Steering Wheel Hub ?

[George Zeck]

Hi all --

The last post about selecting a stering wheel got me thinking a bit. I would like to upgrade to a wood stering wheel on my '64.

I've never removed a wheel before and am only talking "conceptually" - which usually gets me into trouble. After searcing Moss / VB & Summitt. Nothing specific to my year of car.

Has anyone ever modified this to work? Can it be weleded or bolted to operate? Again, never doing this before is a problem - but it would be such a nice touch.

Also - planing to remove dash and replace with a nit piece of walnut or oak overlay (stained to match the wheel). I took a quick look at this and seems quite doable. The two together would be stunning !

Any thoughts onthis would be welcome.

Tx-

Geo

 

[drooartz]

Moss has wheels and adaptors that should work for your car. Moto-Lita style wheels will work; they make an adaptor for all years of Sprites, I believe.
Moss carries Moto-Lita and Tourist Trophy (similar to Moto-Lita, but about $100 cheaper), which should both work for your car. Nice looking wheels.

Your MK2 should be the same spline type as a Bugeye, I think. You can also go to Mike Lempert for a custom wheel. He makes the hubs as well, and I think they would work on your car.

Wood dash shouldn't be too hard to do. Some forum members have done this, and I'm considering it if I ever do the RHD conversion I've thought about. Your MK2 has the flat dash, right? That should be a piece of cake.

 

[bugimike]

I have re-done my BE dash with wood veneer. You do not have to remove the dash. You do have to remove all switches and instruments, first to trace a pattern, and then to apply it. I used a nice teak marine-grade veneer about 1/16th" thick. Only a few strategic dabs of contact cement were used, as once the switches and instruments are replaced, they hold the wood in place! The thinness of the veneer allows cutting out all the holes after the panel is installed with an X-Acto knife, taking the guesswork out of lining up holes! Walnut veneer in the right thickness should be available too! A nice finish coat and it will look like a Rolls dash!

 

[Trevor Jessie]

If you buy a Motolita hub, then you can also use many Lecarra steering wheels sold by places like summit racing.

 

[tony barnhill]

I have Moto-Lita on my V8 car, a Nardi on my '67 GT & '63 Midhet & was in love with them until I bought my first Tourist Trophy - now I have a TT for all my other cars!!

 

[Trevor Jessie]

The TT look nice, but I avoided them because I was not certain where they were made. The TT is a Moss branded item and they are built by whoever gets the bid. (They may be made by LeCarra, but they may also be made in China.) I generally try to buy from sources where I know the labor source.
Again, I'm not knocking the quality, I'm just making a statement of personal preference.

BTW, LeCarra wheels are made in TN and if you want a leather wrapped wheel to match your interior, then you can supply them with the leather.

 

[Whitephrog]

I used a Moto-Lita hub with a Lecarra wheel on my Bugeye. Worked perfectly. Lecarra wheels are now made in East Tennessee about 30 miles away. They have a nice hub that works with later Sprites and Midgets but not Bugeyes.