Repro '69 3-Spoke Steering Wheel Pad Review ...

[stangs-R-me 120]

This is the Daniel Carpenter C9ZZ-3263 reproduction 3-spoke steering wheel pad I bought from CJP (their STWP3) ... had been waiting for this to go on sale and they finally did it during their big end of 2013 year sale (paid $73.09).

 

Mine was in real nice shape for being an original 45 year old pad, but the new one is much nicer.

 

The DC repro pad likely has a foam core like the original, but it has a complete outer vinyl skin so you can't really compare foam density of the two.

 

The outside is definitely firmer, edges are more refined, and it has more "grain texture" than the original ... none of which I feel is negative. Never seen a like new or N.O.S. pad, so I can't offer any comparison there.

 

What I was tired of on my old one was how it was wavy and flared up away from the wheel at the top middle ... a mix of shrinking AND expanding ... as this stares right in your face every time you drive it. I've seen many original pads much worse than mine, but it was still irritating.

 

With the new pad in place, you can actually see the edges of the wheel.

 

3 No. 6 x 1/2" black-oxide screws were supplied with the pad but they were not the right size OR length for either the pad to wheel OR trim to pad. Original pad to wheel screws were also too short because metal backing is deeper into pad. Instead of trying to find longer chrome plated sheet metal screws that matched the O.E. screw head, I went with 10-32x3/4" S.S. screws because the head closely matched the O.E. chrome screws. I then had to drill & tap the pad for these straight thread screws.

 

Only thing I wish they did different was make it just a bit wider on the spokes. Pad is real close to the width of the spokes of the wheel and I needed to file the shank of one screw down a bit so I could better center the pad on the left spoke (yes, I'm anal). If pad spokes were slightly wider than the wheel spokes (say 1/4"), then you would have an 1/8" of play either way to make up for tolerances. Could have gone with smaller screws (8-32 maybe) to give more adjustment play, but then the screw heads would have been much smaller than O.E.

 

Almost forgot to mention ... original / restored trim plate fits the repop pad nicely too.

 

See pics

[stangs-R-me 120]

Here are more pics of OE & DC pads mounted to wheel ...

[stangs-R-me 120]

Don't know if anyone noticed, but I've got both a Base model 3-Spoke Trim Pad and a Deluxe one. Difference being the Deluxe one has the outer silver trim plate, and the base model one does not.

 

I've always liked the look of the non-deluxe trim better, so this is what is in my car.

 

Upon disassembling, I noticed that all three of the thread bosses were split on this non-deluxe trim and the screws were not grabbing.

 

The repro pad has larger counterbore areas around where these 3 trim mounting bosses are located, so I was able to reinforce the 3 bosses using some copper water pipe ... 3/8" size type L cut to 5/16" long and my favorite glue ever GOOP. First carefully heated up the bosses with a heat gut and closed the splits as best as I could. Then gooped them up and slipped on the copper sleeves. Once cured, I bottom tapped each boss 10-32 and used the same 10-32x3/4" SS to mount trim as I did pad to wheel ... holds nice and tight now.

 

Original trim screws were 1/2" long and assuming #8 size (deluxe trim I've got has good bosses and #8 screws non-deluxe had #10, but guessing this was because they were split back when I first installed this trim on my wheel in the 80's).

 

Doug

[2011SVT 10]

Beautiful. I have to go check mine now. Thanks a lot.... :/

[stangs-R-me 120]

Finally got my car out of hibernation and outside and under decent lighting so I could take a few pics of steering wheel pad as installed in car.

 

Think it turned out real nice !!

 

Car was happy to finally get out and run too !!

 

Doug