Car is bent

[P. Kennedy]

Please note the angle of the steering wheel in the photo below.  I feel it is safe to assume my car was once hit in the left front (the fender is not original.)  Also the steering wheel is cranked right probably 20 degrees when going perfectly straight.

Has anyone had related experience?  Is the car fixable via tweaking on a rack of some kind?  Would a Carfax report shed any light on this alleged accident?  Seeking opinions and genuine knowledge.

[Bill-B]

Damn, that is pretty bad, that is how the 99' 9-3 my dad had(thank go it is gone) always was from the factory, even the loaner cars were like that.

[P. Kennedy]

Very helpful.  Thanks.

[sheepdog]

It would be bent where it exits the firewall. The rack would still likely be centered.

[Bill-B]

Very helpful.  Thanks.

Sorry, had to get that out:D

[nickmpower]

i cant see any way possible of a repairable accident causing that. i think its supposed to be like that

[D. Clay]

Steering wheel itself could be bent. I center the wheel on mine by first setting toe and then cranking one tie rod in and the other one out the same amount to center the rack and wheel.

[P. Kennedy]

Steering wheel itself is quite on a flat plane.  Hence my reason for using the straight edge.

I'ts SUPPOSED to be like that?  :confused:

Brief survey:  Any other steering wheels out there with one quadrant 3 inches closer to the driver than the opposite one?

[gearheadE30]

Mine is straight. If you take the knee gaurd and metal shield out and look up under the dash, you should be able to see the four bolts that hold the steering shaft in the right angle. One of the bolts on may car was a bit loose and the wheel would move a tiny bit from left to right. Your wheel looks pretty bad, though...

[P. Kennedy]

Good advice.  Thanks.  I will probe further in that area as well.

Your sig picture is remarkable, Gearhead.  Tell us more.

[gearheadE30]

Your sig picture is remarkable, Gearhead. Tell us more.

Thanks, the picture was taken behind Nickel Plate Bar & Grill off of 116th street, if you know the area. Used the sketch filter in pshop and put my name on it (which is about the extent of my pshop skills ).

Here is the original


And here is the water tower it was parked in front of

[P. Kennedy]

I finally got around to removing the steering wheel just now, and D. Clay is correct:  The steering wheel itself IS bent!  In all kinds of ways.  Now I get to go MTech II or MOMO shopping!  I previously pooh-poohed the bent wheel theory.

With the steering wheel off, looking from the spline, and following the shaft components to the firewall, mine still does not look straight.  Below the ignition cylinder, there's a 12 to 18" housing with a couple of welds and collars that slants toward the center of the car.  Should this be perfectly straight?  Below this is (I THINK) the universal joint shaft going either to (or through) the firewall.  This shaft angles a few degrees to the right, but I think it's supposed to, correct me if I am wrong.

I'm tempted to get the pros involved at this point, but I want to poke around some more.  I enjoy learning about these cars.

[gearheadE30]

I personally like the Mtech II far moret han the momo wheels, but the Mtech is also generally about $300-$400

I *think* you are talking about the steering box, and if so, it should be straight. All of the angling is done by the u-joint. This shaft is supposed to be at an angle, thus the u-joint.

[P. Kennedy]

Just won an M Tech II steering wheel on eBay UK for $135.07 US dollars.  I believe there are others available.

[gearheadE30]

DANG! I gotta get one of those