This product has received the 'Crappy Product' certificate.
Items that receive the 'Crappy Product' certificate are products that we carry for comparison purposes as they are often the version offered by other vendors or because it is the only version available. We would not be willing to use these parts on our own cars, and we do not recommend purchasing these parts.
WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT RETURNS FOR THESE PARTS.
Product Condition Grades
Below is a general description of what the criteria is for our product condition grades. These are generalizations that are intended to give you an idea of the condition of the product at a quick glance. Because different parts degrade at different rates, there are variances in what the letters represent, please see the products description for details about the condition of any particular product.
A = Excellent / Above Average
B = Average / Some flaws / Good to Excellent Driver Quality
C = Obvious flaws / Poor to Average Driver Quality
D, E, F = Worse, Worser, Worsest
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. These now come with the switch pre-installed!
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. The contact bands for the horn work as original. 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."
Having issues with wobbly or loose steering? Check out our video on sloppy steering below.