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Anyone swapped out the steering wheel on their truck recently? The one on my 82 is vaguely gross and gooey while hitting my knees when I get in and out so I'm inclined to replace it with a smaller one that isn't covered in 40 years of various goo.
I've been googling around and it's really hard to tell if there is a stock size I can just grab or if I have to be very specific. I did this on my 86 back in 98 but the random truck parts stores don't stock stuff this old anywhere I've gone.
Have you cleaned the steering wheel or considered covering it? You can get either a foam 80s style steering wheel cover, or a custom leather one. Here's the company I bought a steering wheel cover from for my Bullnose truck and my classic Oldsmobile.
I've considered it but it's cracking in lots of places so cleaning it feels kind of pointless, and it already bumps my knees so putting a cover over it will just make it even bigger which isn't optimal.
It's an option but I'm willing and able to pull the stock one out so I figure why not?
All the aftermarket steering wheels I have messed with are universal and fit many different vehicles. They have adapter kits that you have to buy to adapt it to whatever vehicle it's going on.
I never liked aftermarket steering wheels. 90% of the time the turnsignal cancel doesn't work and the horn doesn't work.
Ok that makes sense to me, I couldn't really tell and nothing bothers to list a truck from the 80's anymore so I wanted to be certain. I have only done one aftermarket wheel and it worked fine so I have a 100% success rate which I am very confident of.
So to keep my word, here is the teardown and install pictures. Biggest hassle was the instructions for the horn were basically useless but once I figured it out it works fine. The copper plate tab for the horn broke off immediately but was pretty easy to solder back on.
Only real downside I've ran into so far is that now the wheel is in my line of sight for the speedometer. Otherwise it's working really well.
OG wheel Removal with $20 wheel puller Base install complete, put grease on the adapter plate copper parts. The horn plates look like they can go on after the shoulder bolts, they can't. Final install, everything is solid and works. The size difference between the wheels.
If the opening in the column where the turnsignal lever comes out looks like a "T", support the bottom of the steering wheel and press the turn lever toward the dash. When you think you are going to break it, suddenly the wheel will loosen up, tilt steering column. A lot of people do not know they have it. That would get it above or below the speedometer.
I would consider that an advantage; I just hate it when I need the signal on and the stupid thing keeps turning itself off.
I have retrofitted manual Signal-Stat switches on most of our trucks and it is one of my favorite of many modifications; that, and adding floor-mounted dimmer-switches to those that came with stupid column-mounted dimmers.
I can't see any way the column could move but that's definitely worth taking a look at when I have a minute.
That sure looks like a tilt column to me; with the trim level I am seeing, I believe tilt would have been standard.
Non-tilt columns that I have seen are not nearly so fat.
The big problem with Ford tilt columns is, once you ever tilt them, they will develop a nasty habit of tilting when you least expect it; I shoved mine all the way up and will knock the brains out of anyone that ever messes with it; as, as soon as it gets moved, it will start that surprise movement and it takes me several attempts to get it to lock back in place and stay there.
I wish I could figure out a way to pin it such that it can't be moved.
This all-of-a-sudden column dropping is not unique to my truck as I have driven several that had the problem; I believe it is related to how hard it is to dis-engage the tilt and thus it is equally hard for the weak spring to re-engage things.
Now that I had a closer look at your original wheel, mine is a lot fancier = Ranger XLT with stupid cruise control I guess is the difference.
On the turn signal part, it works just fine on the new wheel for me. Nothing I did modified the signals, but there was a sleeve included I didn't use so YMMV.
On the tilt column Yeah Mine is an "Explorer B" but god knows what that means. It's quite basic overall. I have no burning desire to fiddle with it but I do want to validate if it's possible.
