Technical It's 1962 and your Hot Rod Needs a STEERING WHEEL

Get in your time machine or stack of old magazines, use your memory if you can, what were good looking STEERING WHEELS to use in a Roadster built in 1962? Yes, we need to see photos. Happy New Year! Bob

 

The Grant 3 Spoke steering wheels came out in 62.
Prior to that the Bell 3 and 4 spoke sprint car wheels were popular.
It was also popular to use say a 40 wheel in a 32.

 

Bell Four Spoke, '40 Ford P/U or Standard Sedan, '36 Banjo, '40 Merc wheel, Depends on the style you are after.

But those are my favorites.


all the best,

Tim

 

I was not there, but I have a lot of old magazines, and my dad's memories...it would seem around that time the factory steering wheels off of the big 3 were pretty popular. You know, from all through the fifties and the very early sixties. Think horn rings.

I'll look at a few old magazines this weekend and see if I can find some evidence.

 

how bout 59 impala?

 

Exactly ^^^^! There was a lot of that type I think.

My dad had a '56 Ford steering wheel on his Model A coupe in 1959.

 

1940 Ford steering wheel,banjo wheel or grant 3 spoke or Bell 4 spoke wheel during the early 60's,,as popular then as it is now. HRP

 

depends on what I was building and what resources I was working with

but if I was pulling parts from a late model Olds I'd grab the wheel too

 

common speed boat wheel

 

That's the era I am shooting for, for my build. 59-62.

 

Oh Man I'm with ya on the Oldsmobile.

 

I like the 49 Merc wheel

 

'55 Ford Fairlane/Customline.

 

This is the 53 Merc wheel I'm using in my model A.

 

hotroddon: Just curious...What style wheel did Grant offer in 1962? Was it similar to a Covico? The oldest Grant I've come across is from the mid '60s ; with a single slot and uneven spoke spacing.

 

The first pic is, of course, a 39 DeLuxe Ford, not a 40 Ford.

 

Very much a faux pas, I thought I posted the photo of the steering wheel in my truck..I actually do know the difference! HRP

What I should have posted.

 

these are cool

 

The Impala wheel was a definite favorite in 62, as was that Olds wheel (as suggested above by Hotdoggin DaddyO) for rods with a more vertical column (I had one just like that in my 1931 A/371 Olds). I think Grant was around in early 60s, but maybe it's Covico I'm remembering.

 

The '40 column I bought to put in the car came with a VERY rough '47 wheel. 10$ worth of paint and PC7 had it looking good. I added the Horn ring from a '50. It snapped right on.

 

On street roadsters surviving into the early '60's, I too think that big, gaudy late Detroit stuff was the in thing. like the Neal East car on the cover of R&C... any '58-62 Impala, Olds a possibility but required lots of work because of depth.
Old Ford stuff was, unfortunately, OUT, and the trend was pointing towards show-car horrors with custom grills hung onto both ends of roadsters...see the AMBR's of the day!

 

Thats rad!

 

Corvair. It has the look of the big chevy wheels of the day but it is smaller. Sorry the only photo I had is during the build so the horn ****on was not installed. I love this wheel. I actually put a quick release on it (since it is on a LEE Sprint Car box). So it comes off just like a race car wheel.

 

59 T-Bird steering wheels are pretty neat.

 

Or '57 Ford. Ala Kart, Soderstrom 3 window spring to mind, they show up all over the place in Hot Rod from '57-62, usually with a bullet in the center.

 

This is what i had in my car also. Corvettes steering wheels are cool

 

That looks GREAT!

 

I'm pretty sure my 35 was a early 60's build... has a 40 Ford column and steering wheel

 

Superior 3 spoke,with holes and plastic coated rim .