Reproduction rim blow steering wheel for any 1969 Mercury Cougar or Ford Mustang, and generally any other Ford Lincoln or Mercury with tri-spoke rim blow steering without speed control. Brand new to market, black is the only color. Rim Blow Switch not included.
We asked long time Cougar collector and restorer Randy Carlson to give us his honest opinion of this new to the market wheel and this is how he responded;
"Be ready to cut the box to pieces to get the wheel out of the packaging. It is heavily packaged. The wheel has a generally good finish and fit. The woodgrain looks much more like the NOS one I have than the wheels available through the re-finishers. The refinished wheels look too much like real wood by comparison. The black finish to the wheel is a bit shinier than the original. Not too much as to detract, but enough to be noticed when compared side-by-side. The silver band around the wheel on the repop is nicer than the refinished style. It comes with a plastic seal over it. Don't pull that cover off until after you get the wheel on the car. Both the repop and NOS wheel need to have the threads of the gear puller mounts chased, the original for corrosion and the repop for paint that dripped into the holes.
The repop fits well on the steering column and does not look out of place where the end of the wheel meets the column. I used a reproduction horn switch from WCCC and it fits into the new wheel easily. Once you get the pad on the wheel, the edges of the three spokes are a bit closer to the rim-blow than the original.
Only problem requiring modification is that the holes used to put the screws through to attach the pad are poorly placed and are too big. I had to use washers to secure the pad. You don't see that from the front, but it is annoying on an otherwise good reproduction.
The reassembled wheel looks good in the car and compliments the interior. Horn works as original. The wheel retails at about $150 less than a comparable refinished wheel, does not require a core and does not detract from a driven car.
My verdict: Looks better than restored, good value for money and a better overall deal than a refinished wheel. Not quite good enough to fool the thoroughbred judges, though."
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Check out this video