Us some kind of blunt blade and pry button up enough to get your finger tips on it and pull. Ther is a rubber ring around the cap and yours may have hardned due to old age making it more difficult to release.
The wire you want to replace doesnt go all the way to the underside of the steering wheel. Unless someone has an easier method you will need to remove the steering wheel and mast jacket. This will allow you to replace the top bush which the wire is fixed to or feed the lower end of the wire up to the top of the jacket to join extra wire on and then reassemble. Tony
I'm nostrum about your '46 but earlier Chevys had a small twist/lock connecter hanging out the hole at the bottom of the column. The mate to it was part of the main wiring harness. If you have any wire exiting the tube near the steering box, you could splice something on for a temporary fix. Otherwise, the column is probably going to have to come out.
Tony if I understand you the wire is not visible without pulling the steering wheel, correct? Mike it does have the connector where the wire comes out of the mast. I thought if I could access the wire by pulling the horn button I could fish a wire from the bottom. Guess I will get a button that connects to the mast and run the wiring to it. My 48 has the horn button on the mast. thanks for the info.
1946 Chevy 3100 1/2 Ton Pickup Purchased 11/18/17 Sold 9/20 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster Coupe, Purchased 6/20/2010 1965 Chevy ll 350 Purchased Feb 2021. 3-speed Saginaw Hurst Floor Shifter 3.08 Rear End
The way I read your post the wire in the mast had been cut short where it exits the mast is why I suggested remove the mast, if there is enough wire outside the mast removal wont be neccessary. Tony
Just went and looked for sure. PO said the horn started honking, so to stop it he cut the wire. There is at least two inches of the wire coming out of the mast at the lower end. Just need to get the horn button out to run a new wire then.
1946 Chevy 3100 1/2 Ton Pickup Purchased 11/18/17 Sold 9/20 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster Coupe, Purchased 6/20/2010 1965 Chevy ll 350 Purchased Feb 2021. 3-speed Saginaw Hurst Floor Shifter 3.08 Rear End
In that case I will guess that the wire that runs inside the mast jacket has worn through and shorting onto the steering shaft. If this is the case the mast jacket will need to come off and the wire replaced, may even need to replace the bush it attaches to at the top of the jacket. Tony
By doing a SEARCH of old posts you can get a better feel for the work you need to do. No need to remove the mast of the steering column. Just order new parts from Chev's of the 40's (including a GROMMET for the mast hole) and fish the new wire down the mast to the hole in the bottom of the mast. Attached are pictures of the new part. SOME APPLICATIONS do not require use of the spring and small cup shown in the picture.
Good luck, Mike
P.S. Before fishing the fire down the mast cut off the end clip on the wire. You can reattach it after you fish the wire through the mast hole, and have replaced the grommet for the hole. Chev's of the 40's Horn Parts Horn Replacement
