Modification of Mk2 steering wheel to different column.

                                                          by Robert Ashworth.

              

As part of the mods I am doing to my Mk2 Consul I have fitted a steering column from a Fairlane, in order to give a column change for the autobox on the back of the Rover V8.

The Fairlane column had come to me without a steering wheel however, so I need to find something I could use. In any case, I really wanted to keep the standard Consul steering wheel as this car is intended to be a "sleeper" with no major bodywork or interior mods to hint at the V8 under the bonnet.

Of course, the diameter & spline pattern of the Consul wheel was not the same - that would have been just too easy! I knew I could modify the Consul wheel centre to accept a different boss, if only I could find something that fitted from which to cut the centre. After some fruitless searching, the answer had been sitting in the garage right in front of me all the time – Mk2 Escort.

I found a scrap steering wheel from an Escort and roughly cut the boss from this. I then carefully attacked the Consul wheel to remove as little plastic as possible from around the boss to investigate its construction. I found out that there is a metal strengthening rod encapsulated within the spokes of the wheel, which is welded to the large "nut" that is the splined centre boss. Using a thin cutting disc in my grinder (a deliberately worn disc, so that it was as small as possible in diameter), I was able to cut through these welds to release the centre boss.

               

I then had a loose centre boss (from the Escort) which fitted the Fairlane column, and the hexagonal boss from the Consul wheel. I needed to somehow create one from the two having the "inside" of the Escort boss (to fit the column) and the outside of the Consul one (to fit the wheel). Luckily, my father-in-law is an experienced model engineer and has a home workshop with metal shapers, pillar drills, and lathes…. contrary to rumour I only found this out after I’d met his daughter! He kindly offered to bore out the centre of the Consul boss and turn down the Escort one to fit within it. We then had these TIG welded together and, after checking back on the column to determine the absolute position, this was TIG welded back into the wheel. The plastic surrounding this weld survived well, and from the "outside" (what’s visible when it’s fitted to the car) there is no evidence of the mods.

               

Early on I’d resolved that I would have to abandon the horn function of the trim ring in the centre of the wheel, but I will be refitting the trim ring solidly mounted to preserve the look. I’ll be fitting a Capri stalk assembly (suitably disguised) to the column as this will give indicators, horn, and a means of flashing the main-beam headlights all in one.

               

I also need to improvise some sort of locking tab washer for the retaining nut, shouldn’t be impossible.

Hope this helps someone… maybe wanting to do the opposite and fit a non-standard wheel to a standard column. Anyone who would like any more information or pictures, please email.

Robert Ashworth

rfashworth@btinternet.com

August 2007

 

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