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First published 1 November 1997
alfa romeo
spares
The very effective snap-off steering wheel . . .
This
is how I make the Spider impossible to steal and drive.
No wheel, no steal! The snap on lock is
sold by Snap-Off.com
in Great Britain. It was invented in Sweden by Mr. Johan
Rosenlund who still has them for sale. His fax number is Sweden
0046- (0)8-511 776 61. Just fax him, he is a nice guy with a passion
for racing. Also another Swedish vendor: http://www.janolisamotorsport.com
The anti-theft device Snap-Off system, combined
with SWM hub kits and sport steering wheels, allows the easy, quick
release and removal of the steering wheel when the car is parked.
The wheel can then be easily and safely remounted when you drive
your car again. What better deterrent can you have than totally
removing your steering wheel, thus confusing and discouraging the
thief and diverting it to car without the so called Snap-Off. This
system can easily be assembled and servicing is not necessary,
Snap-Off will also allow you to buy a sport steering from the wide
range of SWM wheels. The anti theft Snap-Off is covered by the
European and American patent laws.
I just snap the steering wheel on when I like to drive. Once removed,
it is not possible to drive away. It looks very strange on the
parking lot and you will meet new friends all the time.
And the Spider will remain where you left her.
I use my Momo Super Indy wheel and carry it in a
bag. No problems! This arrangement will fit any steering key shaft.
BTW, if you have an air-bag, sorry, it won't work here. Just good
old 105's will do.
Using a vice-grip will be very complicated for a
presumed thief. First the villain will have to spot your car, second
check how to steal it. Then he has to go away to get a vice-grip.
When he returns, you will probably be gone with your car. If your
pearl is still there in the parking-lot, the villain will have some
real hardships, driving away with the odd steering wheel.
Remember, the vice-grip is not the nasty thing
wrestlers use before the DSQ. It is a special tool, however not that
common.
If the steering feels inaccuarte and you have
Burman steering box, this might help:
If you have a Burman recirculating box, they can
be adjusted as well. There's a ovalish shaped plate on top of
the box, held on by two bolts. Underneath is a spring, and a stack
of shims.
Play is adjusted by varying the spring tension
with shimmed height of the plate. Don't worry about the spring
flying, it only sticks out a bit. If your box is full of oil, you
might want to suction out a few ounces, since the hole is "below
sea level" when full. Take off the plate, and start removing
shims till you get a bit of tension, then add just the one so there
isn't load on the internals.
This is best done with the front end up on jacks,
so the wheels can freely move and you can feel the threshold of
tightening up.
If you have any comments, please send an E-mail
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