Steering Wheel
Racer
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 264
Likes: 0
From: Central WI
I've been thinking of making my own up in cad and sending it out to get it cut on a cnc machine. The wheel design should be easy the only hard part I'm still trying to overcome is making the grip. I wanted a 13.5" - 14" steering wheel. Although I can find that grant wheel with the black grip for under 200 so I might just be better off going that route. Even with the small diameter and sticky wide tires on the front I think I should have no problem steering the car at low speeds.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 17,901
Likes: 751
From: Inverness FL
St. Jude Donor '07
Sent an email to Grant Industries asking if they offered a flat dish 15-inch diameter steering wheel for early Corvettes that might have more pronounced fingergrips as opposed to the 'slight' indentations I see on wmf62's wheel since my '61 still has the 'dinosaur-like' high effort stock steering setup. Check out this response I just received from Grant.
Our fingergrips are offered only one way, we don't have tooling to make them more pronounced. We have been using the same basic size for our grips for over 35 years and I have never had anyone complain that they were not big enough.
Unbelieveable. They had a chance to make a sale and instead they get 'defensive'? Not a problem, Grant is now off my list of choices for steering wheels. See, easy.
Our fingergrips are offered only one way, we don't have tooling to make them more pronounced. We have been using the same basic size for our grips for over 35 years and I have never had anyone complain that they were not big enough.
Unbelieveable. They had a chance to make a sale and instead they get 'defensive'? Not a problem, Grant is now off my list of choices for steering wheels. See, easy.
i think you're being a bit unfair with you comment about Grant; this is not a custom wheel per se.
i never liked the 'scrawny' feel of the original wheel and many years ago put a 'lace-on' cover on it which made it feel much better to the hands.
i believe the Grant rim is wood, not molded or made on a machine. personally, i think you would find the size of the rim and the present finger grips more than adequate. i bought mine through Summit, order one and if you don't like it, return it...
Bill
Last edited by wmf62; Feb 19, 2009 at 02:43 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,005
Likes: 1,510
From: Prescott Arizona
Bill, no one said anything about a 'custom wheel', my inquiry to them was merely asking if they had something in that style with deeper fingergrips. Here's the email I sent to Grant Wheels. I was being polite in explaining the reason for the question on the depth of the fingergrips, obviously a waste of my time it seems.
Hi, I see you offer a mahogany flat dish wheel for the Early Corvettes, 56-62. A friend in Florida has one on his car but the 'side view' of his wheel shows the fingergrips to be not very deep. In his case, he has power R&P steering, in my case the '61 Vette I'm working on has original 'high-effort' steering. Do you offer a wood wheel for my car that has more pronounced fingergrip cuts?
Thanks
A simple question, not a 'complaint'. Lousy customer service.
I already knew why GM made the original wheel 17-inches in diameter and also knew that a smaller wheel would increase the steering effort and with stock steering with no power assist, I wanted to know if they had a wheel with more than the 'slight' indentations that your wheel has. The moron at Grant could have simply answered 'no, we don't' to my question but instead I get the arrogant answer that tell's me how long they've been making wheels and that no one else has ever 'complained'? You'd think that in this economy they'd at least finish up their response with a 'thanks for asking' reply, even though it wouldn't be sincere.
Hi, I see you offer a mahogany flat dish wheel for the Early Corvettes, 56-62. A friend in Florida has one on his car but the 'side view' of his wheel shows the fingergrips to be not very deep. In his case, he has power R&P steering, in my case the '61 Vette I'm working on has original 'high-effort' steering. Do you offer a wood wheel for my car that has more pronounced fingergrip cuts?
Thanks
A simple question, not a 'complaint'. Lousy customer service.
I already knew why GM made the original wheel 17-inches in diameter and also knew that a smaller wheel would increase the steering effort and with stock steering with no power assist, I wanted to know if they had a wheel with more than the 'slight' indentations that your wheel has. The moron at Grant could have simply answered 'no, we don't' to my question but instead I get the arrogant answer that tell's me how long they've been making wheels and that no one else has ever 'complained'? You'd think that in this economy they'd at least finish up their response with a 'thanks for asking' reply, even though it wouldn't be sincere.
Last edited by Vet65te; Feb 19, 2009 at 03:08 PM.
Cartoon Character
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,440
Likes: 0
From: Can't be more than 114... Arizona
A simple question, not a 'complaint'. Lousy customer service.
The moron at Grant could have simply answered 'no, we don't' to my question but instead I get the arrogant answer that tell's me how long they've been making wheels and that no one else has ever 'complained'? You'd think that in this economy they'd at least finish up their response with a 'thanks for asking' reply, even though it wouldn't be sincere.
Wood wheels can be found here , although if you give these guys attitude like that they will probably tell you to take a walk:
http://www.cobracountry.com/finishline/home.html
You're next post will be to complain about how much they cost.. these are the best in the world, you pay for things like that...
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 17,901
Likes: 751
From: Inverness FL
St. Jude Donor '07
Bill, no one said anything about a 'custom wheel', my inquiry to them was merely asking if they had something in that style with deeper fingergrips. Here's the email I sent to Grant Wheels. I was being polite in explaining the reason for the question on the depth of the fingergrips, obviously a waste of my time it seems.
Hi, I see you offer a mahogany flat dish wheel for the Early Corvettes, 56-62. A friend in Florida has one on his car but the 'side view' of his wheel shows the fingergrips to be not very deep. In his case, he has power R&P steering, in my case the '61 Vette I'm working on has original 'high-effort' steering. Do you offer a wood wheel for my car that has more pronounced fingergrip cuts?
Thanks
A simple question, not a 'complaint'. Lousy customer service.
I already knew why GM made the original wheel 17-inches in diameter and also knew that a smaller wheel would increase the steering effort and with stock steering with no power assist, I wanted to know if they had a wheel with more than the 'slight' indentations that your wheel has. The moron at Grant could have simply answered 'no, we don't' to my question but instead I get the arrogant answer that tell's me how long they've been making wheels and that no one else has ever 'complained'? You'd think that in this economy they'd at least finish up their response with a 'thanks for asking' reply, even though it wouldn't be sincere.
Hi, I see you offer a mahogany flat dish wheel for the Early Corvettes, 56-62. A friend in Florida has one on his car but the 'side view' of his wheel shows the fingergrips to be not very deep. In his case, he has power R&P steering, in my case the '61 Vette I'm working on has original 'high-effort' steering. Do you offer a wood wheel for my car that has more pronounced fingergrip cuts?
Thanks
A simple question, not a 'complaint'. Lousy customer service.
I already knew why GM made the original wheel 17-inches in diameter and also knew that a smaller wheel would increase the steering effort and with stock steering with no power assist, I wanted to know if they had a wheel with more than the 'slight' indentations that your wheel has. The moron at Grant could have simply answered 'no, we don't' to my question but instead I get the arrogant answer that tell's me how long they've been making wheels and that no one else has ever 'complained'? You'd think that in this economy they'd at least finish up their response with a 'thanks for asking' reply, even though it wouldn't be sincere.
i understand your point, just must be a 'failure to communicate' thing.. they bent over backwards to help me when the first wheel i received from Summit was defective.
anyway, i REALLY don't understand what deeper fingergrips will do to help turn the steering wheel as one really has to 'wrench' the wheel to turn it when the car isn't moving. other than thigh/belly clearance issues with the 17" wheel, you could have the OEM wheel rim covered to provide a 'fatter' feel. it worked for me, and i believe Tom Parsons did that to his wheel.
Bill
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,005
Likes: 1,510
From: Prescott Arizona
Tintin - You're kidding, right? Can't tell, maybe it's that dry heat after all.
Bill - I was looking for a smaller diameter wood wheel that had fingergrips just like the original wheel, not the barely noticeable ones on the Grant Wheel. Obviously not much of a market for replacement wheels for early Corvettes these days. I had already done the research on an older post by Tom Parsons about his wheel cover and have just contacted the manufacturer, Wheelskins. In Tom's case, he's got two of their covers on his original wheel and from the post, seems to like the grip.
Bill - I was looking for a smaller diameter wood wheel that had fingergrips just like the original wheel, not the barely noticeable ones on the Grant Wheel. Obviously not much of a market for replacement wheels for early Corvettes these days. I had already done the research on an older post by Tom Parsons about his wheel cover and have just contacted the manufacturer, Wheelskins. In Tom's case, he's got two of their covers on his original wheel and from the post, seems to like the grip.
Last edited by Vet65te; Feb 19, 2009 at 04:53 PM.
Cartoon Character
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,440
Likes: 0
From: Can't be more than 114... Arizona
Moto-Lita will make you whatever you want, did you check their UK website?
http://www.moto-lita.co.uk/
I had one of their wheels in one of my cars and they are fantastic.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,005
Likes: 1,510
From: Prescott Arizona
Apparently, you have a lower level of expectation when it comes to customer service than I do and to say it was excellent customer service 'just because they answered me' is amazing. If that was the point you were trying to make, you succeeded.
Last edited by Vet65te; Feb 19, 2009 at 06:46 PM.
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