On a 40-plus year-old truck some parts are bound to wear out or need to be replaced. Whether it is for the improvement of the truck or just for styling, it’s good to know that the automotive aftermarket has us classic truck lovers covered. Such is the case with the Steering column on my ’68 F-100.
While I was busy installing the Fatman IFS a few months back, I realized that I wanted to upgrade the steering. I was tired of the gigantic OEM steering wheel and wanted to install a floor shifter at a later date, so a new column was in order.
After looking at a thousand photos and websites for just the right steering wheel and column combination, I decided that I would take matters into my own hands and turn to a company out of Oregon by the name of Con2r.
I first learned about Con2r and its custom-designed wheel program a few months ago and was more than intrigued to see what could be done with it. One night while chillin’ at home, I hopped onto the Con2r website. In about a half-hour of pouring over the well over 250,000 combinations that Con2r’s online wheel designer made available to me, I had the wheel of my dreams designed using Con2r’s Pomona wheel as a starting point. I was able to choose just about every aspect of the wheel including the offset, front and rear grip, spokes, spoke color, spoke trim, and even the horn button.
Once the wheel was designed to my specs in cyberspace, the crew at Con2r took my digital diagram and turned it into reality. My new custom wheel showed up at the CCT headquarters in less than two-weeks time. It was exactly what I had planned it to be and it was very exciting to actually see exactly what I dreamt up online in my very own hands.
Now that I had the wheel, a suitable column was in order. I wanted simple chrome one with no shifter or key since I was going floor shift and the ignition is on the dash. Our friends at Helix offered up the correct column and a trip to Mooneyes scored the right adapter as well as a bit more chrome by way of an adapter cover. With my pile of parts lying in wait, all that was left it to pull the old wheel and column combo out and install the new ones, which I did. Here’s how it was done. CCT
The stock Ford wheel and column...
The stock Ford wheel and column were removed from the truck and measured for the correct length.
I hopped onto Con2r’s website...
I hopped onto Con2r’s website and designed a wheel that greatly complemented the interior of my truck.
The Helix Column I ordered...
The Helix Column I ordered arrived and I was impressed with the craftsmanship and proper sizing.
The stock steering column...
The stock steering column has the upper mount spot welded to it is, so we has to remove it with the help of a drill bit.
Using the other upper and...
Using the other upper and lower stock Ford hardware, the Helix column was installed with no issues at all.
We are going to be rewiring...
We are going to be rewiring the truck in a future issue of CCT, so we aren’t going to worry about hooking up the turn signals or high beam switch at this point.
We used a Grant 3-bolt steering...
We used a Grant 3-bolt steering wheel adaptor to securely mate the Con2r wheel to the Helix column.
We also upgraded to a chrome...
We also upgraded to a chrome adaptor cover from Mooneyes to spruce up our cabin even more.
Since we don’t want to chance...
Since we don’t want to chance of the wheel coming off in our hands while on the highway, all of the bolts were coated with thread- locking compound.
With less than an hour’s work,...
With less than an hour’s work, the new wheel and column were successfully living the high life in the cab of my truck. Talk about an immense improvement.
How Con2r Wheels come to be
Once a customer steering wheel...
Once a customer steering wheel design is determined, components are prepped and staged for assembly.
The chrome horn bezel with...
The chrome horn bezel with internal contact ring is fastened to the chrome-plated steel frame.
Front and rear grips are aligned...
Front and rear grips are aligned and laminated to the steel frame with industrial adhesives.
The wheel is clamped while...
The wheel is clamped while the adhesive fully cures.
Spoke covers, in either die-cast...
Spoke covers, in either die-cast chrome or color, are laminated to the steel frame.
Trim elements that align with...
Trim elements that align with the slot in the spoke covers are installed and laminated into place.
The horn button is prepped...
The horn button is prepped and installed as the last step of assembly.
Packed and ready to go from...
Packed and ready to go from CON2R to you.