I'm a newbie to the forum but a very long time Olds Cutlass 442 owner. I have always liked the look of the 1970 - 1977 Olds Cutlass 442 four spoke sport steering wheel with the black horn cap and black hub. I was wondering if you can put a steering wheel from a 70-77 442 on to an 87 442 steering column? No one seems to be able to definitively tell me if its going to work.

Thanks!

 

Well, you haven't been asking the right people.

Yes, it will work. Steering wheels from GM RWD cars will pretty much interchange from the 1969 model year up until airbags were installed.

 

Thanks for the info. I pretty much figured that the shaft coming out of the column would be the same, but before I spend $350 for a new 70-77 steering wheel from BAP or Fusick its good to know for sure.
I need to replace the column anyway, so I may get a new column and steering wheel at the same time. That way I can see how it looks on the work bench prior to putting it in the car.

I will also have to see if there is a huge difference in the diameter of the wheels. That info would be helpful also. I think the 70-77 is slightly larger in diameter.

Thanks!

 

Joe you should have your own forum.

How does just ask Joe sound?

I'm serious you have a vast knowledge.

 

The correct Cutlass/442 wheels are 15.5" in diameter. The Starfire wheels used in the 1975-79 Starfire are 14.5" in diameter. The hub and mounting is the same for both. All larger wheels are black. Any OEM wheel in color is a Starfire wheel. The stitching pattern is larger on the Starfire wheel also.

 

Shaft is the same, but you also need to line up the wheel properly on the spline. The plastic horn wire retainer and spring is also different on the sport wheel (shorter) than the stock wheel. You'll need an adapter kit - easy to find from aftermarket suppliers.

1. You're right that there were 2 different size sport wheels (option N34) available. The larger of the two is 15 1/2" and only came in black. The smaller of the 2 is 14 1/2" (referred to as the Starfire wheel) and came in a range of colors to match the Starfire interior colors. That started in 1975 I believe. The wheel was popular on the Omega also.

2. I have no idea what your end goal is for the car, but you can buy good used OEM wheels for a lot less. One thing about the OEM wheels is they tend to feel 'sticky' after a while especially after the grain pattern is rubbed off. Probably the same issue with repops.

3. If you want to buy new, don't limit your vendor list to just Fusick or BAP. There are plenty of other vendors (Parts Place, Tamraz, Supercars Unlimited, OPGI, Year One) just to name a few. Shop around for the best pricing/shipping.

4. If you're replacing the column you'll need to stick with the appropriate years in your model range. eg: 69-72 are compatible with each other but 73 and up will not work for your car. Note: 69 was the first year the key lock was installed in the steering column. You might want to consider looking for a tilt column if you're going to replace it anyway.

 

I put a '73 4-spoke wheel in my '92 OCC, no issues.
I did remove the airbag, but I promise to drive defensively!
I also put a '90 OCC column into a '74 Cutlass wagon, and except for a little fudging on the harness, all bolted in and worked as normal, even gave me a stalk dimmer.

 

I have a 4-spoke wheel on my 85 Cutlass. You will need to use the horn contact for the sport wheel, which fits right into your cancelling cam.