'89
Tilt Wheel Installation
on a 1990
Mustang LX
Tips from jeffd@hollinet.com
Well, I should have
purchased the 89 LX I saw on the lot, however, I wanted
to purchase my first new car! In 1990 I was driving
around in a Z28, but thanks to a aggressive southern
California driver it was totalled. The great car hunt
begins! During this time a good friend had just purchased
a new 90 LX with the venerable 5.0 motor and one ride was
all I needed to make my decision.
The 90 LX is black on
black and had the removeable sun roof. One problem continually
cuaght my attention: the NON-TILT, bulbous ugly airbag
steering wheel was a unsightly mess and I missed my tilt
steering. Why do the factories think a MAC truck size
wheel is the way to go? Now that I have soap boxed long enough.
I recently purchased one
of the new Grant steering wheels (the nice ones) in preparation
for my next project:
The
transplanting of a 1989
steering column into a 1990
Yes, this does delete the
airbag, but with a full race harness I
am not too concerned.
Disconnect
the battery negative lead to avoid accidental
deployment of the airbag while working. While you
are in the engine compartment remove the bolt
that ties the column to the "rag joint"
shaft attached to the rack assembly.
Move
into the car and disconnect the four nuts that
hold the steering column to the internal frame.
Disconnect all wiring between the column and dash.
Pull the column out of the car and set aside, as
there are parts to transfer from the airbag
column to the 89 column.
The
switch cluster containing the turn signal stalk
should be swapped from the airbag column to the
new intended replacement column as the connectors
are different from 89 non-airbag to 90-93 airbag
columns.
Once
you have moved the switch cluster place the
steering column into the car. The next step is
difficult without two people. Align the column
with the hols in the firewall and slide it
through. Now comes the fun, line up the column
with the "rag joint" tab and slide them
together. See, I told you two people makes that
step easier (I know this from the one worker) perspective!
Now,
working in reverse secure the steering column
with the nuts that were removed while taking out
the original column. Once you have the column secured
replace the electrical connectors. This would be
a good time to mention getting a complete
replacement column with a ignition switch and key
intact.
Button
up the dash panels and
WELCOME
TO THE WORLD OF TILT and the potential for
aftermarket steering wheels such as Momo or
Grant!
Now
for that annoying airbag light that is flashing
on your instrument console! Open the dash pod and
gain access to the back of the instrument pod.
REMOVE the light bulb directly behind that airbag
symbol. This will avoid the visual warning, but
brings with it a audible alarm.
There
are two blue cased modules beneath the dash which
require your attention. The first is accessible
through the glove compartment. Open the glove
compartment and find the "auxilliary power
supply", blue case thing just above the left
most corner of the opening. Disconnect the wiring
and remove the box, if you like.
The
other device resides directly behind the center
console, on top of the drive shaft tunnel. I did
not remove this box, but did disconnect the
wiring running into it. From the driver side,
find the blue box and disconnect the electrical
connector. This should remove any warning.
Now
for the legal information:
I spoke with DMW and
highway patrol about legal implications of this change. Since
this is considered a "Supplimental Restraint"
it is not criminally a problem. However, if you are ever
selling the car, the purchaser could file a civil suit
based your removing the airbag. PLEASE PLEASE check with
your local DMV office before making this change.
IMPORTANT WARNING!
Safety
warning from cryogen@unix.infoserve.net
The airbag
has its own BACKUP POWERSUPPLY. This is in the form of a
hefty capacitor somewhere that can take up to 15
*MINUTES* to discharge after disconnecting the battery
ground. (Important since the battery cable could be cut in
an accident before the airbag could deploy)
Before removing an airbag you should
Disconnect the battery and then either:
twiddle
thumbs for 30 minutes (15 should do it but the
bloody airbag will take your head off if your not
carefull - so be safe)
disconnect
the backup powersupply for the airbag. (Supposed
to be a lot of work on a mustang, so I'm more
inclined towards option #1)
Editor's Note:
While The Corral would never condone the removal of a
safety device we can't argue with this concept one bit.
With an off-road track car and a full race harness this
is having the best of both worlds folks. Look at all the
bad press airbags are getting these days. What do you say
we all go back to four point harnesses anyway? I'll take
mine on a '66 A/C Cobra SC, black and shining chrome.
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