Crown Replacement Steering Wheel With Pics And Questions

Hi All! It's been a little while since I last posted but I haven't been able to put much time on the Jeep due to the work situation. BUT.....I have managed to start pulling together some parts for wintertime projects.

Which brings me to this post. I just purchased a Crown Replacement Steering Wheel and plan on changing it out when I replace the steering knuckle universal. It arrived today and it seems ok but there are some issues I wanted to run past you all.

This is the wheel I bought (hopefully the link works ):
Crown Automotive Steering Wheel

I noticed that on my original wheel (on the vehicle) there is a groove inside the horn button area that allows the actual rubber button to fit into. The Crown wheel doesn't have this groove. I'm thinking about modifying things to make it work but wanted to get your thoughts. See pic below:


Another potential issue are with the splines themselves and how they were manufactured. Some are intact all the way through the wheel, while others are not. Will this be an issue? See pic below:


From what I have read there really isn't much significant difference between Crown and Omix-Ada. There is another option for a wheel through Omix, but would it be worth buying it and comparing both and then return one of them?

Link to Omix-Ada wheel (again, hoping link works ):
Omix-Ada Replacement Steering Wheel 18031.04

I contacted the vendor and they really had no answer as to the difference and they mentioned it was a good question but had never actually installed one. They provided me with a contact number for Crown but it just went into someone's voicemail named Steve or something.

Has anyone used the Omix version? Should I just go ahead and make it work?

Thank you all in advance!

 

peter debella jeep parts
has some 70's era aftermarket wheels that will work on your application..

I found a NOS wheel either on eBay or from peter.. the manufacturer is the same for both Omix and crown

 

having written this, I'm sure the crown wheel has worked on many peoples jeeps here..

 

Thanks....appreciate the quick feedback. I figured as much on the manufacturer of the two. The lady who I placed the order with mentioned they were likely the same since it came from the same warehouse and only the markups on the pricing was different. Same wheel.....$20 bucks more. Nice!

 

I suggest you call the Crown warehouse in Marshfield, Massachusetts and discuss your issues with this part. I've visited them a few times and they seem sincere that they want their parts to be of good quality.

Contact Us | Crown Automotive Sales Co

 

Thanks timgr....i may just do that. In all fairness the wheel overall is made well and the size/dims are very good. Im thankful that we have the aftermarket support. A lot of collector vehicles dont have half of what these Jeeps do.

I think I will give pete debella a call also to see if NOS is even an option.

 

Hi. I have a new steering wheel coming from KaiserWillys. I did notice when searching for a replacement that it was mentioned that the steering wheel did not have the groove in it for the horn button, and that you would have to address that. I found that odd since you would think the aftermarket would be made to the original specs throughout. I will update when mine arrives.

 

Great information. Thanks for that. Agreed on the aftermarket point you made. You would think the replacements would have been created using a combination of original parts and technical specs. Perhaps it's a tooling concern with costs. Who knows. I'd love to hear what you find with KaiserWillys wheel. Do you know if the wheel you ordered for your early '66 (assume that is correct year) would fit an intermediate '73?

 

Good Morning I have the Kaiser Willys catalog right beside me and the steering wheel listed is from 60-71 only. They may carry parts for later but the catalog I have, 1971 is the cut off. I haven't checked out if Walck's has one for a '73.

 

That's what I kind of figured. I contacted Peter Debella today but he's on vacation and won't be back until Monday. I'll try again. I did talk with someone there and they weren't sure about the intermediate's (with factory shaft) being able to use an early style wheel. Mine was actually delivered in late '72 so I guess we'll see. I'm planning to count the splines so I at least have an idea of what to discuss when I do reach Pete next week (hopefully).

 

just curious, how hard was it to pop your old steering wheel off? I tried once, for a few days. then gave up. but ive been evil eyeing it ever since

 

I haven't done it yet but will be getting into it after labor day. Still driving it when I can and acquiring parts for winter projects. From what I've read it can be tough but can be done with the correct puller setup. I've actually given thought to taking my upper steering shaft to a shop and having it pressed off (still a thought if possible). I have to take it out for the universal change and want to replace the wheel anyway. Still formulating a game plan but I'll continue with updates as I go....

 

a week of OB blaster, some careful heat and a rubber mallet with block of wood...

I was actually AMAZED at how quickly it came off.. or I got lucky

 

FYI....I have visited the Crown website (provided by timgr above) and sent them a message about my observations. Will keep you posted with what I hear back.

 

That's good news on the PB blaster and mallet. I did have the nut removed last year and loaded it up with lubricant. Hopefully that will pay off this year when I go and make an effort. How would you suggest applying the "careful heat"? Directly on the center section I would guess....from the top?

 

Good tip Focker! That's a new one to me. I'll give it a shot.

 

went right at the top of it with small mapp gas torch..

 

Figured that was probably where you heated it up. Thanks. Not much to report today other than both the replacement wheel and my intermediate steering shaft has 36 splines. Good Deal Crown!

 

So this weekend I did some measuring and test fitting for the horn button. While doing this I made an observation that makes me think Crown may have tweaked the design in order to eliminate the horn groove. There are three protrusions from the bottom "floor" that are not on the factory wheel (pics below).

When taking some measurements from the top of these protrusions to the top of the wheel is half an inch. From what I can tell, the correct measurement for the button (sitting on these protrusions) would allow a total clearance of about an .125" for the copper disc in the button itself. I determined this by placing the brass(?) cup in the new wheel and then installing the button. This allowed the cup to move slightly up and down inside. I am guessing a bit on this clearance between the copper disc and cup.

Could it be that Crown added these protrusions in effort to eliminate the need for the groove? I'm starting to think that. I'd be interested to hear from beach66bum once his wheel arrives from KaiserWillys. My guess is his wheel should have the same protrusions.

I'm considering installing the Crown wheel as is to see if the fit and function will work with the button. Then go from there. If it works as is, I may just add a dab of silicone around the base of the button and move on. I know many others have had success with this so why not give it a shot.


Factory wheel


Crown wheel with protrusions

I haven't heard anything back yet from Crown and I am still planning to give Pete a call today.