tcarroll

I just took off an old Grant 13" steering wheel, I am putting on a Stock Sport Steering Wheel 15 1/2 " (1970 - 1977)
I have the hub, the horn contact and the horn button for this steering wheel.
I think I am missing a contact of some sort for the horn to work.
I have two different plastic horn contacts with the copper strip that sits under the hub, the one I took off has the notch for the spring loaded wire. from what I can see this set up will not work on this steering wheel and hub. the other one I have has no notch for a spring loaded wire. Does this just have something that sits in there to make contact with the horn button when depressed?

Any help is appreciated, thank you in advance...Todd

2blu442

Hi Todd
I know there's an old thread on this, but I can't find it. The first picture is what I think your needing, and the little spring/plastic ring/small brass piston is available repop.

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But let me take it down to the blinker switch and show the pieces needed.

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tcarroll

This is fantastic thank you very much for the pictures 2blu. I found the black piece, brass piece and spring. my black piece does not have the little nib on it to twist into the plastic horn contact, does that matter? So this brass piece has power running through it and touches the underside of the 3 screwed horn cap retainer which activates the horn once the horn button is pushed which grounds the circuit....correct?
After removing the Grant steering wheel which was on the car when I got it I can see that I am missing the two metal round caps held on by the C-clip and two screws. My car is a 1968 Cutlass S so there is no steering lock so maybe these plates were not used or do I need them?
Thank you again your help is greatly appreciated....Todd

Paladin31

X2 John you are awesome, that helps so much.
Thank you
Brett

joe_padavano

Let me just clarify that this photo is not how the eyelet and spring get installed.

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The spring goes in the hole first, followed by the eyelet (big end down), and finally the plastic retainer ring. The small end of the eyelet needs to be spring-loaded against the "L" tab on the bottom of the horn contact ring once the ring is attached to the steering wheel hub.

2blu442

Thanks Joe. I photographed the disassembly from a parts car years ago and didn't realize it was in wrong. I'll try to get the correct picture to replace this one and avoid confusion in the future.

Since Todd is working on a 1968 column, is he correct that he won't have the two plates?

John

joe_padavano

Correct. Since the 68 column doesn't have the locking feature, the thick lock plate and thin metal dust cover will not be present.

tcarroll

Thank you so much guys I really appreciate your help....Todd

tcarroll

I got it done this morning, it didn't feel 100% right putting it together but hey it is working so.......

Thank you for all your help : )

Best Todd

(pics attached of my 1968 Cutlass S with new steering wheel)

Tim305

I know this is an old thread but I have a 69 cutlass and I need to know how to get a replacement part. On picture 3 and 4 I shows a white plastic part. Mine has this part with the long shaft the sticks through broken off. I have tried several times to glue it back on without success. Does anyone know what this part is called and where I can buy a new on? In your photo it has an 8 s stamped on it.

Rocket North

Parts place has them.
It is called a horn canceling cam.

Dick

tcarroll

You can probably still get one from autozone, etc. for a lot cheaper price.

joe_padavano

Actually, it's called a TURN SIGNAL cancelling cam, as the two bumps on the sides are the cam lobes that cancel the turn signal after you turn the wheel. The same part is used by Chevrolet, so they pretty much grow on trees. The Dorman part available at just about any auto parts store works fine.

Tim305

Thanks everyone.

Leadfoot

I've been doing some research on this myself lately, and found a few interesting bits. The (1969-71?) cancelling cam shown in the photos is GM part #7804768. This is the old style cam that used a friction fit black plastic retainer to keep the spring and sleeve/pin in the cam tower. The plastic retainer in the photos is for the later ('72+?) style cam which had a grooved tower to make a twist and turn capture for the retainer lugs, much like an 1157 style lamp and socket. The later style GM #7812210 cancelling cam replaced the earlier style (either works as long as you have the correct, matching retainer). So actually, the black retainer in 2blu442's photos does not go with the cancelling cam in the photos... it's for the later style cam.
Maybe somebody more savvy than I can clarify the years these were used, but I think GM superseded the original, and intended for all replacements to use the later style.

Leadfoot

Maybe this will clarify.

BeenThere

From my experience, the old style cancelling cam was used up through the 1970 model year. The new style started in the 1971 model year.

tcarroll

I have the friction fit one in my 68 Cutlass as that is the only one I had. My issue is my cancelling cam does not seem to work on one side. I just had the car aligned and I need to take off the steering wheel and put it back on straight. Anyone know why my cancelling cam is not doing its job?

Leadfoot

There should be two lobes on the back (firewall) side of your cancelling cam. They are roughly 60 degrees apart, and under the plastic tower side of the cam. When the steering wheel returns to center after a turn, it's (one of) those lobes that strike the spring-loaded turn signal switch and turn it off. Check to be sure you have the correct cam. The tilt wheel cancelling cam is also a different part number from the non-tilt part, so it's probably worth checking to make sure that's correct. If the lobes are correct and intact, check that the cam is installed in the correct position. I'm almost certain that for your car, the contact tower should be at the 9 o'clock position. I never investigated the switch closely enough to determine how important this is but that's how the factory service manual shows it, and it should be the only way the lock plate will go back on over the cam. I believe my '69 is the same as the '68, and if yours is vastly different, you may be working with non-original parts.

If all of that checks out, there is probably a problem in your switch. There are a couple of torsion springs in there that can wear out or become weak or dislodged. Replacement switches are available, though not cheap. Many here have rebuilt their switches with new springs, which are also pretty easy to find.

tcarroll

My 1968 Cutlass does not have the locking plates as there is no locking steering on a 68 and there is also no master spline. I think this is where the problem lies. I looked at the signal switch springs, and they are there and operating well manually. The cam will cancel if I spin this cancelling cam around by hand, but not when I am driving. You said it needs to be at 9 oclock? Mine is at 3 oclcok, could this be all that is wrong? I just need to pull off the hub and spin it around to 9 oclock?

thanks Todd

Leadfoot

Duh!! You're right of course -- I'm used to working on the '69, which would definitely have some differences, like the locking plate. On vehicles with the locking plate, it restricts where the cancelling cam tower can be located. On the '68, I'm not sure what determines this. Do you have the factory service manual or the assembly manual?

The '68 may indeed need to have the tower at 3 o'clock, but it definitely does need to be in the correct orientation and to rotate with the steering shaft without play. Once assembled, the cancel cam must be locked to the steering shaft in order to work. If the '68 accomplishes this only by the fastening of the hub, then is it possible that the hub could be in the wrong orientation?

The signal switch is fastened to the steering column housing and remains fixed, while the cancel cam rotates with the steering shaft and wheel. The signal switch has plastic followers which are operated by the lobes on the back side of the cancel cam. Those followers can also become worn, broken, or weak. More importantly, if the cancel cam lobes don't hit these followers, cancelling won't happen.

I'd have to do some research on the '68 to see how it's assembled.

tcarroll

Thank you we are thinking ion the same way but I do not have any pictures of how this should be assembled. It was in the 3 oclock position but it had a grant steering wheel on it That shouldnt matter though as far as the cancelling mechanism its either in correctly or not. I dont trust the last person who assembled it as it was pretty rough. Maybe it needs to be I nthe 9 oclock or maybe it is just worn out. However I did look for the bumps on the back of the cancelling cam and they do seem to be there. Maybe it is the signal switch that is attached to the housing that is worn out. Its weird because once in a blue moon it will cancel.

Leadfoot

I'd agree, the steering wheel shouldn't affect the cancelling. FWIW, I had similar issues with one side not blinking. The previous owner was convinced that the problem was in the trunk harness, so I replaced that and the problem persisted. Once I replaced the turn signal switch, the problems disappeared. I can now even shut off the hazards with the button (before I had to wait until it decided to shut off by itself).

If you haven't done so already, go to wildaboutcarsonline.com, register, and download all the free manuals for your car. They should have the factory assembly manual and the factory service manual, one or both of which will show you what should originally have been in your steering column. That's where I'd start, and it could eliminate a lot of questions. A picture or diagram is definitely worth a thousand words.

joe_padavano

Yeah, one of the springs on the switch is broken. This is common. Dorman sells replacement springs. P/N 49312, about three bucks.

tcarroll

Leadfoot thank you for the link for the manuals this help tremendously. I just got home from Ruidoso as there was a car show there in NM. I barely made it there and home (El Paso TX) with my carb acting up terribly. Joe both those springs are in tact that was the first thing I checked...Thanks all...Todd