Take the S10 wheel off, and put the '52 wheel on? GM had the same size shaft and splines on every car and light truck column from the 30s to the 90s. The only thing that moves around from wheel to wheel and year to year is the horn contact. When I put a '63-4 Buick wheel on an '84 Buick column I had to cut off a bit that stuck out of the back of the wheel center to make it work on the lock plate. Some wheels may need to have the back side ground down flatter to fit on later columns. You also could dump the S10 column and put a 68-back column in it, the older wheel will adapt to it easier and it will look more factory stock in the truck. Even on these tilt-tele that center piece is the same splines - it's just thinner than most car wheels, although I think like a '58 Buick would go right on there. As for the OP's finished product, I think it looks fine, I don't know what people are bitching about. A horn button or center cap of some sort might make it look a little more finished off, but isn't necessary. Maybe he plans to actually drive his car and wants to be able to adjust it for comfort, or more than one person will drive it and will need to be able to adjust it. Sheesh.
Excellent come back!!! There's not any kind of a process to sift out the idiots on this site!! Nice job, I don't care for the column as most, but I can see using that on another column!!
Did something similar when I cut down a Kenworth truck column for my 52 F1. Used center of KW wheel, drilled and tapped to take a black and chrome 3 spoke wheel. Good tech. Useful for other applications for people intelligent enough to see it.
Superior Industries wheel is really enough to bring a tear to a glass eye. They finally decided to close up the Van Nuys plant this year where they used to make all that stuff. Damn shame.
Hey Phil, that 'll learn ya about buildn rat rawds without first checkin wif the all noing! Build it yoursef, but make shure it's my way.....-MIKE (Spelling intentionally bad to to appease the knowitall wanabe no car bench racers! You know in this PC world, we have to have a disclaimer for everything )
Great tech, too bad some folks can't seperate the hub adapter tech from the column shroud which covers it. thanks for posting!
Phil you're a regular street rodder, hey at least he gave you an A for effort now you can sleep at night...
This wasn't about installing a tilt column in a rod- it was about building an adaptor to a wheel he wants to use. This could apply to alot of situations & I applaud the effort.
Nice Tech, I never thought about saving the inside mount out of a bad wheel to use for an adaptor. I will have to remember this one.
To go along with Phil's post, here's what you get when you get rid of the plastic and the welded on steel spokes from a GM steering wheel and the straight, no-tilt, 37" long steering shaft. Steering shaft. The 37" shaft is an ideal length for 32's, A's etc.
Like I said before thanks to everyone that saw the tech for what it was, I guess I shouldn't mention that the column in my other car is a hodge podge of parts either...lol It's a 35 Ford outer column with a 55 Chev shaft and some ford rubber steering column bushings with a brass insert that accepted a 3/4 in. shaft which both the Ford and Chev were.
I don't care if tilt/tele columns are ot for this forum or the target of critics. Like automatics with overdrives and a/c, they just make practical sense. I've got a '29 AA and I'm 6'2". Tilt alone will help me get in, out and be just a little more comfortable in the driver's seat. Nice solution to an adapter challenge. I'm bookmarking it for later.
This thread is four years old. Which, if you were posting photos of how you accomplished the same thing, great, but...
I agree,,, those remarks should have remained in their guts and not in their mouths,,, ole fart Jimmy
Old thread that the tech can still be used . I saved a wheel center for an OT application to do the same thing a few years back ( make an adapter so a 3 spoke can be used on a marine steering) Also I see the original bitcher has been banned....figures!
Thanks for the info, now I can change the uuggllyy wheel on my Tilt/Tele column in my '49 Cad, and go with an earlier wheel....Thanks again.
Good topic , swade41 Doing something similar.. Adapting an OT '78 Malibu tilt column into the '40 Chrysler Royal. And I have good reasons for doing this. I am using the original Chry steering wheel which has been reduced from 18" to 16". (previous post sometime back) The Chyrs steering wheel hub has been modified to bolt onto the bare Malibu hub. The horn ring & horn contact ring are the originals that the Chrys came with.
Never read all this until today. Good thinking but I saw it as a Florida guy raggin on a NY guy...go figure
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