I'm not sure which HAMBer it was, talking about a picture he saw in a magazine using Flathead connecting rods for a steering wheel.. But i want to thank you for an easy way to get a different looking wheel in the size i needed. I made it for my 31 Tudor project. Channeled, not Chopped. I'm 6'4, with long legs, so i needed a smaller wheel then what i originally planned, a 36 olds wheel. (anybody want it?) The Olds wheel was and 18 incher. Not enough leg room, and at the angle I had it was right in my line of sight out the windshield. So after a couple days of "stewing" i thought 15 inches would be about perfect. I went ahead and bought a stainless boat wheel on ebay for 15 bucks. I cut the outer hoop of the the boat wheel, and the center out of the F-1 Truck wheel I had . Thanks to the Generous HAMBER who dropped a couple connecting rods in the mail for me, I had all the parts I needed. couple more years and she'll be driving too!! I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
Nice job, I'd love to do the same thing. Hey what shifter is that? I like the looks and height of it.
To expand on the idea, some polished antique rods from something like a Jag XK engine or similar would look fantastic. Some early racers had drilled rods....
That's a good job Matt. I kept trying to wrap my mind around how you were going to do it, the pic's cleared it right up!
..oh yea, the shift lever is a Gennie Commander, 12" length. http://www2.gennieshifter.com/shifter-commander.php
Is your "wobbly A" going to be fenderless? If so you might consider using flattie connecting rods as headlamp stands , we did this on brother in laws '28 RPU . Used 8ba conrods . I'll dig out a pic if you're interested.
Cool looking wheel. I'm not a fan of spinners, so I'm voting for colored plastic in the pin holes. If you could buy rod stock or thick sheet, shouldn't be that hard to make something. Or even mix up an opaque epoxy and pour em shut. Think about it. They could be flat or have a little dome or depression. They could be marbled like a bowling ball or translucent in any color of the rainbow. Wanna know what else you got going on now???? You got a recess in the backside of the rod that can be used to hide things and dressed with a small plate. Things like a small battery that could power an LED which illuminates the plastic lugs..... Back on the colored epoxy pouring idea, you could even pour the centers of the rods full. Might even be able to drill a couple lightening holes and fill both sides of the rod for a super smooth finished look. If it were translucent the holes would show. good luck
I was not sure I wanted to see this thread but now am impressed with what you did. Please fill the wrist pin holes, as a dumbie like me would break a finger with them on the wheel.
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