Last week I went plundering through a junkyard looking for a Mustang with an aluminum driveshaft. Didn't find it. But I did find a Mustang II with a sport steering wheel! It's leather wrapped, and of course the leather is trash, but it seems the leather has preserved the material underneath very well. I haven't peeled it all off but in the area where I did, it looks like it will clean up very nice! It's got some rust spots on the spokes. I figure since it originally had a brushed finish, I could probably make quick work of it with a wire wheel in a die grinder. I think that would bring it back to a clean, brilliant shine and restore the brushed finish as well. Am I on the right track here? Now the down side... The steering wheel itself is all I have. No horn button. it does have the contacts for a horn. Is the horn button assembly unique to these steering wheels, or are there other ones I can be looking for? I'll see if I can remember to take some pics tonight...
Next time you are looking for a Mustang with an aluminum driveshaft you should go look at the minivans. the 80-early 90s suqare body All Wheel Drive Aerostars have an aluminum driveshaft that is a direct swap for a fox body mustang, which should also make a good swap for a maverick. Would just have to change the rear u-joint. They arent as hard to find as you would think. But if you cant find one then you could use a rear wheel drive aerostar axle, which is longer, and have it cut to size and balanced. Still cheaper then a new aluminum shaft. BTW, good luck with the steering wheel.
that's the type of horn button you should be looking for: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-78-MUS...pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr i believe they are repopped, but rather pricey.
So I see... The one in your link is rather pricey too in my opinion, for being so cracked up. Guess I'll have to see how the rest of the steering wheel comes out before I decide what to buy.
Am I right in assuming the material under the leather is presentable in its own right after it's cleaned up, or should I also be looking to put new leather on it?
You can buy some of the parts for those horn buttons, at NPD. I don't know if they actually have the switch or not, but they have the silver plastic outer ring, then again they are 85 bucks.
Get hold of this guy....in Phoenix City, AL. He specializes in Mll and nothing else. He has horn buttons and everything else you will need. Got mine there. Phil Schmidt 218 Wright Rd Phoenix City, AL 36869 Ph: 334-298-3038 pschmidt65@prodigy.net Web site: www.mustangii.net/parts_specialty.asp
Cool. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll get to cleaning on it when I have time, and depending on how nice I can get it I'll start looking into horn buttons and re-wrapping after that.
Dang! I picked up a real nice Sport wheel a couple years ago that needs only that silver ring. I can't bring myself to pay more for the ring than I did for the entire wheel though. I'll just have to keep an eye out on eBay for one. Bound to find one soon if I really start trying.
I bought a sports wheel at a swap meet earlier this year too. It took about 10 minutes to clean the spokes with a Dremel and brown scrub pad bit. Go slow speed with the Dremel or it will sling the pad apart. I know nothing about leather restoration but now I need to learn something about it soon. I’m hoping it doesn’t need replaced. Here’s a pic showing the worst spot.
