ARUCKEY Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 I have the above steering wheel and the mounting I. D. is a tapered. Do anyone know what the original application was. I want to mount it on my vehicle which is a straight steering shaft. ( no taper )I would like to measure the shaft and threads size and depth of the original application. I then would machine up and adapter. Any suggestions or comments appreciated. Al R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 ??????? & ??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 If it was mine I'd machine the hub to fit the shaft and forget the adaptor. Where do you live, what type of vehicle do we need to look out for? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 Is a Farman steering wheel smaller in diameter so you can fit in the car? If so it should also be so the actual wheel part is further away from the seat to help in the comfort. LOL. I really know it’s a make of wheel but this description is so vague no one can really help. What model steering wheel they make all kinds. Is it a tilt wheel? Does it telescope? What car are you trying to put it on. The more information you give the more the answers will be correct. Hope you get your info. dave s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARUCKEY Posted January 26, 2022 Author Share Posted January 26, 2022 I think 1937hd45 has the best suggestion. Just machine the steering wheel with a straight hole and forget the adapter. Vehicle is a 1927 Nash Speedster currently under construction (90%) done. Like most of the 1920's cars the steering wheel is very large in diameter and make it difficult to get in and out. My speedster still has small doors to climb over. I think that wraps up the subject. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 It’s not wrapped up! We need pictures! The wheel in my 38 Studebaker is large also but I probably couldn’t turn it if it was small due to weight of the car and the power steering is call Armstrong steering. Sounds like a neat project but pics would really be appreciated. dave s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 4 hours ago, SC38dls said: It’s not wrapped up! We need pictures! The wheel in my 38 Studebaker is large also but I probably couldn’t turn it if it was small due to weight of the car and the power steering is call Armstrong steering. Sounds like a neat project but pics would really be appreciated. dave s Here ya go: There are variations on the theme but fat man steering wheels have a hinged/sliding/whatever mechanism to reposition the wheel for entry and exit. Sort of an early tilt wheel. I think they were pretty much out of favor by the 30s. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 Is that a 27 Nash Speedster? I was hoping to see the car the OP is working on as it sounded like an interesting car to see for some reason. dave s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 One in a 1938 Studebaker. Craig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 A Neville used in a 1919 Gray Dort. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 37 minutes ago, SC38dls said: Is that a 27 Nash Speedster? I was hoping to see the car the OP is working on as it sounded like an interesting car to see for some reason. dave s Sorry, thought you were asking what a fat man wheel is. Pic is one I grabbed off the net to illustrate the wheel - no clue what the car is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 Thanks, I’ve seen Farman steering wheels before but the 27 Nash just intrigued me for some reason. I guess the OP doesn’t want us to see his project. dave s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 (edited) 7 hours ago, CHuDWah said: Here ya go: There are variations on the theme but fat man steering wheels have a hinged/sliding/whatever mechanism to reposition the wheel for entry and exit. Sort of an early tilt wheel. I think they were pretty much out of favor by the 30s. Ninety-nine percent sure that car is a model T speedster. Looks like a fairly well built one. Not a lot of detail zooming into the picture, but I think I can see part of an after-market locking hub for the steering wheel, and just a bit of the spark handle's quadrant. Also the corner of the ignition switch panel showing part of the ammeter. There is just a fuzzy bit of the brake handle showing also looking like a model T. Curious thing about locking hub and fatman wheels. There were bunches of manufacturers of fatman wheels, and another bunches of manufacturers for locking hubs (anti-theft) of various types. A few companies put the two features into a single after-market combination steering fatman and locking wheel. Don't see many of those. It is quite common to find fatman wheels mounted on separate locking hubs. Many hobbyists get confused, and call locking and fatman wheels by the wrong term. A lot of fatman steering wheels were made specifically for the model T Ford, which they also fit some number of other cars that happened to copy Ford's shaft size and fit (a smart marketing ploy at the time!). A few companies manufactured higher quality fatman wheels, either made for specific shaft and/or spline sizes, or hubs designed to use an adapter to fit specific other cars. Such wheels were offered as factory options on many high end cars such as Lincolns, Packards, and Cadillacs. Or they could be ordered after-market to fit almost anything. Over the years, I have had several fatman wheels, mostly specific to the model T. I have had two nicer ones that required adapters to fit the application. I like them. Even though I don't really need them, I like using them. Edited January 27, 2022 by wayne sheldon I hate leaving typos! (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 10 hours ago, wayne sheldon said: Ninety-nine percent sure that car is a model T speedster. Looks like a fairly well built one. Not a lot of detail zooming into the picture, but I think I can see part of an after-market locking hub for the steering wheel, and just a bit of the spark handle's quadrant. Also the corner of the ignition switch panel showing part of the ammeter. There is just a fuzzy bit of the brake handle showing also looking like a model T. Curious thing about locking hub and fatman wheels. There were bunches of manufacturers of fatman wheels, and another bunches of manufacturers for locking hubs (anti-theft) of various types. A few companies put the two features into a single after-market combination steering fatman and locking wheel. Don't see many of those. It is quite common to find fatman wheels mounted on separate locking hubs. Many hobbyists get confused, and call locking and fatman wheels by the wrong term. A lot of fatman steering wheels were made specifically for the model T Ford, which they also fit some number of other cars that happened to copy Ford's shaft size and fit (a smart marketing ploy at the time!). A few companies manufactured higher quality fatman wheels, either made for specific shaft and/or spline sizes, or hubs designed to use an adapter to fit specific other cars. Such wheels were offered as factory options on many high end cars such as Lincolns, Packards, and Cadillacs. Or they could be ordered after-market to fit almost anything. Over the years, I have had several fatman wheels, mostly specific to the model T. I have had two nicer ones that required adapters to fit the application. I like them. Even though I don't really need them, I like using them. Interesting - thanks for the info. As for identifying the pictured car, I'm not well versed on pre-Model A Fords so I'll defer to you and others who are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 The so called "Fat Man Steering Wheel" was an accessory item and as Wayne pointed out was available for many different makes. Some were for specific makes and some were available with adapters for the make you were looking for. By the way, it's no longer politically correct to use the term "fat man" you now need to say "large person wheel". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron hausmann Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 I’ve used several Neville type fat man steering wheels on my Kissel Kars. Those wheels were common in the early twenties on Kissels. Nevilles come in 17” and very rare 18”:diameters. In two cases, I’ve just machined the central holes to fit my tapered Kissel steering columns and they work fine. Ron Hausmann P.E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 14 minutes ago, 46 woodie said: The so called "Fat Man Steering Wheel" was an accessory item and as Wayne pointed out was available for many different makes. Some were for specific makes and some were available with adapters for the make you were looking for. By the way, it's no longer politically correct to use the term "fat man" you now need to say "large person wheel". "adipose-challenged wheel"? 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now