I had to pull the sport steering wheel back off to adjust (bend) the turn signal lever just a little bit so my hand wouldn't hit it while holding the wheel. So I decided to take some pics in case anybody else was thinking about going with the repro sport wheel from The Parts Place.

I had no issues at all and am pleased with it.

This is a super-easy project and most people won't need this how-to but just in case somebody does....here we go.

OK, first, point your wheels straight ahead. Then pull your old steering wheel. You'll need simple hand tools and maybe a cheap ($10) steering wheel puller from the auto parts store. You'll see the dust cover under the wheel with the horn contact sticking up. Make sure that's not missing or you'll have no horn.

Note the index mark on the steering shaft is straight up.

 

Now carefully place the hub over the steering shaft, making sure the horn contact comes through the hole. Tighten the nut down on the steering shaft to hold the hub in place.

 

Using 6 stainless steel flat head machine screws, #8-32 x 3/4" screw the wheel to the hub.

 

Place the horn button adapter with the extended leg down, pushing down on the the horn contact. Hold it in place and screw it to the hub with three more #8-32 screws.

 

Now you just need to pop the horn button into place and admire your handiwork. The whole process shouldn't take more than a half hour at the most. I also took the opportunity to touch up a couple of scratches on my steering column from reinstalling the dash.

I think The Parts Place really did a nice job on this kit.

 

Nice write up and it looks great. I assume that the horn contact comes with the wheel or was that extra?

That wheel is on my wish list, maybe I'll get one for my birthday!

 

Thanks Darrell! The horn button adapter comes with the kit along with the wheel and the hub. The horn contact itself is part of the car, the stock steering wheel uses it also.

My main thought in writing this up was so that anybody thinking about this wheel/kit will realize it's a nice kit and super easy to do.

 

Mine is OEM and looks great in spite of a couple of very minor nicks in the rubber. (probably from my ring finger or something) Does PP have decent grain on the rubber part of the wheel or is it smooth? Kind of hard to see from your pic. And, you're right. It's a piece of cake to change over from a deluxe wheel. I'm planning on changing my column over to a tilt, and adding cruise. I've got the tilt column; it's rebuilt and ready to install.

2008_0314MILLER0022-Copy.jpg?t=1274673478

Hey, I just noticed. This post is 1972 for me!! Ya I know, big deal.

 

Hi Allan! The repro wheel has grain, my understanding is that it's a little coarser than the OEM but since every OEM sport wheel I've seen has the grain worn off, I guess it's not a big deal. I did buy a used OEM sport wheel on ebay a few years back but it wasn't in great shape. I sold it and bought the kit when it came out. I've been waiting for about 5 years to install it.

 

One of the things I noticed when I installed my wheel is that it kind of limits my sight to the tach and oil/temp/voltage gages. Maybe it's just the way I'm sitting. Have you noticed anything like that? I know mine is the right wheel (not the starfire one-it's about and inch smaller in diameter), but I like the look and the feel.

I remember about 25 years ago I installed a Grant wheel, and it was WAAY too small + the darn horn contact wouldn't work with it, and there was no horn contact kit with the wheel. So I yanked it and took it back. Took a while to brain up to getting an OEM wheel, but I'm glad I did. Still have the old deluxe wheel the car came with, it's pretty heavy and a really good candidate for restoration. Only has 2 cracks but also needs the pearl inlay done. Local wheel restorer said about $200.00. But I don't think that will happen. Got other and better things to do with the $$.

 

Looks great! Thanks for the detailed post!

 

Well, I don't have any seats in my car at the moment so I can't say for sure. The rim is definitely thicker than the standard wheel so it could be an issue. My old wheel had so many cracks and pieces missing it went straight into the metal recycle bin. I wouldn't spend the money to fix it anyway, when you're done you'd still have a pretty plain wheel.

 

Hey Darrell, do you have any pics of your car posted? The '70-'72 Supreme is actually my favorite body style of any Cutlass. I'd love to have an SX one of these days.

 

I saw a vendor selling the repro wheel a years or two back at Carlisle...I thought there was something "off" about how the vinyl cover curved around the rim, thought there may have been a crease / bend around the entire facing edge (when looking straight on at it). May have been a bad example, but it just didn't look right to me.

 

That is awesome. I have a question associated with the horn contact button. The piece that's folded down keeps the Horn from going off?
I added a wire to mines. Was that right?

 

No, you don't need to add any wires. The folded-down piece of the horn button adapter goes against the spring-loaded contact that sticks out of the column. The circuit is completed when you press the horn button, the two pieces of the horn button adapter make contact which allows current flow from the contact to ground thru the steering column, via the three screws that hold the horn button adapter to the hub.

If your horn is going off continuously when you put the horn button adapter on, there is something wrong with the horn button adapter, the two pieces of metal are making contact.

 

I got it. That makes more sense now. When I get off work tonight I'll definitely try it. Thank you.

 

Looks great. thanks for the pictures. Do they offer other colors (blue ) other than black, and what was the cost?

 

Glad this thread resurfaced. It is good motivation to make me put on my sport wheel that I recently de-goo'ed. Since it is this easy, i can put the delux back on should it goo up again..
Good writeup!

 

Pull the column..................................

 

I just heard something whack off the top of my anti-MAW helmet. Wonder what is was....

 

Man I should really get one of those.

I recently in the past week had a full front clip mAW

Started with the 442 grille restoration.

Started looking at stone shields. Decided I MaW replace the headlamp housings while I'm at it.

Hey, that bumper looks mighty crooked and rusty. New bumper!

 

Tony, by the rate you're going, you might need two and stack 'em!

 

Hah, definitely.

Sometime in april I plan to pick a fight with the booster and MC...

Last year I went under the car with a coat hanger and tube bender and redid all my lines in SS, stupid that I didn't take pics back then. The master and booster is the last crappy rusted thing left in my engine bay. And logic dictates that a leaky mC is eventually gonna go...

 

Hey, I'm taking a lunch break. Just got done pulling my gas tank. Managed to NOT set myself, my shop, or my car on fire. Need to replace the fuel gauge sender.

While I have it out, I Might As Well get out the wire brush and do some prettying up at the back of the car.......

 

There were 2 styles of these wheels. The larger diameter (15 1/2") only available in black. The colored wheels are better known as Starfire wheels (14 1/2"). The also have a different stitching pattern on the rubber.
This is a 15 1/2" wheel. look carefully at the pattern where the rubber stops on the spokes


This is the starfire that originally came in with the Omega.


Noooo, once you take off the 'Deluxe' wheel you cannot reinstall it. Dark and Malevolent Forces will cause spline failure and explosive decomposition of the plastic parts. You MUST stay with the N34 option wheel once it is installed....(wanna buy a bridge?)

He's right Rob, you already did the shaft. Time to do the column - you'll have the wheel off anyway and from there it's only another 2 screws and 5 bolts. Not hard at all....

Yes! Do it while your inner liners are out. Much easier to get the lower booster bolts. Don't forget the one on the side that holds the brake lines.
If you already have a leaky MC, it's already gone. Usually the rear seal. I know you're looking for a replacement. Sent you a PM link to a guy in ONT that rebuilds them if you want to keep your OEM MC.

Oh, it will be more than a wire brush by the time you're finished. How difficult was it to get your tank out?? It's almost impossible NOT to want to do more to a car while it's apart. It's the nature of not wanting to have to do it again. NOTE: this does not apply to shopping with your wife; I NEVER say, "Hey Sweetie, since we're out shopping we MAW look at new clothes, shoes, carpet....." Recipe for $$$ disaster.

ROB!!! Another MAW customer.....

 

Hi Allan, good info on the two types of sport wheels.

Not hard to pull the gas tank. The tailpipes get in the way a little bit. I siphoned all the gas I could out. Then disconnected the ground and sender wires. Remove the clamp that holds the filler neck to the body. Leave the gas cap on. Cut the rubber fuel hose and plug the tank end to prevent vapor or fuel leakage. Make sure the vent hose is free to drop down. Then use a floor jack and two-by-four to hold the tank up. Remove the front strap bolts and pull the straps down. Lower the tank, jockying it to one side to clear the tailpipes. Done!

 

That's awesome! I'm working on my gas tank as well. Last night i got up under the car and tried to have a fight with the bolts holding it in. Realized i couldn't find my angle grinder (my old man probably stole it) and so i gave up with the hacksaw (Al, you were right, probably not the best idea)

How did you support the gas tank when you took it out? It's pretty much right up against my chest when i'm under the car. i'm kinda worried it's going to crush me after raining gas on my face after cutting the lines.....

 

Al,

I think you're definitely onto something good. I'm going to give that guy in ontario a call. I sent that ebay guy a question asking "is this master cylinder for drum/drum brakes" he said the following

"master cylinders were all the same through 67-72"

**BUZZZZZZ** WRONG ANSWER,

looks like i won't be buying from his ebay store anytime soon

 

I also started a condition guide for sports wheels. Here is the post. Lee

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ion-guide.html

 

Like I said, use a floor jack and piece of two-by-four to hold it up. I had my car up on jackstands first so I had some room under there. If you siphon all the gas out first you won't spill any. I doubt more than a couple of teaspoons of gas came out when I cut the rubber line.

You do not want to try this with gas in the tank, unless you want to take a chance on barbecuing yourself. Be ready to plug the tank end of the rubber gas line, and leave the gas cap on.

 

So what color is the hub of the sport steering wheel supposed to be?? Column color or just black? I have seen both in this thread.

 

If you want to go stock, all 15 inch N34's were black. If you want to change the color of the cap and the adapter bowl to saddle, you know how to do it.

The starfire wheels always had the color coded wheels, center caps and lower adapters. I think one of the big draws for lots of people is the starfire wheel simply because it allows the entire column assy to match the interior. Lucky me, my interior is black, and so is my column. So everything matches right off the line.