Went to cars & coffee today and then swapped my nasty old steering wheel and botton panel for new ones :)
This was the biggest car-related DIY undertaking I’ve ever done. Most I’d done was rotate my tires using jack stands and a torque wrench.
Speaking of torque wrenches, I needed to use one for the main bolt that holds the steering wheel and that was by far the hardest part! I was following this great guide:
and the corresponding thread and needed every bit of it. Took me like 2 hours! The biggest problem was that disconnecting the battery disabled the steering lock and the bolt had nothing to torque against to loosen or tighten. Ended up having to crank the wheel full left to be able to loosen it and then full right to be able to tighten it. And then I had no room to actually move the wrench (which I rented from AutoZone). Almost gave up on torquing it to the full 46 lb-ft but after much sweating was able to get the magic click 🙏🏼
Also swapped out my old mats for new ones, mostly because the left rear was missing for some reason. Today has been a productive day. Now off to the movies!
