Author |
Message |
vanillagorilla1969 Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2010 Posts: 10 Location: Seattle, WA
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:30 am Post subject: Formuling Steering Wheel |
|
|
It seems there is no clear answer to the age-old question - Where can I find a center cap for my Formuling steering wheel? I appreciate any feedback I can get on this topic. Thanks for reading _________________ Topher
'63 Bug
'73 Squareback |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Mike Fisher Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006 Posts: 17974 Location: Eugene, OR
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Show a picture of it to www.vwispwest.com as they have lots of good stuff! _________________ https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold
Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey |
|
Back to top |
|
|
vwracerdave Samba Member
Joined: November 11, 2004 Posts: 15315 Location: Deep in the 405
|
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I don't think Formuling make steering wheels anymore. The classified's or ebay might be your best choice. _________________ 2017 Street Comp Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble, OK
2010 Sportsman ET Champion - Mid-America Dragway - Arkansas City, KS
1997 Sportsman ET Champion - Thunder Valley Raceway Park - Noble ,OK |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 2:41 am Post subject: Formuling centre button |
|
|
found one and made a casting, not pretty, but it's better than a hole in the middle of your steering wheel. email me if you want one or you can buy it on ebay (homemade, so you might have to wait- urethane takes a week to cure)
party on!
photos in the gallery under parts/accessories - bug you'll see the first one is.... at best passable.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_cat.php?cat_id=39
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 3:56 am Post subject: formuling france center button |
|
|
I had a look on the Samba and apparently I'm not the only one trying to do repros, so you could try someone called docbrown perhaps. It's a laborious process to make them, but afaik there's not much in the way of other options. Took me years to find one to make a mold from, and pretty much everything I came across was either missing them or broken and cracked. mine are made from two part polyurethane with black tint, but theoretically I could make them blue or purple or whatever.
No expert here! I'm sure by the 20th button they'll look reeeeaalllly nice |
|
Back to top |
|
|
fredges Samba Member
Joined: May 05, 2011 Posts: 52 Location: Seattle-ish
|
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 11:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
PM'ed ya Hoobie! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:04 am Post subject: Production has commenced! |
|
|
PM'd back Fredges
Made two more black ones on Sunday and they turned out pretty well, and Some purple ones may be turning up in Texas very shortly
Postage is pricey, but unregistered letter bubble pack thingy works out at only $5 each (ONE ONLY per packet) or about $AUD22 for a registered box with up to 4 in it. Button price depends on colour so you'll have to PM me for the deets. No, sadly I will not get rich selling these to enthusiasts but I perversely like the idea that people will once again be able to make their VWs swear at people who cut them off (without using a button on the dash).
When I was looking for one of these I had to pay $120 plus p@h for a whole steering wheel and even then the button was still made of the same rotten plastic they always are. damn close to impossible to get one in decent condition, hence why I'm having a go at bringing them back; great wheel apart from the button (except for the three spoke ones with the holes in them, they fatigue and crack and cause accidents... like mine... but that's another story). Also you can buy SS countersunk allen head machine screws to replace the original black/rusty ones and make them look sweeeeet again. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
fredges Samba Member
Joined: May 05, 2011 Posts: 52 Location: Seattle-ish
|
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 9:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hoobie, you rock! The more I look at that, the more I wonder how cool and clean it would look with nothing on the face of it. just smooth, no diagonal ripples or button recess. hmm.... is that simple enough to do?
Even better would be the Wolfsburg crest, but now I'm just dreaming!
Or am I?
_________________ I'm looking for a pre-'68 bus or double cab. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 2:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
It is true about my rocking, but mainly due to one leg being marginally shorter than the other.
Anything is possible, just need to tool it up, if you want a dead smooth one I should be able to make it, and even a wolfsburg one is doable (as long as you don't mind artistic license making the wolf look more like the elephant man).
I've thought about casting the VW symbol directly into the mold, but one-offs take mucho time for minimal karma
group buy anyone? getting together a bunch of samba peeps who want SAMBA on the face might be easier
Nice photochopping |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ian M Samba Member
Joined: August 21, 2004 Posts: 222
|
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I've never liked the late '80s-early '90s version of the formuling button with the lines and the offset emblem indention. Seemed to go with the neon grips and splash graphics of the day.
Somebody needs to repop this earlier version,looks waaay better IMO:
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 3:23 am Post subject: |
|
|
do those fit the same way with the four lugs? do you have a picture of the back? I imagine being that they're not so flexible they may last longer (or are they rubbery too?)
I looked at these on my quest for a new horn button, but I never thought they'd fit the standard steering wheel and don't know how they hook up (contact wiring and clipping). Could cast new ones of them too I suppose, but it would likely be a different material.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
fredges Samba Member
Joined: May 05, 2011 Posts: 52 Location: Seattle-ish
|
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 6:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
While I'm waiting to get one made, I cut a piece of 3mil PVC plastic (by hand... With an x-acto knife...!) and dropped my original horn button in. I need to find a more flexible material, though, if I want the horn button to function, but this works for the interim!
_________________ I'm looking for a pre-'68 bus or double cab. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hey Fredges,
What's the OD of your wolfsburg crest centre button thing? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
fredges Samba Member
Joined: May 05, 2011 Posts: 52 Location: Seattle-ish
|
Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 10:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hoobie wrote: |
What's the OD of your wolfsburg crest centre button thing? |
I assume you mean Outer Dimensions? The hole it fits very tightly into is 2 3/8 (2.375) inches. The outermost diameter is 2 1/2 (2.5).
Does that help? _________________ I'm looking for a pre-'68 bus or double cab. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 2:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
Yep OD = Outside Diameter
So the button thing has to be squashed into the 2.375" recess? hmm. if the OD of the emblem is 2.5" then would it not fit better into a 2.5" recess?!?!
how thick/deep is the emblem? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
fredges Samba Member
Joined: May 05, 2011 Posts: 52 Location: Seattle-ish
|
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:08 am Post subject: |
|
|
No, it would fall through if the hole were 2.5". It's kind of mushroom shaped. I'll check on the depth, but it's probably only about .25-.5" _________________ I'm looking for a pre-'68 bus or double cab. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
Sorry to go all metric on you, but 2.375 inches is around 60mm, which means there would only be about 5mm (less than 1/4") of 'flex' room around the emblem if it was fitted to a standard sized formuling button shape. I'm looking into making up some little VW badges to fit the 28mm hole in stainless or 2mm aluminium, and a backing plate as Joe Public seems to be missing these bits too
I wasn't planning on making a 'hole' so much as a recess in the top of the button to lay it into, but that emblem is relatively f#*@%^g big.
When I find out what the liteel custom metal bits are going to cost to have made I'll blab it here first
I could always make a smooth top and centre the 28mm recess instead of having it off to one side if Joe is interested. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
manxdavid Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2003 Posts: 1841 Location: David Jones, Anglesey, North Wales, UK. Manxclub #678.
|
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 9:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
I hope you don't mind me crashing the thread but I just won an FF wheel on eBay, I have the boss and hornpush but does anyone know the specs of the screws and nuts that I need? Length and thread? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Hoobie Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2012 Posts: 87 Location: Australia
|
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 6:14 am Post subject: formuling wheel |
|
|
I replaced my rusty ones with stainless 6mm metric thread x 10mm csk allen heads and they fit perfectly
mine also needed the nuts on the back of the boss, but i suppose it depends on what steering adaptor you have. SS nylock nuts are a good choice unless you like the idea of having the wheel come loose while drifting at full lock doing 100mph in the rain one day
btw still flogging repro buttons on ebay if anyone needs one, I'm pretty happy with the way they're turning out, too
I have a guy making me up some stainless vw symbols to fit the little recess, and he's also making the horn contact ring that fits on the back, but they're not very cost effective unless I buy them 50 at a time |
|
Back to top |
|
|
fredges Samba Member
Joined: May 05, 2011 Posts: 52 Location: Seattle-ish
|
Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 6:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hey Hoobie, can I get a link to your eBay page? Thanks! _________________ I'm looking for a pre-'68 bus or double cab. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|