Put a new steering wheel on my 56J with O/D and manual steering

[black56hawk]

Fifteen inches in diameter vs. the stock seventeen. Gives me a little more room between the wheel and my lap.

[rockinhawk]

Good looking wheel. How much "Power" does it take to turn it?

Are you gonna have it in Mobile?

[black56hawk]

When it stops raining, I'll find out.

The skeleton 56J wheel you gave me a few years ago got cannibalized to make this one work.

I'll be at Mobile; not sure about the Hawk at this point.

[rockinhawk]

I had forgotten about that Skeleton! I recall saving it from a car we parted out,but forgot what I did with it. Glad you made use of it.

[JoeHall]

Nice looking steering wheel but, being dished, you probably noticed it moves the outer part of wheel forward toward your belly by the exact amount of the dish. The 56J one is flat but, as you mention, is large in diameter. The larger diameter puts the wheel outward and so close to the legs, it is usually necessary to slide under the wheel when entering or exiting the car. The 57 and later Hawks used smaller, dished wheels, but also used a shorter steering column.

OTOH, many folks may not know there are two different diameter, 1956 steering wheels which, otherwise look identical. The smaller one is about 17.25", and the larger is about 18". Apparently, there were more of the 18" made than the 17.25". Correct for 56J, is the 17.25", but I have seen many 56Js with the 18" installed. The quickest way for me is to discern is to put two fingers between the outer edge of the horn ring and the wheel. If my fingers just fit, it is 17.25"; if they fit with extra room, it is 18". The difference, though small, is significant when it comes to leg clearance.

Again, nice looking wheel steering wheel. Please let us know your driving impressions with it

[Commander Eddie]

Nice looking wheel. Whose your chauffeur?

[black56hawk]

Ed, the chauffer is Charlie who we rescued after he was abandoned when he was two (vet's guesstimate). We've had him two and a half years now. Really a wonderful dog. He's hiding in the car because it's raining outside with a rumble of thunder now and then.

Joe, the original wheel isn't as flat as you think. I measure just over four inches from hub to the edge of the rim. The moon wheel is 4 3/4 inches. So you're talking about just over half an inch extra depth. I can definitely get into and out of the car easier, and having just taken it on a five mile drive I can report that steering effort is, if anything, easier than before - maybe because I don't have such a huge tiller of a wheel to monkey around. See attached pic of the wheel I removed. I also attached a pic of the skeleton 56J wheel with the hub cut out.

As you can see by the dash pad, the car is a work in (slow) progress.

[black56hawk]

Since I was working on this at the same time as the wheel (in fact, I just drove it for the first time today with the new carb), I reckon I can wander a bit from the original subject to report that a Holley 650 double pumper works great on a 56J - at least on an overdrive one. Ultramatic results might be different.

I modified the intake a while back to run a 600 Holley vacuum secondary carb - basically used a die grinder to open up the throttle bores to Holley size. Even with an adapter, the Holley isn't as tall as the original WCFB. The 600 was OK, but the 650 dp is much stronger and crisper. Now if I can ever get my 380-inch senior Packard motor together and in the car . . . .

BTW, the motor was hardly a show engine anyway, but some of the splotchiness is due to the chrome fuel line I first put on the DP, which leaked all over the place. Messed around with it a bit, but finally pulled it off and borrowed a good line from another of my cars.

[14x7]

didn't think they made aftermarket steering wheels for Studebaker! I've had the steering wheel off three times and the spindle is mess up from the taking off the wheel. It was never design to take off the steering wheel too many times. ,any replies?

[mbstude]

OTOH, many folks may not know there are two different diameter, 1956 steering wheels which, otherwise look identical. The smaller one is about 17.25", and the larger is about 18".....

Right, Joe. I think the 18" wheel was for the '56 Presidents. But after 60 years, things can get changed around.

As you can see by the dash pad, the car is a work in (slow) progress.

Maybe, but it still doesn't look too bad.

[Dwain G.]

The skeleton 56J wheel you gave me a few years ago got cannibalized to make this one work.

Thank you for posting that, I was curious how you found a wheel with the correct hub splines.

[black56hawk]

didn't think they made aftermarket steering wheels for Studebaker! I've had the steering wheel off three times and the spindle is mess up from the taking off the wheel. It was never design to take off the steering wheel too many times. ,any replies?

I believe that Grant makes a steering wheel adapter for 57 and later Studebakers, but not the earlier models. I found that out when I ordered a Grant kit for a Studebaker and it wouldn't work on my 56.

I used the hub cut out of the skeletal 56J wheel, got a friend of mine with access to a machine shop to machine a collar to slip onto the hub, then I welded the collar to the hub on the back side. Next, I drilled and tapped three holes in the collar. Finally, I had to drill the center hole in the steering wheel and the column cover in the Grant kit to 13/16 so they would slip over the steering shaft.

One last thing I had to do was deal with interference between the three adapter bolts and the nut that goes onto the end of the shaft. When the bolts were screwed in to locate the steering wheel, there was no room to put a socket on the shaft nut. So I cut three studs to length, used a cutoff wheel to cut a screwdriver slot in the ends, screwed the studs in, tightened the nut, then removed the studs and screwed in the three bolts.

[black56hawk]

Right, Joe. I think the 18" wheel was for the '56 Presidents. But after 60 years, things can get changed around.

The steering wheel that was in my 56J was actually a 55 wheel that my Mom bought NOS from Newman & Altman soon after buying the Hawk in October 1984. Very similar, but it had a full horn ring instead of the half ring that 56J's are supposed to have, and the 56 horn ring wouldn't fit.

Mom kept the car almost 20 years, then gave it to me.

BTW, I've replaced the rear springs since the picture Matthew posted was taken.

[JoeHall]

I was so busy oogling the door panels and seat covers, did not notice the dash, but that is easier and less expensive, I'd think.

I shoulda said "flatter" instead of flat, on the 56J wheel. That is an excellent job you did of grafting the hub over to the new wheel. Looking at the pic, looks like you now have plenty of leg and belly room.

I bet the new rear springs set it up a couple of inches, at least the two HD sets I have bought from SASCO over the years did. I prefer the ride with more spring travel, since there is much less bottoming out. Plus, setting up a couple of inches, the fins no longer look angled down; they look more akin to 55-56 Ford fins; definitely gets rid of the tired, sagging look.

I agree the Holley carb will pep the 352 up. Sounds like you are ready for the summer, and the 352 will fit the bill just fine till the bigger motor is done. Right?

[black56hawk]

I have a new dash pad (i.e., a piece of black vinyl and a piece of foam rubber, cut to fit, from SI), but I really need to pull the dash so I can paint it and also run new windlacing that goes up and over the side windows and down to the floor in front. That can be done with the dash in, but it's easier to do it with it out. Also easier to put the new dash pad on and correctly install the stainless steel trim at the edge of the pad. So, it's gonna be a big job, which is why I've put it off so far.

Seat and door upholtery is a Phantom kit from back when Rene owned it. I redid the back seat myself, but the fronts were in such bad condition my skills were inadequate to the task, so I gave up and got a professional to put the new front covers on. All the old foam rubber had to be replaced.