Is the only difference between the '58-'60 galaxy and t-bird steering wheels the horn ring, or is the wheel itself different? I have been trying to suss this out looking at internet photos, inconclusive.
Uhhh...no, they're nowhere near the same. Look at the previous post: the one with just the horn ring is for a full-size car '58-'59, and as previously noted the '60 wheel, especially the Galaxie one versus Fairlane, is radically different; the complete wheel shown is for a '58-'59-'60. Full-size wheel needs larger center for ring to snap/turn into. Full-size '57-'59 needs the larger hub behind the wheel to conceal the back side of the steering wheel and give a place for the exposed shifter tube to go above the steering column tube, which conceals just he steering wheel shaft; the '58-'60 T-bird uses a concealed shifter tube that goes over the steering wheel shaft, and has trim to conceal the turn signal switch as well as show the gear indicator on AT-equipped cars. The T-bird column is similar to mid-'50s Mercury columns; as noted above, '56 Merc with 3-spoke wheel would be comparable. I've never really liked the exposed shifter tube on pre-'63 Fords versus the concealed tube columns used in Mercs; in fact, if I can manage to hang on to my '55 Victoria, I want to treat it to a cut-down '55 Merc column and clean up that part of the interior, then do something about the round bezels/controls and go more rectangular a'la '54 Ford/'55-'56 T-bird, but that may be another car, another time.
Yup, '56 merc wheel looks the same to my eye. Do you think a '58/'60 T-bird horn ring would fit on the merc wheel? Looks like it, doesnt it? This wheel is one year only in the merc, isn't it? The '57 wheel is different.
Ok, further to this, I got this for $35 on evilbay, it was listed as Edsel, but I have had trouble finding a photo of an Edsel with this wheel in it. Sure looks the same as the T-bird and '56 Merc wheel to me. Anyone know if this really is Edsel, or was it just listed incorrectly? Its in damn good shape, just a few minor cracks that will be easy to fill. Add a reproduction horn ring from MAC's, some pearl white and a bullet in the center, and Bobs yer uncle...
Looked at a ton of Edsel pics, finally found one, '58 Ranger, so you can add that to the list of cars that had this wheel.
Never knew a Edsel had the wheel too but does not suprise me and I think the 58 to 60 Lincolns might have used that column too so it could also have the same wheel.
Long shot here, does anyone have an exploded view of the column/horn mechanism they can post, or pertinant pages from the shop manual? The reason I ask, I'm not using this in a T-bird (as most have probably guessed by now) this is going in my '39 with a fabbed column jacket, and I am going to have to fab/piece together a functioning horn mechanism as well. I have a pretty good idea how it all has to go together, insulated triangular 3-bolt contact plate with a spring on top, horn ring on top of the spring, horn ring makes contact with the plate, HONK HONK! but an exploded view of the original set-up would help me suss it out easier. Yes, it would much easier to just use a moon wheel or my '57 Ford wheel, but I want the T-bird wheel, and well, you know the rest...
I think it was only the manual shift and non-"Teletouch" (no push buttons) automatic trans '58 Edsels that used that wheel.
You are correct. I looked at a TON of Edsel interior photos before I found that, 95% of them had the ugly-assed pushbutton deal.
HA! And my wife says I "waste" too much time on the internet!! http://squarebirds.org//images_steering_wheel/
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