VE Steering Wheel Removal - How To Take Off The Airbag

[BigBoss]

Ok mate, no probs

 

[The X Man]

I went to Total Tools and purchased a high quality T50 on a 3/8th socket similar to this one.

 

[maka5]

repco t50 like the one above $9.90-

 

[ferjoc0]

Changing VE Omega Vinyl one piece wheel to HSV

Ok mate, no probs

Hi There, have been reading blogs for hours and getting more certain, then less certain...
I have bought an HSV wheel with spokes to replace my one piece moulded vinyl plastic Omega wheel.

I know i need new media buttons (hoping i can green illumination??), but do i need any other parts?
Have read various versions saying airbags and covers etc don;t fit. Don't want to worry if it;s going to cost the earth.
Would appreciate your advice because you look like the most recent blogger to have tried and succeeded!

Regards,

 

[BigBoss]

Yes it will work, you may also need a new backing plate, and your airbag should fit they are all the same, so yes go for it

 

[ferjoc0]

Cheers and thanks for such a quick reply - and the encouragement.
What about the green illumination? Holden guy tells me media buttons are only available in red, but wondering if units aren't sealed (?) can i pull bulbs out of old and put into new do you reckon?

 

[BigBoss]

I would say it would be hard to change but not impossible, i think they would be tiny LED's on the boards, so unless you are handy with a soldering iron then probably not mate.

 

[Troy711]

Yep, they are soldered onto the boards (I had one apart last week).

 

[BigBoss]

Assuming the boards are the same shape you could swap them over...

 

[ferjoc0]

Updating a standard Omega steering wheel to HSV

Assuming the boards are the same shape you could swap them over...

Thanks for the tip. Yes - they are the same shape. It took some careful dis-assembly and reassembly but it wasn't actually all that hard. It's one of those jobs you just have to poke along slowly and don't break things!

Since the lights are soldered onto the board exactly as you suggested, i just carefully removed the old loom and disassembled them and put the nice new button (and Volume wheel etc) covers from the new HSV media button set ($77 Holden) onto the old Omega boards and clipped them back together. Then i just inserted the HSV media button fascia's into the spokes that came with the wheel - and "Hey presto" - done!

For anyone wanting to do same: There is about three parts to each side, and they're held together with 4 little plastic locator lugs that come apart easily with a small blade screwdriver, and just be sure to work a bit on all four tabs together so it comes out evenly and doesn't break.

So i now have an HSV wheel, with HSV media button covers and fascia etc, with the original Omega wiring loom behind it, so the illumination matches the rest of the green theme!

Thanks for all your help.