65 steering wheel with holes in spokes

[paul]

Does anyone reproduce the 3 hole per spoke 15" steering wheel? Thank you, Paul.

[Bob Gaines]

Does anyone reproduce the 3 hole per spoke 15" steering wheel? Thank you, Paul.

It would be cool if they did but have never seen or heard of a repro of that seldom seen wheel. Maybe others have.

[Jbarela]

I use a grant that looks like it but IS no where close. What I would not do to have the chance to purchase that steering wheel. I Passed one up about over 15 years ago and kick myself for it!! Still searching for one also.

[Engineer]

I believe a reproduction is manufactured by Moto Lita. It is the E-Type Jaguar wheel at 15 inches.

They are made with and without rivets in the wood rim.

Mounting holes at the hub are the same. The reproduction 1965 Shelby steering wheel center fits too.

https://www.moto-lita.co.uk/steering-wheels/e-type-oem-mahogany-rim-t-spoke/

[Engineer]

If this is not exactly the steering wheel you want ..... Moto Lita will make a special order wheel.

[paul]

Thank you "Engineer". Are you affiliated in any way with Moto Lita? Paul.

[paul]

This is quite different than the one shown on the Moto Lita site.

[Jbarela]

money in my pocket burning up for that steering wheel!! I am surprized moto lita has not replicated this one. I dont know the history on this wheel as far as manufacture but would love to know or be reminded at my age.

[Rickmustang]

Keen eyes recognize a R-Model interior. Wow.

[EdwardGT350]

not the same as a jaguar wheel. jag wheel is flat.

[gbart14]

Two of us are in the process of having an original 3 hole steering wheel reproduced at Moto-Lita. It has been a long discussion but we are nearing the end of the beginning. By that I mean we have several more steps before they can begin production. All I can say at this point is that we have buyers for 14 wheels so far. We are trying to do this at our cost without being in the business and it started with my need for a wheel for 5S243. Anyone who wants to get in on this can contact me via private message. Once we have more details, we will publish them here. I believe we are still several months out from having an actual wheel. This is an exhaustive process because the original wheel has great value and must be carefully shipped with enough insurance, etc. We are exploring details now.

[gbart14]

Update on the 3 hole steering wheel replication. Keep in mind that we have no interest in Moto Lita or in making a business out of these wheels. We only want one for ourselves and the rest will have to be purchased from Moto Lita direct. I have the original wheel in my hands now. We did not want to send it over the the UK and risk it, etc. Moto Lita asked us to fully document the wheel and send an engineering drawing which I am working on now. Of interest (to me, anyway) is the difference in the wood laminations on the reproduction slotted wheels made by Moto Lita more recently and supplied by a restoration house and directly from Moto Lita. On the newer wheels I have from them, the wood lamination goes front to back looking at the front of the wheel. However, the original 3 hole wheel I have in my hands has the laminations going side to side meaning you can see the grain facing you when you look at the front of the wheel. See the photos. Same thing on an original wheel photo supplied by Simon at Moto Lita. It would be interesting to see if the original slotted wheels have the same grain laminations. The 2 original wheels 3 hole wheels that I have some measurements on also have thinner aluminum than the later ones. The aluminum on the original wheel I have in my hands measures 0.155" thick whereas the later wheel measures 0.195" which is quite visible to the naked eye. The later wheels are also correspondingly heavier. My uneducated guess is the original wheels were made from mahogany. I wonder how these issues compare with the original slotted wheels?

[A-Snake]

Can you rotate your photos 90 degrees? No way to confirm which one is "on the right"

[gbart14]

Sorry, not simple to do. The one on the top in both photos is the original wheel.

[gbart14]

To anyone who has an original 3 hole 15" Shelby GT350 steering wheel please measure the thickness of the aluminum and post it for me? We are getting closer to a solution for a reproduction and I need to confirm the thickness. Because of the bends on the spokes, it seems to be best to measure at the attachment flange. I use tape on the jaws of the calipers and then reset the zero to avoid scratching the metal. FYI, the one I have in my hand from Rich Williams is 0.156" thick on average. Thanks