Ok guys I'm trying to figure out what wheel to get for my project. 49 Merc 4dr, no chop, suicide doors, original interior and keeping the flathead. Putting in P/S and modifying my stock column. The original wheel is just too big and is in pretty bad shape. I'm leaning towards a custom wheel, saw one with half flames that looked decent and the eagle wings was ok. Might still keep it more original looking, but I just can't decide. Any suggestions?
Thanks Mercchev, definitely more original style but for that price I think I'll keep looking. Lecarra seems to be a little over priced to me.
I just bought a grant banjo style wheel from summit racing. 14.5" with a leather cover. On sale for $159. Regular price was $345. Pretty nice for a remake of a cl***ic style wheel.
I would fix the original wheel if I could also shrink it a couple inches. As it sits I have to put my knee into the door to shift the car. So the 18" original wheel has to go.
OK, I really like that Lecarra Mark 10 wheel so nostalgic looking, but 250 for the wheel and 175 for the horn ****on??? Well I might just have to make the plunge, but I'm really having a problem finding an adapter/install kit for my 49 Mercury. Anybody know what is compatible with my car? Is a 49 Ford the same?
Thanks Jim, but the original wheel is just too big. At 18" I can barely shift the car because my legs hit the wheel. I think 15" is the biggest i can go. I'll keep the original wheel around just in case I ever sell the car and somebody wants to put it back on.
I would fix your original wheel.Maybe take an inch if you need to. I remember a thread on making a banjo wheel out of an old 40 wheel. Just my 2 cents.
You can reduce the diameter of a stock wheel if necessary. Basically, you find a wheel with a hard grip in the junkyard or eBay or wherever that has the outer diameter you want. cut it off at the spokes so you just have a ring. Then cut the outer ring off of your stock wheel so you just have the inside spoke part. Trim the spokes down so your original center fits inside the smaller diameter rim. Then grind away the plastic where the joints will be to expose the steel part so you can weld it on solid. You'll end up with a big ugly gap at the joints, which you can fill with PC7 or a similar 2 part epoxy, sand it down smooth (and fill in any other cracks by V-ing them out and fill with epoxy as well) then repaint. It'll take some time, but it's something you can do yourself to get you the diameter you want. LeCarra steering wheels are as nostalgic as wide whitewalls on a PT Cruiser. Those Grant banjo wheels are obviously modern as well. You'll spend a lot of time behind that wheel, don't poser-out on it now. You can do it!
Wow, thanks guys i had no idea you could modify the wheel like that I will have to attempt this. There's also some breakage around the holes that mount the front cover on the wheel, should I use that same epoxy to fill in where the pieces are missing? My brother acutally filled some cracks in his steering wheel, but I didn't think you could fill in large gaps like there would be cutting and welding the wheel back together.
Here ya go. Can you tell this one is modified? 2" smaller rim on stock 51 center and stock horn unit. Cut, Weld, Epoxy, Paint. No big deal. The Wizzard
Oh yeah, you could pretty much build the entire wheel out of epoxy over the steel frame if needed. Just make sure the plastic is solid - it's not a bad idea to hack some of it away at each break in order to get a more solid base. Lot's of people don't realize you can do this stuff. A friend of mine just restored a '64 GTO for a coworker of mine and he replaced the steering wheel with a cheesy generic one because the plastic was broken near the hub and he thought it was a "safety issue"! I didn't have the heart to tell him the plastic is just for looks, I just made sure he didn't throw the original wheel away.
Yes, absolutely. You always want to V out any cracks before you fill them, and don't use body filler, it'll crack later. But a proper repair will look great and hold up really well. Look at Pist n Broke's wheel, there's not an aftermarket steering wheel in the world that would look nicer than what he's got there. It's a fairly time consuming job, but doesn't require any specialized tools or extreme talent, mostly just patience.
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