'67 steering wheel onto '74 thing?

[concpt]

the metal piece from the 4 spoke can be unscrewed from the bottom of the steering wheel and replaced on an older steering wheel. I am running a 64 wheel on my thing currently. the turn signals work the same as with the 4 spoke wheel just looks better. even custom painted the center horn button.

[volkybus]

Well here's my 2 cents worth.the 72 and newer steering wheels have a collapsible part built in..safety u know. With the gas tank in the front and all. With the spacer there the turn signal switch is set up so if u mess with the steering wheel, you'll have to deal with that + high beam and wiper switch...I saw one in a show and they removed all the outside plastic and it looked pretty primitive to me.I just live with mine for the past 20 years I've owned it. 28 states ,etc.. .Now at 76 it's getting harder to get in and out but what a GREAT little car.Its my 8 month a year economy car at 30 mpg. Good luck on your search Bill. VT and PR

[madster]

This wheel looks perfect in a THING 👌

_________________
1966 BEETLE @ 1973 THING

[oasis]

Having gotten Thing and my steering wheel back, I now can see why the Jetta steering wheel failed and why I now believe the Scirocco wheel pictured earlier will work.

Front

Back -- fits column perfectly with horn working but the bulk on either side is what did the damage

The search is on ...
_________________
Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI

[oasis]

[quote="emersonbiggins"]

[emersonbiggins]

[quote="Jonny Rock"]

[Jonny Rock]

[quote="oasis"]

[oasis]

[emersonbiggins]

I have modified a wiper switch shaft to make a different steering wheel fit. I did it on this super beetle and it would be the same issue on a Thing if this is a type of steering wheel you were considering using.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1008468.jpg

[el_safari]

[oasis]

I think I had another thread about steering wheels, too, but this will do.

I have the later steering wheel on my '74. I got a steering wheel that was off a MkI Golf or very early MkII. It did fit, but it proceeded to break the turn signal stalk. The stalk was replaced but it is fitting the same way so the fear is it will break the replacement stalk.

In between, a bearing of some sort was bad and was replaced. While this is making the steering experience better, I'm left with the stupid after market wheel it has and I don't like, and looking for a stock replacement as I'm not sure about fetching more steering wheels that may not work.

Did anyone else have this experience? Does anyone have opinions of anything I may have overlooked in my research?
_________________
Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI

[Jonny Rock]

Ok, I also dislike the steering wheel in my '73. The horn cover doesn't fit (warped), and the visual asthetics of it leaves something to be desired. Is this German Mil Spec 181 more or less a bus wheel?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1640856

[oasis]

[Ohio_Style]

The shafts themselves are pretty interchangeable. One of my Things has a Rabbit column with a 73 shaft. All of the plugs were even the same.
_________________
Matt Johnson

https://www.youtube.com/@ZeroBalanceBuilds

[Ron Domeck]

I will look up the vin that was suppose to change.

[oasis]

[Ron Domeck]

Did you ever confirm if you have a late 74 or an early? Do you have a plastis cover over the switch's or is the housing cast? VW change the columns somewere around Feb. 74.

[oasis]

Actually, I was using aftermarket hubs as a point of reference. My Thing has an aftermarket steering wheel now. The trouble I see is aftermarket companies are saying two different things.

Looking at some options of what I see now available in VW steering wheels, my options are from (1) a '79 Super convertible, (2) a '70s Scirocco, (3) an '81 Rabbit, and (4) a later '80s Rabbit.

From my reading, choice 1 should surely work. Choice 2 seems good, too.

My confidence wavers on choices 3 and 4 because one is supposedly within the year range (up to '81) and the other is in the grey area [up to '88]. Both are advertised as being okay with VWs like Rabbits, Golfs, Sciroccos and Dashers from 1975-88.

If "up to '81" is okay, I can limit my search accordingly. If 1975-88 water-cooled steering wheels are all interchangeable, I'd like a confirmation that it's the same as the Thing. (If not, there isn't a column to swap even if I wanted to go that route. Perhaps building off of a thread that originally wanted an older steering wheel on their Thing was a mistake on my part.)
_________________
Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI

[GI Joe]

[Bashr52]

I'm running this aftermarket wheel. It has a built in standoff so no issue hitting the turn signal or wiper levers when turning.