ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 22, 2016 As much as I don't like the rim blow it should be there...working or not..... Thinking on it.... Not shore of the inserts myself... Need to install the wheel than lay back with a beer and have a look.. Simple to change...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 22, 2016 Center pad.... I have been more nervous about doing this than anything. Not shore why? From what I see people ask 150.00-200.00 for a replacement... Really>? That's half of what I paid for the car..(1976) Ground it off with a bench grinder this gave me the round shape I was looking for.. Fast and painless....Will hit the ends with black paint.. (Rim sanded for second coat) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 23, 2016 I'm down to the end....18 days later.. SO what did it cost? Steering wheel..Free....(In a way?) Black walnut wood...60.00 Clear coat...30.00 and black pigment Wood clamps...40.00(need more) Steam box..25.00 Router bit I didn't have..19.00 Epoxy...25.00 PC-7 epoxy...7.00 Wallpaper steamer. Free..(75.00 new) Sandpaper and mis. hardware. glue. and stain I did not use....45.00 ? Inlay...12.00 Time to do it.... UNKNOWN I'm most likely forgetting something...(Gas and beer) $263.00 Cheap? Not really but try to buy a custom wood wheel for that... When my grand daughter gets this car years down the road from now think about how proud she will be to say my grand father made that.....Now get your butt in and lets burn some tires!!!! Before grandpa gets home.. I would be so proud!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
69RavenConv 286 Report post Posted February 24, 2016 Great thread. I'm an amateur woodworker (see my avatar) but I never would have considered building a wheel until I saw how it is done here. You guys did a great job, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 24, 2016 Thank you for the comment.. Not shore if this how its done? Two of us got it done with a little different approach. Both worked very well. There was a time my camera was down....Would like to have photos of the inner and outer rim routing.. In the end I only used 6 strips of wood (planks)And tossed to many in the wood stove....... Learning curve on wood steaming... CLAMPS don't be afraid to have to many...... Hope to bolt it in tonight after 10 years of it hanging on the wall... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPM 1,190 Report post Posted February 24, 2016 So cool! Necessity is the mother of invention (or modification). 2 SweellTrex and quoriSer reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 24, 2016 Next up. Sheet metal replacement that would have been nice to do 40 years ago when you could get the real stuff. Luckily its all underside....Think about it I paid $50.00 for two scratch and dent quarter panels in 1977 Maybe I should use Oak on the bottom and teak on the top? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 I know I have already posted this photo But I think it would be good to end my time on this tread by showing the final results in the car.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SA69mach 39 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 Looks great Ray. Did you fit a horn button of any kind? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 Going to do a center button...Just cant see slipping up with the router at this point to install something I don't really care for. Waiting on doing my next parts order on the never ending things that I think I need(Want) I have found out if you use your car.. Things keep wearing out?...A bit strange?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SA69mach 39 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 Good choice in my opinion. I really like the look of the original rim blow wheel. I just don't like the large size, the spindly rim, the stink from the plastic, and the feeble and finicky horn switch. You are right about the cars wearing out when you use them. They go bad if you don't use them, though! How do you like it to drive with? The wheel size, and grip etc. Do you have power or manual steering? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 The car had manual steering when it was born. lasted 9 days for me..Paid $25.00 for the complete P/S assy.(1976) Skipped school for the day to get it done..made 65.00 a week. working two jobs and school.. Still winter in NH.. No snow but still plenty of salt and sand on the road... No test driving at this time..(Maybe) Outer rim. diameter 14 1/4 Rim diameter...1.1/8 same as most modern cars. The aftermarket wheel was rubber with no finger grips and this is wood with grips so it feels different. In a good way!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stangs-R-me 120 Report post Posted February 26, 2016 Even if you could router a groove for a rim-blow switch, you would need to shorten a stock switch to fit. And as problematic as the replacement switches can be as-is, I would not want to try and disassemble, shorten, and re-assemble one to fit !! Love the look ... you did great work there Ray !! Doug Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SA69mach 39 Report post Posted February 27, 2016 Even if you could router a groove for a rim-blow switch, you would need to shorten a stock switch to fit. And as problematic as the replacement switches can be as-is, I would not want to try and disassemble, shorten, and re-assemble one to fit !! Love the look ... you did great work there Ray !! Doug I already did that with my first small wheel, and it was less of a nightmare than what I anticipated. The switch is a rubber tube with two copper strips inside, one above the other. They are kept separated by a half rib . One copper strip has little ridges. When you squeeze the rubber the two strips touch, and makes contact, When you release the pressure, the internal rubber ribs push the strips apart. To shorten it you measure carefully the required length (during a test fit in the groove) and then slice off the rubber from ONE END, leaving the copper exposed. Don't cut any copper yet. Then carefully pull the strip into place, along the length of the switch, so that each end of the rubber has one terminal end, flush. You will now have a shorter rubber tube, two terminal ends flush, and two long strips of copper sticking out EACH END. Trim off the excess plain copper strips, and bend a small piece of copper strip over then rubber end to finish, just like the factory. I doubt you could do it with an old switch - the rubber is brittle and stiff, and the lubrication inside the switch is long gone. You would be likely to snap the copper strip somewhere inside the rubber. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted March 20, 2016 Ride report... After putting 300+ miles behind the new wheel the diameter and thickness are perfect for me.. gage visibility is not a problem. (I did off set the rim a little just for that) Feels write in the hands. Looks way better than the black foam wheel that it replaced. Ray. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPM 1,190 Report post Posted March 20, 2016 It's good to hear it turned out as planned. And just in case you haven't heard it in a while, you did a fantastic job! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Black_69_FB 49 Report post Posted August 9, 2016 clearcoated and assembled with center pad . Hoping you can answer a quick question for me... do you happen to know the part # for that horn button? Or do you think it is the same as this one? : http://www.cjponyparts.com/horn-button-black-euro-style-5-bolt-6-bolt/p/HBG56-V/ Looks the same, but the description says 3" diameter... that seems a bit large, but I'm not home where I can get a good look at the hole in the pad for reference. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
machm1970 180 Report post Posted March 19, 2017 Are you still making these? Did you figure out a way to make the horn work? Thanks, Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ray1970 88 Report post Posted September 27, 2022 Been a long time. Life can change fast. Finley got the horn done the way I wanted it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mach1 Driver 560 Report post Posted September 27, 2022 23 minutes ago, ray1970 said: Been a long time. Life can change fast. Finley got the horn done the way I wanted it. Hi Ray, long time no see. So you fashioned a switch out of the center medallion? I can see the terminal. After replacing several rim blow switches I put a switch under the center and rigged up a way to let the medallion pivot slightly to press the switch- way back in the 70s or 80s, and still working which is more than I can say for rim blow switches. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
