smaller steering wheel for '65 with manual steering

Nov 19, 2005 7 Replies
R

Hi,



I have a '65 Mustang (200 cu in, 3 speed) with manual steering. The steering wheel is about 15" or 16" in diameter and leaves little room above my legs. I'd like to replace the wheel with one that is smaller. I've seen some in catalogs that are 13"-14" in diameter. However, I am wondering whether the decrease in size will make steering significantly tougher when I am doing things like parallel parking that require small movements by the car and lots of turning.



Does anyone have experience with this issue?



Thanks.


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.

It actually makes a big differance. What you have is probably 15". Try a

14" and see what you think. It is a noticable differance in effort while parking, but otherwise not an issue.
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B

Yep... from a first hand observer, back in the day..

You'll be pass> It will be a lot harder! I had lots of experience once with

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R

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like dropping to a 14" might be not too bad but any smaller would be very tough.

Richard

Backyard Mechanic wrote:

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G

Yes. Tiny steering wheels on vehicles without power assist is a real pain, even with a fairly light vehicle.

I learned to drive a stick on my great uncle's mid-70s Courier with a

13" steering wheel, and, as filled with youthful energy as I was, I had a hell of a time horsing the wheel around at anything under ~5 MPH.

I don't think I would have tried parallel parking it, unless I had _plenty_ of time to maneuver. And a Red Bull.

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J

I have a 66 mustang manual steering that had a 14" wheel when I bought it. What a pain in the ass to drive. I had to drive the freeway for about 20 miles and when I finally got back home, I was exhausted. Ordered a Grant 15" wooden wheel and that inch made a big difference.

Golfrex

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