My buddy came across this . I thought it pretty cool. It free spins until you put the key in it. Made in Elyria Ohio. I couldn't find much on the manufacturer. I'm not expert but I've never seen one before and it's in great shape for likely being a century old.
So when locked it just spins without turning the wheels? Unlock and you can drive the car? Is that how it works?
The Key when turned slides the pin into to lock the steering wheel , in pic looks in free wheel position
The ride of your life! The car it was meant for probably had a 45 m.p.h. top speed, but also had mechanical brakes. It might have only had rear brakes as well.
Good eye and yes it is currently in free spin position. Might see about getting a key made to see if it works. Not complicated so it should.
What happens when the steering lock pin in your new car falls into the slot while making a high speed turn?
Founded in 1958, doubtful https://superiormetalproductsco.com/ 1971 serious doubt (NE, too) https://www.datanyze.com/companies/superior-metal-products/356029565 1986 https://www.smpstamp.com/about_us.html seems to be a popular name https://www.bizapedia.com/us/superior-metal-products-inc.html Still are metal businesses there, but none match. https://metals.regionaldirectory.us/elyria-oh.htm The old Superior Wheel Co. was Superior Performance Products https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/how-to-date-a-superior-steering-wheel.1112388/
The taper holds the wheel in place, the key is really just a guide. As long as it's properly seated/torqued, you could drive around a car with a tapered shaft column/wheel with no key in it at all. Same with a rear axle. I wouldn't want to, but theoretically, it'll work. This is a neat wheel, but I don't know how much I'd trust its design in actual use. I'd certainly be way less worried about any car getting stolen that could run that wheel.
I wouldn't be worried about that bar that locks it shearing off. Plus in either direction you turn the key and remove it as it hangs on your regular key chain. That is a pretty novel Idea for cars in a time when you could all too easily hot wire them or a worn key would start a lot of them.
Considering the age, style, and probability of failure, a 'high speed' turn would be ~25MPH. If the pin failed during such an event, you already have other problems going on, no steering control is going to be low on the priority list.
Evidently car thieves have existed since the first one was built. Jeb: Hey, what's that there you reckon? Joe: That's one of them newfangled horseless carriages Jeb: I think I'll steal that later, p*** the shine.
Yeah, it sure would be handy if todays' car thieves were dealt with like they did with horse thieves!
Car smells bad for a least a couple of days. I think the shaft is tapered and that is what keeps you safe the key is for alignment , but I’m not 100% sure . Don’t need to find out . Mainshaft on a Harley is keyed the same way , shear the key and it will still kick start but not move under its own power . Has to be loose to shear the key . Early Ford axles are the same , tapered with a key , key is only for alignment but we all know where you shear the key off at while driving .
Cool — especially as something described as Vintage actually appears to date from the Vintage era. Obliquely related, something I read about once and haven't been able to find since: one of the American quality marques (iirc) of about that time offered two concentric steering wheels, the outer geared relatively quick for general driving, and the inner geared far slower, for low-speed manoeuvring. Does that ring any bells for anyone? It might have been elsewhere in the world, or I could have hallucinated the whole thing.
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