Is this a Datsun Competition Steering Wheel?

[dhp123166]

I purchased this from a gentleman whom stated that this was stock on his s-30 ZCAR but...

...it does not look like the ones I have seen pictures of and there are no identifying marks on it.

The horn button mechanism looks like Nissan design but no horn button is not helping the issue!

It does have the faux leather w/ stitching on the grip (which is hard foam or rubber or something similar).

[spitz17]

Doesn't look like a 'Compe' wheel. Mine is way less concave. Also, the holes in the spokes look a little off. Also - to my knowledge, the 'Compe' wheel doesn't have the grooves on the grip.

[Darrel]

stock 280z steering wheel.

[EuroDat]

Yep, Darrel is spot on. Looks just like mine.

Chas

[LeonV]

It would also be easy to tell by measuring its diameter, as the Comp wheel was smaller than stock.

[dhp123166]

stock 280z steering wheel.

Well this is an interesting item then.

I knew it was not a competition wheel because it did not look like the ones that were pictured online.

I am just trying to figure out what it is.

So now I have two owners (as well as the guy I purchased from) telling me that is was stock on their later era s-30 ZCARS.

The thing is I have seen hundreds of s-30 ZCAR's "in the wild" (ready to strip that is haha) and I have NEVER seen a steering wheel like this one.

The eras of stock steering wheels which I have seen follow;

70-71 240z; Imitation wood grain plastic wheel, solid spokes w/ a squared pattern within. Small horn button on a plastic mechanism.

72-73 240z; Imitation wood grain plastic wheel, holed spokes w/ an open squared pattern within. Small horn button on a plastic mechanism.

74-76 260z 280z Foam grip wheel, solid spokes with/ a rectangular pattern within, same emblem as on 240z steering wheels but on a larger button. Steering wheel button rotates off 3 mounting screws.

77-78 280z Same wheel as 74-76, horn button is different and attaches from the back with 3 screws.

I have also seen a 240z steering wheel on a 77-78 280z with a special plate which looked Nissan OEM so that the 77-78 horn button could mount on the 240z mechanism.

So that leaves this wheel which has a story to tell!

Anyone?

[black gold man]

This is my 78 wheel

[dhp123166]

This is my 78 wheel

Yes that is a '78 steering wheel.

Your horn button will unscrew from the rear and the mechanism will unscrew from the wheel along with the spring.

It does not have that weird welded on mechanism like the one I posted pictures of.

I challenge the keepers of Z minutiae to tell me if this is Nissan OEM (unless you...gasp! don't know)!

Edited December 23, 2013 by dhp123166

[zKars]

dhp, there is no way in Datsun hell that wheel is from any stock S30 on this continent. The wheel that BlackGoldMan shows is the typical 280Z wheel.

The welding of the center horn hubby thing to the wheel marks it as a "hybrid" that someone invented. That's no factory weld...

The wheel itself looks like a 70's OEM wheel from a "something", maybe even Nissan, but no S30 I've ever seen...

[dhp123166]

Thanks Jim, that is the type of firmly knowledgeable info I am looking for!!!!!!

[siteunseen]

It looks like the wheel at the top of the web page under the facebook connect button, the very top where your notifications and username is and log out buttons.

[HS30-H]

I'm 99% sure it's an Izumi.

Made by the same people who made the OEM steering wheels for 'our' cars ( Izumi Motor Co. made the 'Datsun Compe' steering wheels too... ) but one of their many aftermarket versions.

And I think it's been modified some time in its life too....