steering wheels

Where can I find a period remake "57" steering wheel that does not cost $300. Some one suggested mooneyes.com for the banjo type. They have a pretty good deal going, but only in white looking for black..

Bruce

Re the mooneyes wheel. When JPS was building my Speedster John Steele mentioned the Mooneyes wheel. I got on their web site and located the wheel that was similar to the origional Speedster wheel. The only thing that kept me from buying it was the diameter. It was large enough to have me defer back to JPS's standard Nardi wheel. Good thing I did because even with the Nardi I get hung up once in a while exiting the car. If I had the Mooneyes I'd probably would have become a soprano. Course I am a big guy, Little people might find the mooneyes a winner. Bruce

Soprano is okay,if your first name is Tony.
Ron (hey, forgetaboutit)

For anybody considering the Mooneyes banjo wheel; I'm a little reluctant to openly pick at a supplier but I drove a car with that particular steering wheel and it had a noticeable flex. I heard the same comment from someone else too. For whatever its worth... I do like the look though.

Yeah my flat four banjo does flex as well, you do need to keep the tension up on them with the spoke tension bar thingie.

Grant Banjo Style Steering Wheels come in Mahagany or Black leather rap. They are close but are not a perfect match for a Sppeedster. Jeg's has them on sale now for $265.00. or search grant banjo steering wheels on the web.

Peter: That wheel looks almost identical to the original wheel I had on my 1953 MG-TD. Nice retro look! What is the centre cap? Does that come with the wheel, or is it something else?

Love the looks of your car.

Bob

Yes, great look Peter. If the spoke tension bar thingie cures it - I stand corrected.

Thanks guys, the centre cap is the "sun and moon" centre. Theses were a copy of the Petri wheel from the 50's I think. There are a series of different centres including the "golden lady".
cheers from downunder.

Glenn your car is the exact color and set up as mine. Thanks for posting the photos. I will keep searching though. Would like a wheel like yours, but will settle for the banjo from mooneyes.

If you're in the Southern Calkifornia area, you might try attending the Pomona Swapmeet. They have a specialized section for VW/Porsche parts only. I've bought several VDM "banjo" wheels in the past ranging in price from $175-$225. But of course, after restoration, these wheels are fetching $600+.
If you're too far away from California, you might want to try www.eBay.com But the $300 price range might be exceeded by quite a large margin. The Flat-4 "banjo" carried by Mooneyes is a reproduction of Pre A cars (1950-52) The clincher on their wheel is you must also purchase a hub adapter for an additional $80 on top of the cost of the wheel itself.

One last thing about the Flat-4 banjo wheel, it IS manufactured by Grant. If you look at the entire Flat-4 steering wheel line, you'll notice all the horn buttons are the exact same as Grant GT-series wheels, less the logo. So, why not order a banjo from your local auto parts club, it might be cheaper.
Pictured below is another variation on the "banjo" theme. This one was manufactured by Petri in the early 50s. I bought this one to fit in my 1951 VW convertible, and it fits directly to an early Porsche column. And just like the VDM/Porsche wheel, it has multi-control functions. The center flashes the headlights and the full-ring honks the horn

Don't really have a local auto parts club here to even look for such a wheel. I am going to have to buy it online somewhere. This site www.flat4.co.jp/interior/banjo/banjo.html does have them but does it pay to get overseas as opposed to local? Moon eyes is the only place in the states I have found. Does anyone have any other place or places to purchase this style of wheel??

You can order a wheel from Alex at ISP West in Carson, CA (near Long Beach) Their number is (310) 637-2100 I'm not sure what the retail price on them is but ISP West sells them for $330 + $15 shipping. This price includes the adapter hub AND your choice of horn buttons (Sun & Moon, Golden Lady or St Christopher)
Try talking to Alex himself. He owns the business and is very negotiable on price. You might get ask if he'll take $300/shipped. They also advertise them on eBay. Their seler id is: pimppride

Thanks once again...cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2438243609&ssPageName=ADME:B:BN:US:1 is also on ebay. This guy seems to get some good things once in a while.

Mooneyes In Colorodo 1-562-944-6311

They had the Zodiac Button for $69.00.Humm. but not the horn trim ring used when the center horn button is used for the flash-to-pass feature.
But Alex does.