The Frank Mack steering wheel?

what is this steering wheel? Besides drop dead beautiful, that is...

 

When HarmsWay sees the name Frank Mack, he will be on it and if anyone can tell you about that roadster, it is him.

 

Using your 6,000nth post to bump a Frank Mack Thread? Priceless...

 

Gonna give this another bump for the saturday evening crowd. No one can ID this wheel?

 

I might be going out on a ledge but could it possibly from a European '32 Ford. I remember they had aluminum spokes like that one. JohnnyA

 

Dont think they had the raised triangular ridge on the face of the spoke.

 

Might be Crosley.

 

According to Ryan, it's a '23 T steering wheel. If it is it's heavily modified!

Take a look:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=1784

 

Henway?

 

It took a while to find my copy of the November 1953 HOT ROD with the feature on the Frank Mack T. Nice photo of the steering wheel but they ID'd it incorrectly as a '23 T item. Bob

 

Heavily modified indeed. It's only three spokes, and everything about it looks different, but who knows?

 

I would guess it's home made. It would be a fairly straightforward project.

 

Although it does not look like any standard early Ford wheel that I remember Frank was a talented guy with metal until the day he died. I remember this car as kid in the fifties when Frank restored my dad's 810 Cord sportsman. While my dad and Frank went over the work he was doing I had time to climb around this car and another little sportscar he had behind his house on Eight Mile. He worked for my grandfather in the restoration shop in the fifties and for Herb Brown later in life. I used to stop by Herb's place when he was doing a Stutz for my dad and chat with Frank. He always had some big metal project going. There was a drop head Jag at Herbs that was a tangled mess and Frank messaged that car back into show winning form. For Frank that wheel would have been not out of his realm to play with the metal until he got the look he envisioned.-Jim

 

Yea, I started out going down this road, and lost my nerve. Pretty safe to say its unlikely that he started with a T wheel.

 

Good guess but I dont think so. Spokes are too narrow close to the hub. Also, if you look closely, on the Mack wheel, there is a raised triangular section extending down each spoke.Its sorta there on the crosley wheel, but MUCH shorter.
Is the crosley wheel bakelite over a metal armature, or is it all metal? Could be a real looker polished and plated.


Maybe it is home-made? Still hoping Harms Way chimes in, maybe he has some insight.

 

Three spoke.

 

Sunday evening bump.

 

Send a pm to Harms Way or Fab32. They'll know.

 

Well, I finally dug out my copy of "Hot rod milestones" written by Ken Gross and Robert Genat and it states its from a '23 T. Can't say without a doubt thats what it is but the book has always proven to be a good reference for me. JohnnyA

 

All model T wheels have four spokes and the rim is removable with four screws. Bob

 

Hmm...wonder if its an early accessory wheel that was pulled out of a '23 T and thats why we are getting bad info from the original hot rod magazine feature. What era would everyone say the wheel looks like its from? Mid to late thirties? What size would we guess it is? 15" maybe? Maybe a tractor or farm implement wheel? Maybe european?

Sorry...I'm only adding more questions and no answers. I'm really curious to know the story now...it's a pretty famous hot rod not to know what its out of. JohnnyA

 

It would have been before wheels for hyd. steering on equip't but this 17" wheel is very close
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?catname=hydraulic&item=9-6560

 

And they copied that from the original Hot Rod article...

 

I have been wondering that very same thing.

 

Ok, I think alot of guys arent seeing this clearly, maybe its the lack of contrast in the photo I used, so here is a newer color photo that might show it more clearly. There is a raised triangular section on the face of the wheel spokes, extending roughly 3/4 the length of each spoke.

 

It looks like the aluminum spokes are just a cover over the original spokes, like that Crosley or the 17" T. That would also help hide the large hub

 

Hadn't considered that. Not sure about the t thing though, where does the extra spoke go?

 

I was referring to the one Phil posted. I thought it was a Twheel, but I misread it

 

Here's an old Buick 3 spoke from ebay.....but it's a banjo type.



Or a vintage Mercedes Nardi wheel from the bay.....looks like raised spears.

 

I pmed Harms Way yesterday, no response yet. This just may have to be chalked up as one of lifes little mysteries. Looks like I have stumped the HAMB yet again.