Topic: Verifying a true NOS steering wheel

[Hipo giddyup]

Just as the subject states, how can you validate a true NOS Ford steering wheel? The years in question would be earlier steering wheels such as 65,66, 67. Is there any tell tale signs? I do not see any stampings or codes in the metal or plastic mold.

thanks!

[jwc66k]

Depending on the year of manufacture, just about all original or sanctioned Ford parts have a Ford, FOMOCO, Autolite or other logo as a trademark. In many instances, a Ford casting number is present. There is no single absolute version.
Jim

[Hipo giddyup]

Understood Jim, its the same - scratch your head- as say the grill molding for 65-66-67, turn signal lever, and other certain parts that really don't seem to have a Ford identifier on them. Maybe lucky if you find a small sticker/labeled when opening an unopened Ford NOS box on those! But with the steering wheel that I have, nothing identifiable, yet feels heavier and "thicker" than the repro wheel I have currently. It came in the NOS box, but of course easy to swap out the part for those unscrupulous sellers. It does not have any marking designating Ford, perhaps someone here can point me to where that might be??

[CharlesTurner]

I haven't found any Ford markings on steering wheels.  Original wheels feel 'right' around the rim and don't have sharp edges.  The zinc plating on the horn contacts of the repro is usually the blue tint, originals are more dull silver.  There may be other differences in the mold cavities, like the small hole locations on the rear of the grip area of the wheel.  I'm sure a known original placed next to repro, there will be some noticeable differences.  Has there ever been a repro part that was indistinguishable from an original?  :-)

[Hipo giddyup]

Thanks for the info Charles. I will post a few comparison pics between my NOS wheel and a recent repro. Unfortunately I don't have a factory wheel to use for comparison, relying the NOS will be close to factory.

[P3sons]

I typically look at the splined hub on the backside as well as the the colors of the metal, and the plastic components.
Usually, the reproductions will be off color on these parts in comparison to the NOS/original steering wheels.
The repo's look too nice.  The bare steel on the NOS wheel looks aged, where as the repo's look new.

Also, if it has the cancellor on the backside, many of the repo's are black. 

[Anghelrestorations]

I can confirm that for the later years 68/69/70 they also dont have any Ford markings like FoMoCo or Autolite or engineering numbers.

My number 1 rule when someone offers me an NOS part is if it doesnt have a tag, label, or a box then I already doubt its NOS. 

[Hipo giddyup]

Now that I have the NOS wheel in hand - no pun intended- , I can see what Charles was saying. There is indeed a different feel between the two, and the NOS wheel feels a slight heavier. I will say that the repro "looks" much better than the NOS, with the Ford wheel having mold imperfections and a dull/scratched appearance in some places. I was able to use a foam pad and Plastix to polish it up a bit, more to my liking.

The repro wheel I had lasted 6 years before it finally gave way to two cracks at the mold injection points. The NOS wheel I have on my 67' has been there for 20 years and still in the great shape it was since I installed it. Luck I guess, since I know direct sun and changes in temp play a big role with wheels cracking.

Here are some pics I took to capture some of the differences between the two. Hopefully this will help out those questioning a true NOS wheel.

Repro wheel vs NOS wheel

Mold points are rectangle in the repro wheel rim - NOS is round
TS detent underneath is painted black on repro - NOS painted Orange
Center hub plate on repro is attached with Allen head screws  - NOS wheel has spot welded center
Injection points on 3 spokes, repro is larger, oval -  NOS, which has a slightly smaller oval, and a mold ring around the injection point
Wheel grips look very much the same with a similar measurement for grip


Also noted is the hardware (screws) on the NOS seems to have a yellowish coating? while the repro is likely just shiny cad plated.

Plastic pieces for the horn contacts are a darker white on the NOS, but then again could be from age. My NOS wheel I picked up is from 1990.

[Bob Gaines]

Thank you for the comparison.