sasquatchola

Hey guys.. so many of us who run bucket seats and are fairly.. how should i say this.. "large" in body size have trouble exiting vehicles with bucket seats since you need to "lift" yourself up then out.
This normally results in your legs hitting the steering wheel and a very awkward position.

I was looking into short steering hubs to allow the of a quick tilt or quick release. This would give more space for getting in an out of the vehicle and make things as lot easier
Most hubs for our cars are long collapsible hubs.. then throw a quick release on top of that.. the steering wheel basically sits on your chest. unless youre very tall and sit with your seat all the way back, this is very uncomfortable and typically unsafe.

You basically have 4 options to go about this:

1. NRG Short Hub - not a fan. NRG is not original. they are a replica company and have been since day one. Their products are decent and I have used their stuff before. It works and gets the job done.. but i only ever recommend their quick releases to people as it's cheap, proven and now SFI certified. their hubs have always given me weird fitment issues.
2. Momo/Sparco/OMP or any collapsible hub that is cut/welded shorter - it works. its not as safe as id prefer, but id take it over an NRG hub.
3. Rothsport Race Hub - this works great... but you lose your horn and it's almost designed in a way where you HAVE to use their quick release
4. Works Bell Short Hub - most expensive hub on the market. keeps your horn. arguably the highest quality hub of the bunch

I went with a Works Bell Short Hub

Part number WB-0993S

Link: https://www.evasivemotorsports.com/s...97-boxster-96/

Claimed to fit 964, 993, 996 and 986 models

I also decided to pair it with a Works Bell Rapfix GTC Pop-Up that ive had for a few years now.

Link: https://www.evasivemotorsports.com/s...-system-black/

Job Difficulty: 2/10
Time Required: 30 Minutes

Tools Needed for this job:
24mm Socket, short extension and ratchet or breaker bar.
Assorted Allen Keys to match your steering wheel hardware - typically 3mm and 4mm is all you need. Works Bell provides 3mm hex bolts and a matching allen key
T30 torx - have a long one.. or use the one included with the Works Bell Hub
Pliers - you only need this IF you use the T30 Torx included with the Works Bell Hub.. it's needed for the extra leverage to remove the T30 bolts holding the air bag onto the wheel
Flathead screwdriver
Spade connectors and extra wires - this is only needed if your steering wheel horn button requires them. typically it's not needed and most horn buttons come with them

The Works Bell Hub(both short and regular versions) comes with EVERYTHING needed to install. All you need is a socket to remove the nut holding your steering wheel on, pliers(leverage for the t30 bolts), and a flathead for the clock spring lock

The Works Bell Hub also re-uses the clock spring on the vehicle. It makes life a million times easier. No cutting wires. No removing extra interior panels.. nada.

lets get on with it. I will be skipping some steps as it's straightforward and there's millions of tutorials readily available

Step 0) Open your box. Look at the goodies from Japan!



Step 1) Disconnect negative terminal on battery.

Step 2) Grab a beer, and pump the brakes a few times to discharge any leftover current in the system. You're working with an airbag. It's an explosive device.

Step 3) Insert your key into the car and put the car into the "On" position

Step 4) If you look at the backside of your steering wheel, there's two holes. There's a T30 Torx screw in each hole. Insert the Tool provided by Works Bell, find the bolt(this took the longest i think lol), and once the tool is in the head of the bolt, grab the end of the took with pliers and twist counter-clockwise to loosen then. These are TIGHT, but with a little pressure they come off easily. Once you loosen both screws, put the tool aside, you wont need it anymore. The screws are captured in the steering wheel and wont come out, they just stay in the steering wheel.

Step 5) Remove airbag CAREFULLY. Pull it toward you slowly. There is a yellow connector. Carefully pull the connector off and put the airbag aside.

Step 6) There are two spade connectors connected to the steering wheel. Grab those and pull them off.



Step 7) Use a 24mm Socket, Short Extension, and a Ratchet to undo the Nut holding the steering wheel on. At this point I removed the key from my car, and turned the steering wheel until it locked, then removed the nut, followed by the wavy washer behind it.

Step 8) Put the nut by itself back onto steering shaft, but only by a few turns.

Step 9) Insert you key, and release the steering wheel from the ignition lock

Step 10) Center your steering wheel.

Step 11) Give the steering wheel a good tug and it will come off the splines. Be care of the wires sticking out of the clock spring

Step 12) Remove the nut again and pull the steering wheel off:



Step 13) If you look at your Works Bell Hub, one of the bolt holes as a dimple on it, this is to help "center" your steering wheel. Slide your hub onto the splines as center as you can with the dimple in the upward position. Dont forget to slide the airbag and horn wires through the little hole as well. You can remove the black plastic shroud to make it easier. I'm not sure why I didn't take a picture of this.

Step 14) Slide the wavy washer then the 24mm nut onto the steering shaft. Temporarily install your steering wheel with two screws. Hold your Steering Wheel(or remove your key and let it hit the ignition lock) and tighten center nut. The torque spec is 50Nm or 37lbs-ft. Most people with a 6" long ratchet can achieve way past that torque spec if they put a small bit of effort into it



Step 15) Remove the steering wheel and remove the black plastic shroud from the hub, and grab your flathead screwdriver. Time to bend some stuff.

If you look at the rearside of both your hub and your original steering wheel, you will notice something looks a little different





Your original steering wheel has a "tab" that pushes the clock spring lock out to allow it to spin freely.
The Works Bell Hub does not have this.

Step 16) Grab your flathead and locate the little lock. it's a metal tab on the left side of the clock springs.



all you have to do is hold the metal tab in place with your finger and slightly bend the tab outward so it wont catch the plastic grooves. This tab is simply there to keep the clock spring centered when the steering wheel is off the splines.



Step 17) There's black square with two wires attached to it. This is your airbag light defeat. It's also fused which is great. Grab it and plug it into your airbag harness. Doesn't matter which way.




At this point, you have two options:

1. Install the Steering Wheel and Horn of your choice. Install your Steering wheel then skip to Step 19 if your dont want to install a quick release or tilt
2. Install Quick Release Hub or Quick Tilt Hub followed by your Steering Wheel and Horn
   

Step 18) Grab your Quick Release or Tilt Hub. Any choice that uses a 6 bolt momo pattern will work. I will be using a Works Bell Rapfix GTC Pop Up



Step 19) Test your horn. See those two wires sticking out that you havent plugged in yet? They are female spade connectors. Turn your key off, Reconnect your battery, Turn your key on, then touch the two connectors together. You should hear the horn beep. If the horn beeps, turn your car on, and test it again. It should still beep. If it does, you're ready for the fun stuff. If it doesn't check again and make sure you didn't miss a step. If everything looks good, you have a further issue with your clock spring which i unfortunately can't help you with.

Step 20) Plug in your Horn Wires to your Quick Release/Tilt(or horn if youre not running a quick release/tilt). Most Quick Release Hubs or Quick Tilt Hub have spade connectors on them as do more horns. The shorter of the two wires sticking out of your steering column/hub is your ground wire. The longer wire is your Positive Wire.

Ground Wire to Black or Brown
Positive Wire to Red or Yellow

Plug them into your Quick Release/Tilt or Horn

Step 21) Shove all the wires into the hub and screw on your Quick Release/Tilt or pop your Horn into it's place in the center of the steering wheel

At this point, if you installed your Steering Wheel and Horn without a Quick Release or Tilt, you are done. Go for a test drive, and make sure the steering wheel is straight. If your steering wheel is not straight, skip to Step 25

Step 22) Once you install the Quick Release/Tilt onto your hub, install your Steering Wheel

Step 23) Install your Horn Button. Plug the two wires coming out of your Quick Release or Tilt into your horn, Snap it into the center of the Steering Wheel, turn the key on/car on, and test the horn. If it works you're done. If it does not work, then something is not connected into your Horn or Quick Release/Tilt. Double check everything.

Step 24) Go for a test drive and make sure your steer wheel is straight. If it is, you have successfully finished and can have another beer.





Step 25) If your steering wheel is not straight, take note of the position the steering wheel is in when the car is driving straight, head back home and park the car with the steering wheel in the position it was in when the vehicle was driving straight.

Pop your Quick Release/Tilt assembly off(or Horn button off if you dont have a Quick Release/Tilt), remove the nut. Pull the hub off and re-align it to make it straight and re-install everything and test again.


As you can see the portion about installing the Quick Release, Tilt and Horn Button does not have many pictures at all. This is because each one is different and typically comes with instructions on how to install and wire them. I dont want to confuse anyone by posting pictures of a Works Bell product then having them mess something up trying to wire the NRG Replica of the Works Bell product. This is where a bit more of your own testing comes in and you just gotta play around with wires. Remember all you need is power and ground for the horn to work.

With my current set up, the steering wheel is in about the same location as the original steering wheel.

let me know if anyone has any questions or how i can improve this DIY.

Thanks,
Chris