Early A-body steering wheels- pics please

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Syleng1

Syleng1

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I have the woodgrain factory steering wheel in my 66 Barracuda.
I have a few other styles (factory) as well sitting on the shelf.
I love the factory wood style BUT it is like the size of a school bus wheel and turns too easy with power steering. What is everyone running on their early A. If you have a picture that would be awesome too!
Thanks,
Joe
 
I went from the original with the full circle horn ring to a woodgrain wheel. With manual steering, the woodgrain wheel, although It's large, is a bunch easier to drive especially at low speeds. I tend to grab the wheel underhanded and pull down to turn. You can't do that With the stock wheel with the full circle horn ring. I wish I had pics but I am on my tablet.
 
I'm pretty sure this wheel is original to my 66 Barracuda. Seems a little smaller than the wood wheel.

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The wood wheel is like driving a bus. But its stock and cracked like the rest of them.
 
The number cast into the plastic steering wheel on my 66 Dart is 2265518. The Chrysler parts book number is a trim number. The trim code on my red wheel is 4006BH6.
 
I like this real wood one for the power steering. But planing the stock wheel with the 16:1 manual box

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It may have been 2 issues ago in Mopar Action but Ehrenberg wrote an article about steering wheels. Then he had the large wheel in his 62 B body modified to reduce the diameter. It basically involves cutting the rim off, shortening the spokes, welding a smaller diameter rim back on then padding it out to get a thicker grip. It still looks somewhat stock but "different".
 
Here is mine, the stock wheel on a 66 Valiant 100. I have the original 24:1 steering box, so I have to turn-turn-turn to make a corner. But it's easy in terms of effort. I have a Firm Feel rebuilt unit with 20:1 ratio going in with the rest of the front end rebuild parts once I take the plunge.
66 val wheel.jpg
 
Here is my 66 B Cuda, with a used Grant Classic wheel ($20.00)from swap meet. I refines he'd the wood with gunstockdyes,and oils. It's 15 inches.
If any one needs a Grant mounting kit for an early A, it's #4310, 1966 and back
Dave

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The stock 2-post 66Valiant wheel is the same diameter as the 66 wood grain wheel
 
62 Stock. Not much to see, used a later Dart center button because I broke the Lancer button getting it off. That sucked.
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First pic is what was on my old '66 Barracuda when I bought it in 1980. It quickly got the factory wood-grain wheel. It was also a manual steering car. I have a vintage wood wheel that I will be using in my '67 convertible that coincidentally came from the same family that the '66 did, but I got it 15-or-so years ago...
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halfafish said:
Here is mine, the stock wheel on a 66 Valiant 100. I have the original 24:1 steering box, so I have to turn-turn-turn to make a corner. But it's easy in terms of effort. I have a Firm Feel rebuilt unit with 20:1 ratio going in with the rest of the front end rebuild parts once I take the plunge.View attachment 1715205749
Click to expand...

memike and I both have the same interior/color in our 66’s as you...very nice
 
66340SEDAN said:
memike and I both have the same interior/color in our 66’s as you...very nice
Click to expand...
Both my barracuda have the same interior. Any good source for touch up paints? Bronze, bronze metallic, saddle, saddle bronze...yy1..
Time to repaint a couple of small parts.
 
snate66 said:
Both my barracuda have the same interior. Any good source for touch up paints? Bronze, bronze metallic, saddle, saddle bronze...yy1..
Time to repaint a couple of small parts.
Click to expand...

I had taken my glovebox door to a local paint/body shop supply center and they matched my paint and put it in a spray can for $25....it was enough to restore 2 steering wheels, I painted a couple delete plates and my lock knobs with it and I still have some left. My steering wheel looks like NOS, I’ll post some pics later.
 
halfafish said:
Here is mine, the stock wheel on a 66 Valiant 100. I have the original 24:1 steering box, so I have to turn-turn-turn to make a corner. But it's easy in terms of effort. I have a Firm Feel rebuilt unit with 20:1 ratio going in with the rest of the front end rebuild parts once I take the plunge.View attachment 1715205749
Click to expand...
Same as mine

66340SEDAN said:
memike and I both have the same interior/color in our 66’s as you...very nice
Click to expand...
We sure do, and Pete did a great job repairing mine , looks like new Picture of it before and after he fixed everything and painted it for me..

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abody 66 5.jpg
 
Wow!

The painted wheels look really nice. Very 196x ish for sure. My 66’ was a manual steer car with the wood grain steering wheel I converted to power steering back in 1989. I wish the wood grain factory wheel was reproduced but smaller in diameter. With it and power steering the steering is now too easy to turn. Plus at 6’ tall the wheel is tough to get in and out of the car. A smaller diameter wheel would be easier.

On my Demon- I bought the repopped version of the tuff wheel like 10 years ago to replace the original.
It IS smaller than the original one by like 2” and makes driving it so much better. Less float and more road feel. I’ve already swapped the steering boxes for the firm feel level 2 boxes on both. That helped a lot also. Big money but helps. It’s tighter feeling and actually feels like a more modern car driving. (Like rack and pinion)

Anyhow sorry for side tracking your post. Great pictures everyone!
Joe
 
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