ww2dodge.com Forum

Hi all!
I had a broken-up steering wheel on a 1943 WC-52. I removed a steering wheel from one of my parts trucks (WC-51), and the diameter of the center hole in the steering wheel was larger than the one which came off the 1943. Does anybody have any insight on this, and where in the serial number range (if any) there was a production change?

Don't know anything about that John, what date was the parts truck? If they were going to beef it up then it would make sense to have done it when they beefed the diffs and driveshafts, around the same to the WC 6x6 appeared.

All my Dodge columns and steering wheels have been the same diameter, with only three steering wheel variations:

Black civilian type - early
Green version of the civilian type - mid.
Green version with exposed spokes - late.

Vintage Power Wagons online catalog shows the inside diameter of their steering wheels. They do refer to an early model with a different size. Good luck.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxzO_O ... d3TUk/view

The wheel I removed was a later green open spoke. The one I replaced was a green moulded one. They are definitely different diameters. I measured them but don't have them handy. I'll have to get the serial number off the second truck.

From what I can make of it the steering column used in the T214 (3/4 ton 4x4) and T223 (1-1/2 ton 6x6) were the same and remained so for the entire production run of both vehicles.
The T223 used a heavier pitman arm, drag link and steering arm ball than the T214 but as stated above, the same column was used in both vehicles.
My guess would be that somewhere along the way an incorrect steering column or modified shaft has been installed in one of your vehicles

David