280Z Steering Wheel

[Jeff Berk]

I based the steering wheel design on:

https://www.mgexp.com/article/diy-wood-steering-wheel-part-1.329

Its black walnut with bloodwood trim, all treated with cactus juice heat-activated epoxy. I'm still working on the center "coin". 

[dutchzcarguy]

Nice write-up of making a steeringwheel! I had the same idea.. then.. in 2007..  I thought i like a "fatter" steeringwheel but to buy a wheel... it probably would also not be thick enough.. so i made one myself..  One of the most important things is: use very dry wood otherwise you will have crack's in it later on and wast your time.

I drove the car about 25tkm and it's still as new.  The costs were around 200 euro, as i had to buy a good (quality) milling machine, some mahogany wood from a very good quality and some laquer..  it took me 36-38 hours.. as i'm not that fast.. (disability) 

 

[Jeff Berk]

I just installed my real wood steering wheel in place of my simulated wood wheel and ran into a glitch. The wheel fits but not the hub and horn. If you look at the attached photos, the old wheel has a pair of holes on either side of the steering wheel shaft to hold the horn mechanism. The padded hub then snaps onto the horn mechanism. The wood wheel has a larger padded hub that clips onto three bolts threaded into the holes. 

I'm considering carving a center hub and incorporating a wireless horn button or designing an adapter to accept the old horn button. 

Any suggestions?

[Racer X]

After all that work I’d carve out an adapter to mount the original stuff.

Or make something all your own.

 

[dutchzcarguy]

9 hours ago, Jeff Berk said:

the old wheel has a pair of holes on either side of the steering wheel shaft to hold the horn mechanism.

Maybe it's possible to drill the 2 holes for the horn assembly and put some metric thread in? then you could use the orig. horn and button...

[Terrapin Z]

Wouldn't you be able to use the stock 280 horn pieces? 

[Jeff Berk]

I found this comparison on the classicZcars site and it looks like my replacement wheel is off a 280z while my older wheel was from a 240z.

 

I really prefer the 240z hub with my 280z wheel so I think I'm going to try and adapt it. 

Thanks for the input.

 

[dutchzcarguy]

On 5/28/2022 at 9:11 PM, Jeff Berk said:

I really prefer the 240z hub with my 280z wheel

And.. Jeff, did you manage to let them work together?  I like the smaller 240z hub also more than that big 280z hub..

It's also a good warning for the rest of us.. look first if the steeringwheel fits on the axle (yours did..) but the button in the middle is not interchangeble..

[Jeff Berk]

Dutchzcarguy

I'm still working on it. I'm either going to weld some metal on the new wheel's center to give something to drill into or I'm going to make a an adaptor. I'm waiting for the welder at my local maker space to get back in town next week.

Jeff

[dutchzcarguy]

I would be very careful, i ask myself if that wheel inner part is even weldable..  I would use some 2 component glue for steel and/or make an adaptor and glue it together.  That hornpad is just sitting there, does not need to be very strong.

btw.. think that the inner part is aluminum? Many sorts of alu and variation in welding does not make it simple.

Mart

Edited June 30, 2022 by dutchzcarguy

[Jeff Berk]

The wheel is a strange construction of cast aluminum hub and steel spokes. I had the welding instructor at a local makerspace do the welding for me. It did pop a little due to the casting having bubbles, but he had no problem welding it. I personally would of not attempted as aluminum is very tricky to weld. At home, I drilled and tapped the holes to 4mm and was able to mount the hub. There's a little gap between the hub and the horn button but I can fill that in with a ABS printed part (once I can get one of my two printers working again).

 

[dutchzcarguy]

At first one does not see it's out of centre those 2 holes but they are and should be as the orig. wheel has that to!  Good work!! 👍