68 GT convertible project
Haven't been doing much with the car. I've been meaning to make a small trim ring for the steering column though. Went over to my father-in-laws house and he helped me with it this weekend.
As most of you know, the 68 steering column is smaller in diameter then the 70+ columns. When a factory Tuff Wheel adapter is used on a 69 and older column, the size difference is very noticeable and pretty unattractive. Last year at the Mopar Nat's, I saw a 68 Dart that had a custom made trim ring on the bottom of its steering wheel adapter. It helped transition between the large adapter and the smaller column. So, here is my version...
Here is what the Tuff Wheel adapter looks like on an older column. I had to clearance the inside of the adapter so it didn't rub on the outside of the column. Other then that, the adapter fits just fine. It looks pretty ugly the way it sits though.
I started with a 5x5 piece of 1/2" aluminum. After cutting out the center hole on a mill and cutting off the corners(to minimize machining time), it was put in a lathe where the outside diameter was turned to the correct diameter.
Once it was to size, the lathe was readjusted and a bevel was machined into the trim ring.
Here is the rough cut trim ring installed on the adapter.
I still need to do some hand sanding to finish the part but this is basically what it will look like. It really does a good job at making the adapter look like it was made for the earlier columns. IMO
Haven't been doing much with the car. I've been meaning to make a small trim ring for the steering column though. Went over to my father-in-laws house and he helped me with it this weekend.
As most of you know, the 68 steering column is smaller in diameter then the 70+ columns. When a factory Tuff Wheel adapter is used on a 69 and older column, the size difference is very noticeable and pretty unattractive. Last year at the Mopar Nat's, I saw a 68 Dart that had a custom made trim ring on the bottom of its steering wheel adapter. It helped transition between the large adapter and the smaller column. So, here is my version...
Here is what the Tuff Wheel adapter looks like on an older column. I had to clearance the inside of the adapter so it didn't rub on the outside of the column. Other then that, the adapter fits just fine. It looks pretty ugly the way it sits though.
I started with a 5x5 piece of 1/2" aluminum. After cutting out the center hole on a mill and cutting off the corners(to minimize machining time), it was put in a lathe where the outside diameter was turned to the correct diameter.
Once it was to size, the lathe was readjusted and a bevel was machined into the trim ring.
Here is the rough cut trim ring installed on the adapter.
I still need to do some hand sanding to finish the part but this is basically what it will look like. It really does a good job at making the adapter look like it was made for the earlier columns. IMO
