TJRed76

Has anyone used the steering wheel conversion kit out of Eckler's to put an aftermarket wheel on a 76 vette? :cheers:

Thanks,
TJ

Sleper

I would be interested in finding out as well. Will the kit work with tilt/tel???????????????? If you find out please let me know. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

82dukman

Why not put another rewrapped original on it?

PatsLs1vette

the 76 vettes had that one style on them right almost like the vega cars...i know mine did..didnt care for it at all.

TJRed76

In '76 they did use the same steering wheel as the Vega. I am looking for something sportier, more VETTISH than vegaish. :U :U

TJ

Jason Staley

I installed a new steering wheel in my 76 using this kit. The only draw back for some people is that you loose the teliscopic function. The ring around the horn button that is used to loosen & tighten the column so that it can be adjusted is lost during the conversion. I just set the column at one hieght that resulted in a small gap between the adapter and the column. Works fine for me, but I have long arms. If you like to sit really far back and have short arms this could be a disadvantage.

Tominator

When I got my 76 I thought it had the vega motor in it too :lol:

Mine came with a thick tan leather wrap around it, feels good and looks tough too :yesnod:


[Modified by Tominator, 1:59 PM 1/11/2002]

Jim Shea

One thing to remember. Your 1976 steering column is identical to 1969 through 1975 steering columns. The difference is in the steering wheel and attachments for that one year only. All Corvette steering wheels (except 1976) have a separate hub that the steering wheel screws on to and also a stamped extension "can" that covers the gap that occurs when the steering wheel is telescoped. The 1976 "Vega" wheel has an integral hub along with a unique "can". So if you through away the Vega wheel you have to scrounge up a hub and a new stamped extension can to cover the gap.

I reviewed all this information in a paper that I wrote that is published at http://www.corvettefaq.com. Look under Suspension and Steering. The paper is entitled Steering Wheel and Horn Parts.

So far I have been unable to find any supplier that has the hubs or the extension cans available. A person at Steering Columns Galore Inc.(www.steering columnsgalore.com) told me that there is someone tooling up these parts but they are not available as yet. So you will have to find these parts at a swap meet or from some forum member.

Jim Shea

dukvet76

Does anyone have a closer pic of the gap?

76 Shark

Good info - I've been thinking about changing the wheel in my '76, and Ecklers is the only place I have seen the adaptor.

On a related note, does it irk anyone else here that the wheel is always referred to as "from the Vega" even though they used the same steering wheel on Chevelles and Camaros from that same period?

Jim Shea

Becareful, if I remember correctly, the Eckler's hub is for the standard steering column. It is not the same as the T&T hub. It will probably attach to the serrations on the T&T column. However, I don't know how the horn parts will work or if the hub diameter will match the T&T column head.

TJRed76

I will put the conversion in and report on the product.

TJ

Ganey

Looks good ! :cool: Just curious, does the wh. go all the way forward as before?

:cool:

Jason Staley

Just measured the length of the adaptor. It places the center of the steering wheel 2.30" away from the end of the steering column. So if you want to see where this puts the steering wheel, you could remove the stock "can" or "cover" and adjust your wheel to this position. This should give you a pretty good feel for what the end result will be. I am 6'2" with fairly long arms, and I like the position of the wheel, but this is obviously something everybody has to decide for theirselves. Hope this helps. :cheers:

R. Bruno

I've gotta be honest with you guys. The wheel really doesn't bother me. Definately not as nice as the wheels on the early 70's and 60's cars, but not a whole lot different than the later 70's and early 80's models. I think we '76ers get a bad time over this for little reason and I am not going to take it lying down. There, i'm sitting. Now for another beer. :conehead

Carl in LA

l've been staring at that vega wheel for a few years now and honestly... I like it... kinda reminds me of a dragster steering wheel with the full circle instead of just the handles... And for all the rest of you... how can you stand having Vega sealed beams on your cars?

Jason Staley

I don't have the Vega seal beams anymore! :lol: :lol: :lol: I replaced them too. Now I have HELLA headlights that have removable bulbs - JUST LIKE THE NEW CARS. :p: :p: :p: :p:

Seriously, my wheel was getting pretty bad looking, so now I have leather. :cheers: