AMC Rambler Interior Upgrade - Install A Custom Steering Wheel

To catch you up, the CC/Rambler is mostly AMC with a JMS Racing-built Jeep 360, a Richmond five-speed transmission, and an M20 rear with a Moser axle and Auburn ECTED locker treatment. We painted it ourselves and added A100 van seats, Wheel Vintiques 02 Series Gasser Alloys from Summit Racing, and a set of Stockton Henry steelies. It runs 11.60 on the motor. The interior is the last thing on the to-do list, and the steering wheel was just gnarly, so we pulled it.

The horn rim or trim ring is usually held in with screws from the back. We've also seen rubber seals that need to be pulled aside.

We are going to save the stock steering wheel because we will never find another one like it. The replacement is a 15-inch, round-hole three-spoke in metalflake blue with a 4-inch dish. We got it from Moon Eyes for $65.00, but it is made by Grant Products.

We were all set to pop the wheel when we realized we needed a puller. We called Summit Racing from the garage and the company overnighted it to us. It's more or less generic for any wheel, unless you have an airbag.

With the trim off, you can get to the wheel retainer nut. Never use an impact to tighten a nut unless you are in a NASCAR race.

The puller works by forcing its center bolt onto the steering shaft. Because the shaft does not move, the two outer bolts pull the wheel off the splines of the steering shaft. Don't use that impact wrench for this job either.

Most bubble alignment gauges are designed like this one from Intercomp. The two outer scales are for reading positive (left) or negative (right) camber. Caster is read off the center scale using an adjustment knob on the bottom of the gauge. There is also a small level at the end of the gauge to indicate if the gauge is parallel to the ground.

The Grant installation kit has a horn contact assembly that you'll also need to take apart. It contains the correct plunger and the contact wire you'll need to get the horn to work.

The entire Grant installation kit is about $25.00 and comes with a new post cover, hub, horn button retainer, and hardware to put it all together. If you don't know what kit you need, a quick way to tell is to set the factory wheel flat on a table next to the aftermarket wheel sitting on top of the hub and post cover. If both assemblies are the same height and the boltholes line up, you are good to go.

Next, we added the factory spring and Grant replacement plunger and taped the wire to the hub so it wouldn't escape.

Almost there. With the post cover on, we installed the wheel with the adapter mounting bolts to make sure everything fit.

After turning the wheel left and right to check for interference, we torqued the wheel retainer nut to 25 ft-lb.

With the wheel retainer nut tight, we removed the mounting bolts and added the horn button retainer with the fiber side out and connected the wire lead.

The last part is the horn cap and spring. It is way easier to tape the spring to the back of the cap before installation.

Have a friend reconnect the battery, making sure you have the horn button depressed so it immediately blasts him in the face. It's sort of a tradition. Then do some smoky burnouts, enjoying the oversteer with your new wheel.