Steering wheel....OEM or after market

[Rmally]

I noticed my original steering wheel has the usual cracks and just doesn't look that good. I've seen the factory looking original but wanted to know what others have done. I searched and found a few options with pictures but would love to see some more and get opinions.

I do not have PS and do not want a small diameter wheel. I would assume a 15 inch size would be the best....but I have no past experience so just guessing.

Is there anything out there that looks "period correct" other than the OEM, or what other styles look good in these EB's.

Thanks,

 

[Stroppe-Envy-77]

I went with a Grant "Signature" wheel.

The two things I like about it are that it does indeed look period-correct for a '77 (a bit of the vibe from the Firebird Trans Am steering wheel of the era) and that it comes in 15" diameter. Even though I have power steering, I just have never liked the dinky steering wheel look, especially on a truck.

Additionally, and part of the reason I made the change, is that its lack of dish gets the steering wheel back away from my chest. I always felt like one of those old ladies who drives hunched over the wheel with the stocker.

 

[panteramatt]

If you like the original wheel keep it and get it restored. I think they look terrible and replaced mine with a smaller one so its easier to get in and out but I do have PS.

 

[joshnjulie1]

Got this one from eBay. I can find the vendor again if needed (I had to for someone else on here previously). If I had to do it again I would not get a 'half' wheel. It just feels funny, but I do like the style and the logo. SMaller too, and yes I do have PS also.

 

[blamejane]

I went with a Grant "Signature" wheel.

The two things I like about it are that it does indeed look period-correct for a '77 (a bit of the vibe from the Firebird Trans Am steering wheel of the era) and that it comes in 15" diameter. Even though I have power steering, I just have never liked the dinky steering wheel look, especially on a truck.

Additionally, and part of the reason I made the change, is that its lack of dish gets the steering wheel back away from my chest. I always felt like one of those old ladies who drives hunched over the wheel with the stocker.

Nice wheel Stroppe-envy. Do you have a side view of it installed?

 

[blamejane]

If I had to do it again I would not get a 'half' wheel. It just feels funny, but I do like the style and the logo.

Just curious, what do you mean by "half wheel"?

 

[Rmally]

Nice wheels, thanks for the input.

 

[yewhi]

This is from a slightly later ford truck.

 

[Scoop]

Just curious, what do you mean by "half wheel"?

A half wheel is one that has the padding or wood on the half of wheel facing he driver when installed. The back half is cast aluminum integral with the spokes and hub (1 piece). I have the same wheel on my 78 and I like a lot. But for the PO's Bronco, it's a bit small for no power steering.

 

[kholding]

I like how this wheel accents this resto-mod Bronco. Just enough "old school" to keep it cool.

 

[BRONCOBERT]

This is from a slightly later ford truck.

I kinda like that what size wheel is it?

 

[blamejane]

A half wheel is one that has the padding or wood on the half of wheel facing he driver when installed. The back half is cast aluminum integral with the spokes and hub (1 piece). I have the same wheel on my 78 and I like a lot. But for the PO's Bronco, it's a bit small for no power steering.

Thanks Scoop!

It's so hard to decide...I like the "old school" style which kholding posted as well as the one which yewhi posted.

 

[Oakland Bronco]

What is your budget for this purchase? Nardi makes some beautiful steering wheels that are handmade in Italy, but they are pricey.

 

[Stroppe-Envy-77]

Nice wheel Stroppe-envy. Do you have a side view of it installed?

Not exactly a true side view, but a different angle.

 

[Stroppe-Envy-77]

This is from a slightly later ford truck.

I actually looked into using that OEM Ford "sport wheel" at one point. Nice size and look, but there were a couple of downsides. (Those wheels were installed on various Ford products in the late '70s, from Mustangs to full-size trucks and Broncos.)

First, the hub diameter is larger than the EB column, by a significant amount. You can't see it in the photo above, but there's about a 3/8" gap all around. From the driver's seat you probably wouldn't notice it much, but it would have bothered me every time I saw it when climbing in.

The other issue with these is that many vehicles they were installed on used the end of the turn signal stalk for the horn button. Not one of Ford's "better ideas" from the era; my father had a '79 LTD with that feature and it was quite counter-intuitive if you'd had many years of finding the horn in the center of the wheel. So if the wheel was originally on a passenger car with that set-up, there's no horn button (or wiring) built into it. There's just a non-functioning center cap.

And to that last point, a lot of the wheels listed on eBay wouldn't have that stated in the ad, and sometimes the seller wasn't even aware of the fact that their wheel contained no horn switch. Only after I'd submit a question would I get a "Hey, what do you know!" response. Keep that in mind if you decide to go that route.

 

[blamejane]

Not exactly a true side view, but a different angle.

Love it. Can you tell me what the model name/number?? There's so many on the grant site. Also, just curious how the turn signals are working. Do they cancel correctly?

 

[willtel]

LeCarra Wheel by willtel, on Flickr

 

[Stroppe-Envy-77]

Love it. Can you tell me what the model name/number?? There's so many on the grant site. Also, just curious how the turn signals are working. Do they cancel correctly?

These are Summit part numbers:

GRT-1770 Wheel
GRT-5285 Black billet-style hub kit (the standard one looks kind of crappy)
GRT-5665 Ford logo horn button

I moved the Ford turn signal cancelling ring from the stock wheel to the Grant hub, and it works great. (The flimsy pins Grant uses as their solution to turn signal cancelling are pretty bad.)

 

[Rmally]

LeCarra Wheel by willtel, on Flickr

I love this wheel......Do you happen to know the diameter.

 

[blamejane]

These are Summit part numbers:

GRT-1770 Wheel
GRT-5285 Black billet-style hub kit (the standard one looks kind of crappy)
GRT-5665 Ford logo horn button

I moved the Ford turn signal cancelling ring from the stock wheel to the Grant hub, and it works great. (The flimsy pins Grant uses as their solution to turn signal cancelling are pretty bad.)

Thanks for the details SE. Unfortunately I don't have my stock wheel anymore; ditched that in the mid-80's. Of course now I wish I had it, d'oh! I'm going to look for a replacement part though, cuz I would like to have that working after 30 year of one turn-signal not cancelling LOL.