Steering Wheel Ideas for the Black Pearl

[LaserSVT]

Damn. So, you can just poke an SN95 wheel right onto the old shaft? From when I looked at 'em in the junkyard, it looked like they had a different shape to the shaft and the hole in the wheel. I mean, I know the bolt is what holds it on, but it didn't even look like it would go on the shaft at all...

Oh well. Well, that does open up a lot more options for me, then. The 90-97 Crown Vics use the same exact wheel as the late Fox and early SN95 wheels, and there's ALWAYS a set of those sitting in the local 'yard ... but, alas, they're always friggin' BLUE.

Anyone ever had any luck with painting a steering wheel? Seems to me it'd probably rub right off in a week or less...

The Crown Vics wheel was similar to the air bar Fox wheels but the SN95 wheel from 94 up was what Mike put in his Fox
One thing you have to remember though is the colum plastics make the 87+ colums thicker. The colum on the pre 87's is thinner so the wheel will look REALLY out of place. Comeon, an air bag wheel in an 84 car? It wont match at all
You know thoes all black 320mm wheels they have on eBay for $20? That would be your best bet for cheap and nice. When I cought my Grant wheel the hub it came with put the wheel too far away from the signal indicator but they had a Mustang specific hub that pulled the wheel in about an inceh and it fit perfect. Wish I had some pics cause after I got the mustang horn button it looked factory perfect and was just a very nice wheel. It was on closeout at Checkers. Was just sitting on the shelf for $49. All leather three spoke very close to the stock wheel.

 

[LaserSVT]

I've got this wheel in my garage doing nothing...not sure if i will ever use it or not...

I think thats a great match to a stiped model 4-eye. Gives it that 80's era muscle car feel to it.

 

[FrankenStang]

I've got this wheel in my garage doing nothing...not sure if i will ever use it or not...

Oooooh, I like that one!

Why would you want to put an airbag wheel on a non-airbag car?

 

[Darkwriter77]

Hmmm. Well, the downside to the SN95 wheel would be the opposite problem of what Lynn's got with her Capri; she's got an '87-'89 wheel mounted on a '90 (non-tilt airbag) column/shaft, so the wheel is too CLOSE to the turn signal, whereas if I put an SN95 wheel on my '84, it'd be too FAR from it.

If she was willing to bolt an SN95 wheel onto her Capri and then toss me her old wheel to bolt onto my '84, we could pretty much kill two birds with one stone.

 

[LaserSVT]

Ok Dave. Here is an 84-86 SVO wheel for $30 buy it now. I dont know if it comes with the center section or not and its not perfect;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories


Now if you get that Grant wheel you will need this:
View attachment 259063
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1979...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
It will put the wheel at the correct place so the signal stalkscan still be switched with your finger tips
Also you can get this button to make it custom.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Gran...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

[Darkwriter77]

I've got this wheel in my garage doing nothing...not sure if i will ever use it or not...

And, for the record, both the Tempo and Ranger of the same era had better steering wheels...lol


Tempo:

My '84 wheel looks like an anorexic version of the Ranger wheel. The Tempo wheels I'm thinking of must've been off the early 80's models, because I distinctly remember seeing one in there. Hell, I wouldn't mind that four-spoke Tempo wheel at all, actually.

Did all Fords in the 80's use the same steering shaft, or just most of the RWD cars? Just curious what my other options are out there in OEM form...

The Crown Vics wheel was similar to the air bar Fox wheels but the SN95 wheel from 94 up was what Mike put in his Fox
One thing you have to remember though is the colum plastics make the 87+ colums thicker. The colum on the pre 87's is thinner so the wheel will look REALLY out of place. Comeon, an air bag wheel in an 84 car? It wont match at all
You know thoes all black 320mm wheels they have on eBay for $20? That would be your best bet for cheap and nice. When I cought my Grant wheel the hub it came with put the wheel too far away from the signal indicator but they had a Mustang specific hub that pulled the wheel in about an inceh and it fit perfect. Wish I had some pics cause after I got the mustang horn button it looked factory perfect and was just a very nice wheel. It was on closeout at Checkers. Was just sitting on the shelf for $49. All leather three spoke very close to the stock wheel.

That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to order something from evilBay and find out it won't fit worth a damn, and then not be able to send it back to China or wherever the hell it came from at my own expense and still wind up with no wheel. Plus all the cost of adapters and horn buttons and whatnot can add up. It would look better, but the more I think about it the more it sounds like it'd be outta my price range...

I think thats a great match to a stiped model 4-eye. Gives it that 80's era muscle car feel to it.

That one would look pretty good in there. But again, the issue of fitment with adapters and stuff still remains...

Why would you want to put an airbag wheel on a non-airbag car?

Why would you put Mustang SVO sail panels on a Capri?

 

[FrankenStang]

Why would you put Mustang SVO sail panels on a Capri?

That's different!

 

[LaserSVT]

Dave, I gave you the link for the $20 adapter. It is a solid chunk of billet aluminum with a beauty ring. It will postition the Grant wheel perfectly, I promise. Get the wheel and hub and for x-mas I will get you the Pony horn button

 

[ID89GT]

Ohhh I want that Grant wheel

 

[Darkwriter77]

Outta curiosity, what other Ford vehicles have non-airbag steering wheels that'll fit on a Fox steering shaft?

The Crown Vics, Grand Marquis, and Town Car I already know will fit, but I'm not loving the whole woodgrain-inset look on those wheels (plus they're always blue or beige or some odd color). Any FWD cars, or any trucks (Ranger?) that have wheels that'll fit? Hopefully wheels that don't suck?

 

[stykthyn]

escort gt

 

[stykthyn]

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/1984-86-...ryZ10076QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymoto...015QQitemZ250419952163QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

you can have the three spoke wheel for 60

 

[FrankenStang]

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/1984-86-...ryZ10076QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymoto...015QQitemZ250419952163QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

you can have the three spoke wheel for 60

Your links aren't working.

 

[Darkwriter77]

View attachment 258872

 

[Mustang5L5]

.

 

[LaserSVT]

Your links aren't working.

Same ones I posted the other day.

 

[stykthyn]

Clay just got pwned

 

[FrankenStang]

 

[LaserSVT]

 

[Darkwriter77]

Wandered around the junkyard for like an hour today, going from vehicle to vehicle and poking and prodding around. The list of compatible steering wheels/columns I found for a non-airbag Fox steering column are:

- Tempo/Topaz (all they had were Topaz cars, though, and they were all either beige or blue)
- Early Explorers (similar crappy upside-down V-shaped thing like what I've got right now) and Ranger pickups
- Astro vans (ditto on the wheel shape)
- LTD (has the EXACT same stupid ugly-arsed wheel that I have) or Marquis
- box-body Crown Vic/Town Car/Grand Marquis (blue or beige, stoopid woodgrain insert around wheel)
- Fox-body Thunderbird/Cougar/Mark VII

The ONLY wheel out of all the above that I found that looked halfway decent was one from an '86 T-Bird that had the exact same steering wheel as in an '85 or '86 Mustang GT with cruise control ... but some jackhole completely destroyed the horn button and clock spring to the wheel and just left it sitting in there.

It's a wonder I didn't pass out from heat stroke or something out there. The thermometer (in the shade) here at my house right now says it's 107*F at the moment, and my dumb arse was walking all around the 'yard with heavy pants on the whole time. Ugh.