1st time doing a "build" thread, so bear with me.. This is how I changed the existing steering wheel on my 40 Chrysler from an 18" OD to a 16" OD. I'm nowhere near needing it yet as there's tons of other stuff to do, but thought it might help others do the same. There was a good thread just a while ago about doing the same with a kit. I used PC7 2-part epoxy also, and it's a very good filler. I allowed at least a day of curing before any filing or sanding. An old wood rasp that's actually a bit dull made for an excellent tool for filing. It had a half-round and a flat. I wanted to retain the appearance of the stock wheel , but didn't care for that HUGE thing visually occupying so much of the dash. Eventually, there will be PS on the '40, so a reduction in diameter wouldn't have any serious effect on handling/control. So...here's what I started with; stock 18" OD wheel. Start to cut the "T"s where the spokes connect Mark & Save all the pieces !!...ya never know just what you'll need later on. 1 of 3 "T"s or junctions Each spoke had a short bend right at the "T" which gave the wheel a "dish" Once the "T"s were opened up and the pieces saved; I made an arbor to mount the wheel at center. Then placed it in the mill vise, so that the wheel was free to turn. I made some stops so that the cut didn't go too far and hit the spokes while cutting the rim at the center. (The arbor & the stops aren't shown in the pics.) I mounted an abrasive wheel on an arbor and spun it fast. Used a vacuum to take the dust away. NOTE: that old composition is some nasty stuff; if you're using a Dremel or similar free-hand tool or grinder, make sure to wear a mask and have a vacuum right near the cut. Cut along the outside.... Also, never "climb-mill" this kind of material...always "conventional-mill". Popped the 2 halves off the steel ring.... (and ended up with many pieces..but that's OK) The steel ring was cut into thirds; cutting out the existing "T" s. Then a new circumference for the ring was figured and the ring pieces shortened and re-arced to obtain the new diameter. The re-sized and newly-welded ring was not very round...so after looking around to see what could be used for a template, I grabbed one of the '40s 16" rims and used the backside recess to get it round + a few well-placed hammer strokes. After cutting approx 1" off each spoke, the ends were re-bent to meet the steel ring which retained the "height" of the steering wheel to the hub bottom. A piece of plywood with the offset marked on it served to align the pieces for welding. x 3 places Now, with a little "persuasion"...the old composite pieces were expoxied back onto the new steel ring. I used as much of the old "T" composite material (saved) that would fit....then used PC7 in copious amounts to fill. Again, a day or more was allowed for curing before any attempt at filing or sanding. The old "T"s removed.... ..gettin there....... close-up of "A" junction...needs some more filling, more filling; about done filling in.... cont'd
just checkin' to see where it's at... looks good from here... A view of the backside.....and here's where the part about reusing the original pieces of the 18" wheel come into play. Originally, on the backside, at each "T", the finger bumps were skipped over or omitted, so that there was approx 1 1/2" of flat directly below where the spoke met and was welded to the ring. I wanted to preserve that feature, so it took some time to get all the bumps oriented correctly. another look.... 3M Primered, ready for paint In some of the pictures, it appears as though the wheel is out-of-round, but that is because of the coloration and lighting. Hope this might be of some value to those wanting to re-size their steering wheel. It's not all that difficult....just takes alot of time. gatz
I know how much work is involved in a modification like this and especially to have it come out looking like it's a factory piece. Congratulations on making a huge task look so simple. HRP
I've typically done this using a ring from a donor steering wheel that had the desired diameter. It's easier that way, but this is a cool way of doing it and would be especially useful if the design of the outer grip was somehow special to the wheel. Well written tech as well.
Perfect timing, I was just talking about reducing the diameter of my steering wheel last night. How did you get the outer sections to fit the smaller diameter??
That composite was brittle as all get-out. Was a bit fearful that they'd crack even more when forcing it to a tighter radius, and in fact some of them did; but slathering on some PC-7 and the numerous clamps brought it in OK. Of course, it helped a lot that the pieces had most of a half-circle to engage the steel ring. Any cracks that appeared were further opened up with a hacksaw blade for filling. All the parts were cleaned with lacquer thinner before assembly. The cut made by the abrasive wheel provided a good gap to fill with the epoxy.
Great job of illustrating the procedure. Fifty years from now some old geezer will be telling his pals that that 16" wheel they found at a swap meet is a rare accessory wheel and worth at least $750.
The Jalopy Journal
