I am in the process of looking for a steering wheel for my Model A. My steering is '56 Ford PU box, with a Model A column and a taper shaft. There are a lot of thirties and forties steering wheels other than Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury that look good and would be a bit less common than the more typical Ford banjo or '40 Ford wheels. Packard made some beautiful steering wheels back then. Did any other manufacturers during this era use the same tapered key way Ford design or a smaller hub mount that could be adapted to a Ford with a little machine work? I have heard that the same Ford design standard is used by most boats. Most boat wheels seem a bit small and not great design for a traditional rod or custom, but some look like they would fit nicely, especially if cord wrapped. Anyone using a marine boat steering wheel in their rod? Please post your pics and solutions to getting an attractive and less common steering wheel in your early Ford. No GM tilt columns, please. Thanks.
Any one know if the taper and key standard used by Ford, 1932 to 1948, was used by other manufacturers? Were the Model A and Model T steering wheel mounts the same as each other? Is the marine steering wheel mount standard, 3/4" taper and key, the same as Ford's 1932 to 1948 standard?
I dont think t is the same. early 28 model A's were six spline i think. My buddy has a boat wheel that looks like the right tapper. I know that a 50 lincoln wheel has the same tapper.
Here's one made by 'Sheller' that I think were used on tractors and has the same Ford key way mount..
I have some boat wheels and they seem to be the same size shaft as the 39 ford banjo wheels. I can measure one tonight to see exactly what they both measure. I adapt both types to the "taboo" GM columns and they seem to fit the same.
Sheller, now Sheller-Globe, was, and probably still is, the OEM manufacturer of steering wheels for Ford and other auto makers. The company made the stock 30-31 Model A steering wheel from 1930-1980s. Then the wheels were made by various early Ford parts suppliers including Specialized Auto Parts, Bob, Drake, Mac's.
I measured a boat wheel and it does measure .75 inch at the bottom and .62 at the top of the 1.75 inch thick hub.
Don't restrict yourself by wheels that only fit the taper. Find the wheel you want and modify the steering shaft to accept it. you may find yourself in the situation where its advantageous to modify the length of the column anyway.
I am slowly coming to that way of thinking. I have never taken the '56 PU steering box apart and am unsure how the shaft is attached to the gear.If readily it can be pulled and replaced, that would be great. Another option is to cut it near the box and install a coupling to a new shaft with the proper spline. It would be nice to avoid a coupling as the current shaft is hollow and I do not want to weaken it. A short solid shaft coming out of the box with a standard double D or splined end might be desirable, as it would then be easy enough to try out different wheels fitting different shafts.
Thanks, my A shaft is 0.80" on the bottom of the taper, and 0.73" at the top. I had forgotten how much larger the A shaft and taper is compared to the '32-'48 Ford taper.
If you do tear apart your old steering box - fill it with STP. The stuff is slick and it's thick enough that it doesn't leak very easily.
Just Bought Steering Wheel on EBay Listed as a English Wheel. Has a Ford Keyed Shaft, Brown Colored & 17 inches Wide. Like New for $30.00 Regards BigDTexasKid Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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