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Art & Inspiration Steering wheels

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HOTRODPRIMER, Mar 25, 2017.

  1. waldo53
    Joined: Jan 26, 2010
    Posts: 863

    waldo53
    Member
    from ID

    I like your interior colors HRP, that wheel and shift knob look great.

    I've changed the interior colors on my truck 3 times - this is the latest version, Rustoleum rattle-can "Metallic" for the steering wheel, column, and seat frame. Kinda odd, but it works for me. I've used Eastwoods vinyl "paint" to change the seats and door panels - originally black vinyl. After looking at yours, the shift knob is next.

    new interior colors.JPG
     
    mgtstumpy and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  2. nochop
    Joined: Nov 13, 2005
    Posts: 3,818

    nochop
    Member
    from norcal

    Gave me an idea for a bar stool
     
    HOTRODPRIMER and Jet96 like this.
  3. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,615

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    Holes in custom wheels.................
    There were reports of people getting their figures stuck in the holes in the spokes back in the day.
     
  4. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 20,407

    alchemy
    Member

    The wheel in my tudor is from a Chris Craft boat. It came this color, and I never really considered painting it, so I guess it "contrasts" from the rest of the car.

    b28.JPG
     
    mgtstumpy, Jet96 and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  5. I found two Chris Craft boat ensign dashes but nether one had a steering wheel but that looks great. HRP
     
  6. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    Know whatcha mean...I had an ancient original 3 spoke Bell that was very worn, came out of a roadster that was raced at the drags and Bonneville 4 or 5 times...then it took up residence in my '36 Five window, finally my F100 (for 20 years)
    It got 'shabby'...my friend Mark Codd had to have it for his new 'Bones-style '34. All the things Mark's done for me, I couldn't say no.
    Poor F100 got some 'sweetheart deal'...a new 16" 4 spoke 'Bell style'... not the same... but pretty...
    No thread hijack, Danny...but my forgetful mind begs to mention the speedo on the other side of Alchemy's Chris Craft wheel.....

    Say, Alchemy...May I mention the S/W Police Special speedo you have in there?
    I have one, too. Mounted it below my dash, was speeding on Hiway 17 one day, San Jose cop pulled me over, to cite me. When I was slowing down, I hit the 'lock' tab on 52 MPH!
    The cop came up to write me, asked "Do you know how fast you were going?"
    Smartass me replied, "Yes, Officer, as a matter of fact, I do. "Now, if you'll just observe what my Police Special speedo says, and we arrive at a 'number', we just may have a deal."
    The cop almost knocked his hat off. "Where'd you get that?" he snarled. "Police auction."
    He didn't write me...:rolleyes:
     
  7. I had a Police Special speedometer on my old Panhead,I picked it up at a swap meet. HRP
     
  8. Jerrybigbird
    Joined: Oct 10, 2015
    Posts: 178

    Jerrybigbird
    Member
    from Montana

  9. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki

    Hello,
    When my son was very little and running around the place, he always wanted to know what I was doing in the garage. He kept wanting to do something other than hit his play hammer on a block of wood. So, I got the old 4 spoke steering wheel I had since the 60’s (no, not the one off of the 40 Willys…that one was melted away)
    upload_2017-3-28_5-59-50.png Jalopy Journal photo upload_2017-3-28_6-0-28.png
    After installing the 4 spoke on the wooden cabinet door, I realized that it was too close to the actual door surface and created a pinched finger effect. So, I used a small block of wood to give it plenty of room for high speed steering action. Then one day, we saw a small, 8-10 inch, 3 spoke, deep dish, steering wheel at a neighborhood garage sale. We could not pass up a $5 deal.

    Jnaki

    I installed this deep dish one on the other lower wooden cabinet door. Now, when pretend racing was over on the left hand big wheel, the little one awaited next door. My son was kept occupied for hours and the sounds that came out of his mouth sounded like a hot rod going around the neighborhood.

    Save those old steering wheels, take off anything dangerous, mount them where they are easily accessible and let your kids, grand kids have hours of fun. If you can, rig up a floor shift near by, that would add to the fun. Grandpas and Dads here is another idea for you… When my son moved on to other things as he grew up, I gave these two steering wheels to a young mom and dad in the neighborhood for their kids to use. They were happy parents…
     
    HOTRODPRIMER, Jet96 and flatheadtommy like this.
  10. No, this was a Cragar line item in their catalog. I think I have a scanned imaged of that page from their '61 catalog. Roth claimed the Mystrerion was 'loaded with Cragar speed equipment' in the Rod & Custom article in the car's debut. See phantom valve covers on pic below from the initial R&C article on the car as it was under construction.. Those were never made. However the only parts I could find on the '61 Cragar catalog that could remotely be used on the car were the steering wheel, the 390 header flanges, and possibly the rear wheel center bullet caps. There was nothing else in the catalog that applied.

    Concept drawing.jpg
    I detail the Cragar story somewhat in the book I wrote on the history and reproduction of the Mysterion. Cragar got its start in the early years making tranny adaptors and such for flathead Phords. They didn't start making their signature SS wheels for which they are most famous until 1964, two years after Mysterion was finished. Had they made them sooner I am sure Ed would have used them on the show car.

    Final McFarland cover art_12-28-2015.jpg

    Dave Shuten who made his version of the Mysterion clone in '05 found two of those steering wheels. See pic below. Even then they weren't the necessary metal flake silver so he had to paint his to fit.
    interior_shuten_7_z.jpg
     
    HOTRODPRIMER likes this.
  11. Here is the '61 Cragar catalog page. Only shows black and white rims, must have offered metal flake ones in '62?
    Cragar catalog - steering wheel.jpg
     
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  12. Bandit Billy
    Joined: Sep 16, 2014
    Posts: 12,287

    Bandit Billy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I am using this banjo wheel in my roadster made by Juliano's.
    upload_2017-3-28_9-48-54.png
    After I finished the mock up I returned the wheel and my shift knob in the image above for a little hydrodipping
    upload_2017-3-28_9-53-7.png
    The finish is exceptional and matches the look I am going after.
     
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  13. Looks good. HRP
     
  14. I like my wheel to somewhat go with the car. For example I am a big fan of CalCustom steering wheels. When we were putting our old galaxie together it had a metal flake green wheel. Well the car was mid night blue with the original blue interior. So I put a blue steering wheel cover on it. If it had had a white or black wheel I probably would have left it alone but green?

    My current build has many options. I am leaning toward a wood wheel that I got, what there is of an interior is black so I could also restore a Windsor wheel hanging on the wall, and leave it black or I have a truck wheel that I kind of like too. Sooooooo many decisions to make. :D
     
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  15. JOECOOL
    Joined: Jan 13, 2004
    Posts: 2,771

    JOECOOL
    Member

    I think the '58 '59 '60 Impala wheels are the best looking . I use them a on most of my cars . They are perfect for tri-five chevies.
     
  16. Your right they are good looking steering wheels. HRP
     
  17. I got a cop speedo on my shovel now. I was traveling during a holiday weekend not 3 weeks after I put in in the hole, and a state cops walks up and asks me if I am minding my speed at a gas stop. I said, "yep." he says, "well how accurate do you think your speedometer is?" and I said ,"Its probably as accurate as yours is." he looked down and saw "Police Special Certified" in the window and said, "Well I guess I won't follow you then." And smiled.

    Nothing illegal about owning one unless you stole it ( I know a pretty funny story about that actually), you can buy them new.

    Back to steering wheels. I had a Caddy wheel in my in my '46 coupe. My interior was white and the wheel was black, as was the shift knob and the interior paint. It all seemed to go well together to me. Of course I was pretty twisted most of the time back then I may not like it today.
     
  18. The banjo styled wheel in my Deuce beater. HRP

    [​IMG]
     
  19. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,198

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    I'm using one of Speedway's race car wheels with an "air bag" in the Zipper DSC02138.JPG
     
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  20. cb186
    Joined: Jul 5, 2013
    Posts: 263

    cb186
    Member

  21. Mo rust
    Joined: Mar 11, 2012
    Posts: 827

    Mo rust
    Member

    Here's a 38 ford wheel that we made a 15 inch ring for out of stainless tubing and adapted it to a GM column in my fathers 34 five window.

    coupe34i.jpg
     
  22. Mo rust
    Joined: Mar 11, 2012
    Posts: 827

    Mo rust
    Member

    Here's a wheel that a local aluminum foundry made as a sample to try to sell to Bass Pro for boats but decided it required too much labor. I bought the three they made and put this on on my wife's 31 roadster and another on my 32 three window.
    garage2.jpg
     
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  23. Schwanke Engines
    Joined: Jun 12, 2014
    Posts: 781

    Schwanke Engines
    Member

    We put Tilt in every build we do, because most of us and our customer's are either Tall, Fat, or Like us Both. So need the extra belly room or need to tilt to be able to see gauges in the case of tall guys. So we use the 9 hole adapter with the aluminum/ leather wrapped wheels which can be changed to various colors and even wood grain which I like. We use the Impala style for chevy's and the Banjo for Fords.
    15 Banjo.jpg 14 impala.jpg
     
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  24. woodbutcher
    Joined: Apr 25, 2012
    Posts: 3,310

    woodbutcher
    Member

    :D Got some nice looking steering wheels there.Some are real works of art.
    Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
    Leo
     
  25. Yep. 80s GM tilt columns are dirt cheap in junk yards and once you get the hang of rebuilding them (have to ALWAYS tear them clear down to tighten 4 assembly bolts inside the tilt that always loosen), they are no problem. Here is a shot of the one I put in my '53 pickup. I adapted the stock '53 steering wheel and stock '53 shift lever to the modern column for a nostalgic look. I made the shroud around the column, under the dash from fiberglass to clean it all up. Excuse the picture, the truck is filthy. The paint on the wheel has cracks but I have never been able to avoid them. I have used all the advertised wheel repair materials but always get the hairline cracks eventually. IMG_0460.JPG
    Shift lever.jpg

    To mount the old wheel to the new column I had to meld the oval '53 wheel to the round '80s column. The splines fit fine otherwise. To do this I had to cut off a lot of the hard rubber wheel back flange and sand it down to expose the steel splined hole. I just copied the back of a late model wheel to get that right. I then epoxied a round sheet metal disk to the bottom of the wheel and shaped it with polyester body filler, sanded and painted.


    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I also had to adapt the horn button grommet by using the pigtail from the '53 adapted to a cut down gray plastic one in the late column. No biggie.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2017
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  26. Blue Moon Garage
    Joined: Mar 1, 2009
    Posts: 406

    Blue Moon Garage
    Member

    Dave's confused pickup wheel.

    Doesn't look confused to me! new 40 Ford wheel 2.JPG

    [​IMG][/QUOTE]
     
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  27. Not sure what color I'll paint it but it won't be black...too hot in summer. 34column5.JPG
     
    porknbeaner likes this.
  28. My '39 I believe it's a Cragar
    IMG_2053.JPG
     
    Elcohaulic likes this.
  29. My '40, it's a mid 50's Oldsmobile wheel. After making some repairs, I painted it white to match my interior. IMG_1853.JPG
     
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  30. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,829

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    do you guys use any special paint on steering wheels?
     

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