Steering Wheel Advice

[Exit98]

Thanks the Luisi is really nice and I like that it's complete.

Thinking....

[Redline]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/61432614@ ... 988987522/

Have a leather covered Nardi, love it!

That is a dead sexy interior.

[spider2081]

for me $300 seemed a little steep. So I was searching and found an ebay add for $38. S o what the heck I ordered it. WHat I got was a plastic walnut looking steering wheel. The holes line up with my 81 hub and my horn button fit. Both pluses. However to me it looks cheap and the chrome is not very good. So for $40 bucks I got what I guess in todays world is a $40 product.

[btoran]

agree that doesn't look the best. btw, what are the two black boxes to the right of the clock on your dash?

[spider2081]

They are coffee cup/water bottle holders. one for me and one for the wife. I moved the warning lights to either side of the radio. Moved the dash dimmer and wiper speed control to lower panel near courtesy light. installed cruise control where astray was.

[Exit98]

Btoran,

so unless you can score a used wheel for dirt cheap, you're going to shell out for individual parts and soon it will cost almost as much as a new wheel (which comes with all the parts - except the hub / hub adapter).

So how about this one? All I'll need is the hub?

What do you think?

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/pts/4500323346.html

[btoran]

Doug,

I sent you a private message

Bruce.

[btoran]

some additional info on the nardi / luisi wheels....

the luisi wheels are sold by mr fiat and come with a hub, which replaces your existing hub (rather than a hub adapter), a fiat horn, and horn ring. mr fiat also sells fiat horn buttons individually (for about $35), which appear to be the same one as on the luisi wheel. it's possible (even probable) that these horn buttons will also work with a nardi wheel (since the wheels look to be identical), but i'm not sure about that yet.

if you buy an actual nardi wheel, you'll either need to buy a nardi hub (which costs $104 from crowders customizing) or a hub adapter (which costs $35 from crowders customizing). prices could be cheaper on ebay.

the question is, which hub adapter do you need?

i have read on this site that early spiders have a different hub and bolt pattern than later ones. the later ones use the momo 6 bolt pattern. i'm not sure what bolt pattern the earlier cars used or in which year they switched the pattern. crowders does not have a hub adapter specific to spiders, but they have one for momo hubs (which would fit later model spiders) as well as one for early model x19s. it's possible the x19 adapter would fit a spider, but i'm not sure.

changing hubs, steering wheels, or adding hub adapters can defitneyl change the orientation of the wheel, including how close or far from the driver as well as the angle of the wheel. if the wheel is angled too high (ie to far toward the dash like the wheel on an old school bus) it can be changed by using some washers as spacers in the bolts that hold the steering wheel column.

can someone confirm:

1. what bolt pattern the early spiders used?
2. what year the bolt pattern changed to the momo pattern?
3. if early year x19s and spiders shared the same bolt pattern?

Doug - I just scored the below for $220 shipped to NY. He was originally asking $300 and we haggled before settling on a price. Feel free to use the price in your negotiations.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221454281367?ss ... _22wt_1362

[Exit98]

Hi Bruce,

I'll give you a call Friday. I'm traveling today & tomorrow.

So you bought that wheel? Looks great. I'll let you know how my deal plays out.

I really appriciate your help and advice.

[maxspider]

Yep, cheap is no longer part of the equation, just solutions! After all, it's all about the journey. Thanks for the info!

[maxspider]

Just got my used Nardi classic for Japan, it's an awesome steering wheel, but if you can't find a used one with the horn button, when it's all said and done, you'e not saving much $$$, but your story is a bit more interesting, which is nice!

[maxspider]

Just purchased a used Nardi Classic 14.3 inch steering wheel without the horn assembly (yeah, I know, no real saving). Anyway, my car is currently in the shop, is there anyway to determine if a 1978 is a single contact or a double contact horn without taking it apart?