I struggled to get the steering wheel off. In fact, it was such a pain that I couldn't get it off when I removed the cab, so I just worked around it. I finally got to the point that I had to do something about it. I couldn't use a normal steering wheel puller since the horn switch contact was right in the middle. I had made a slide hammer a few years back, so I adapted it to the steering wheel puller I had. I whacked it for a while and realized I needed a new approach. i was afraid something was going to break.
The next method I came up with was to thread the nut on just flush with the shaft, then i used a socket that rested on the side of the nut and cleared the horn contact. I set the wheel puller to pry against that and tightened it down. Again, I was afraid of breaking something, so I tapped the puller a bit with a hammer and used some PB Blaster. I let it sit a few days. Each day I tapped it a bit, checked tightness and sprayed it some more. After a few days I just thought that I had to go for it. I very cautiously turned the screw on the puller and then BANG!! It popped off.
As a side note, I thought it was quite interesting that there was just a single key with a tapered shaft. All the things I've been reading about other trucks said there would be a splined shaft.
Once i got it off, I ground out the cracks with a Dremel. I may have gotten a little too carried away, but I've heard you need to make the cracks big enough to get the filler in. I used some PC7 epoxy and gooped it in. After a few days of it drying, I came back and filed, ground, and sanded it smooth. I can't say I did the best job and you can tell it was repaired, but I got it done and it's the best I know how to do. (There's a reason i don't do body work.)
I then used some gloss black paint and painted it with several coats. Overall, it was a lot better than it was and I like how it turned out.
