There's no steering column on a Hammerhead--just an exposed shaft with a u-joint at each end. The u-joints move freely, as does the steering wheel when it's not connected to the steering gear.
I pulled the rubber dust covers off the steering gear, but I couldn't find any snap rings. I decided that my time was worth more than I was likely to save by poking at it any further, so I ended up just ordering a new steering gear from Buggy Parts NW. It should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday, thanks to the long holiday.
On a side note, while messing with it, I also noticed that when I replaced one of the front wheel struts a couple years ago, I got one that had the tie rod mounting tab mounted about 1" higher up on the strut than the original. I never noticed it before, but that certainly affects my toe-in and how the steering wheel is centered. If I shorten my tie rods as far as possible, I can almost get the tires pointed straight ahead, but still not toed inward. It doesn't affect my stiff steering, though.
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