a shaft with 2 flat sides that the steering wheel mounts to.
This thread details what I learned about swapping one shaft for the other without dropping the steering column. This thread applies to '79-89 boxes with steering wheel tilt.

This thread does not apply, afik, to '90-'91 boxes because aero-dash/steering wheel with a bomb. Although I kind of want to tear apart one of my '91 MGMs to see if the shaft would swap.

1. Remove the Steering wheel
   • Pull the horn pad
   • Remove the bolt (later style) or nut (early style)
   • Get your steering wheel puller out (or rent one)
2. Remove the plastic collar at the top of the steering column.
3. Remove plate and spring.
   • Two screws hold the plate on
   • The plate has attached to it the electrical contacts for the horn and cruise (if equipped). You may need to remove the lower steering column shroud since you may need to disconnect the the electrical connector for this in order to get enough slack to remove the plate.
   • The spring and plate will then just pull off.
   • The plate also has a plastic clip which the collar in the previous step clips into. Don't forget to put this thing on before you tighten the plate down during re-assembly.
4. Remove the C-clip at the base of the steering wheel mount shaft
   • It likes to go flying, so watch out for that
5. Remove the tilt spring
   • Tilt the wheel all the way
6. Remove the pivot pins for the tilt housing
   • 
   • I used a 2 inch 8-32 screw (at least that's what the bin at the hardware store was labeled) and nut along with a small socket as a puller. (The electrical tape was an attempt to not mark the part up.)
   • Unlike the picture, I realized I only needed one socket, and a washer between the nut and socket. The socket must be wide enough to pull the pivot pin into it.
   • The 11/32 or 9mm socket to tun the nut slipped right over the screw head.
   • I broke one screw and bent another, so pick up a few of them and maybe go slow when pulling. Luckily there was more than enough screw left to clamp onto and extract the part that broke off in the pivot pin.
   • For reinstall, thread the pin onto the screw. Twist as you insert it to make sure the spline line up. Lightly tap it in the rest of the way. It should tap in pretty easy as long as the splines are lined up right. If not, pull it back out and try again.
7. Remove the tilt housing
   • If it doesn't come off by hand, grab your pulley puller or rent one.
8. Pull the shaft out
   • Reinstalling the steering wheel probably would have helped.
   • I removed the bolt in the engine bay instead, but that's pretty easy to do without an engine in the way.

[Grand Marquis GT]

Thanks to you getting me the parts, I am going to attempt to do this tommorrow. Should be fun!

[VicCrownVic]

Cool, hopefully my post above makes enough sense. If not I should be able to clarify any questions that come up.

I see I didn't finish my thought on step 5. It should say: "Tilt the steering wheel all the way (up or down; I don't remember) so that the tilt spring opens enough to get something like needle nose pliers (unless you have a very small spring compressor) in to compress the spring enough to get it out."
I didn't put the steering wheel back on for this step but I suppose it could help while tilting the mount assembly.

Good luck!

[knucklehead0202]

Considering a swap on my '90, anything special to be known about those? I figure when I do the computer swap i'll lose my cruise anyway so I might as well put a neat wheel on. Besides, I make a road trip once or twice a year and it's southern California so cruise control is next to worthless anyhow.

[VicCrownVic]

Honestly I have no idea, although I assume it would not be an easy swap. I would imagine some fabrication would be needed on the dash structure and possibly the opening in the firewall that the shaft passes through. Basically I would imagine the whole steering column would need to be swapped and possibly the shaft between the steering gear box and firewall.
Since I don't know any of that for sure, some, if not all, of those assumptions may be wrong.

[Grand Marquis GT]

So, I did this today.

A couple notes:
- I have an '83, and from the pics, I was able to just switch the upper part of the knuckle and I was good to go. 83-87 may be similar, and the same nut works on both knockles.
- You will break many machine bolts. See picture.
- Success! Now, this steering wheel is larger diameter/deeper, but I like it. Now I just need to get a good condiction set of steering column plastics!

[VicCrownVic]

Also, as Tom has informed me (edit: posted above), the change in u-joint design happened later than the change in steering wheel mont.

So his '83 had the later steering wheel mount like my '89 but the early u-joint like the donor '82. So the swap for him mus have been easier than originally planned.
No idea when that u-joint changed, but it seems to be some time after '83.

[gadget73]

Use allen key bolts for pullers. They are hardened and a hell of a lot more robust than standard cheese grade types. Might have to order them in small size, not everyone carries those in sizes under 1/4".