Has anyone cut down a Nardi steering wheel adapter?

I'd like to move my wheel about 1" further away, toward the dash. I've looked everywhere for an adjustment but don't find anything that would allow me to push the column. The car is a 2001 IM roadster.

There's a 4" deep adapter that I guess came with a Nardi or was made to go with it. It's aluminum and I can't tell if it's solid walled under the screw holes. If it was I can put it in my lathe and trim it down and then redrill and tap the six holes that mount the wheel. I'd much more like to do this than pay the price I found for shorter Nardi adapters ($140.).

You might be better off getting a wheel that is flat instead of dished. I have a friend who makes gorgeous wooden wheels (www.lempertwheels.com) to your specs. Fair warning - he's a small operation and has quite a backlog. Still. that or a similar solution might be easier than cutting down the hub.

i believe there is one gentleman that ordered a wheel from this illustrious(but slow) wheelmaker and is still waiting like a year and still no ETC.(estimated time completion)
I ordered a wheel from Motolita in England and had it in less than a month including shippinf from England. Excellent fit/finish.

Ken,

I need to know what year/make your column is from but I have shallow Nardi hubs (obnly 2.75" deep) in a few hub patterns and I also have bolt on Nardi adapters for another hub and it is only 3" deep when put together.

I've been keeping Terry up to date regularly. His wheel is days away from shipping as the final finish coats need to harden.

Lane, that wheel is gorgeous! Ya, a flat wheel would about do the trick since the one I have is dished just about an inch.


Carey, I'd have to getwith Henry to know for sure but it looks like most collapsible tube columns from non ignition in column VW's. The turn sig switch the grey type that incorporated the dimmer switch.
I'd need to pull the wheel again to count splines but maybe collapsible tells you something? The honeycomb collapse section is underneath the floorboard.

The wheel is 4" from the dash, and the turn sig lever is two full inches from the wheel at it's tip. The T/S arm takes an angle up from it's mount to the tip and reminds me a lot of one that we had in a '68 type 3, as best I remember back to 1978.

Can you remove one of the screws that mount the wheel to the adapter and then insert a probe into the hole to verify it's solid or not?
If solid I'd recommend drilling guide holes thru the existing holes B4 putting on a lathe.
PS: I really hesitated B4 using the word PROBE since with this group that's a WIDE OPEN DOOR. LOL

Carey, the tube outside diameter is 1.750" (1 3/4").

I can ssee the bottoms of the screw holes for mounting the wheel so there is a solid top part to the adapter. The screws are about 1/2" and the holes a little deeper than that. If the adapter was a forged part I'd be sure it was solid as it tapers slightly downward but as a casting it's anybody's guess - they could cover any holes in a two diameter mold to keep material from filling between an inner and outer wall, and they could do that even with the top and bottoms being solid.

If anyone had ever cut one of them at the halfway point give or take they'd find themselves cutting through two walls and probably ruining the part. That's what I'd be concerned about - if I chuck the thing up and try shortening below the solid 'cap' section that mounts the wheel.

I reason, sort of, that if it were a solidly made piece then there might not be good reasons to make them in assorted lengths since users or installers could tailor their own fit..

Use a small pilot drill (so as not to damage the threads) thru an existing hole.

Use a small (so as not to damage the threads) drill thru an existing hole.

I do recall Steve cutting ours down for the spyder. Can't remember what the original length was, but it seems to me he took over an inch out of it.

angela

Could you post a pic of your Nardi adapter/hub? I have two of them, one is about 1.5" for the MGA, the other is a around 3" for the Fiat.

If yours looks anything like either of these two, I can tell you right off what the inside casting looks like.

TC

I've got the car on jackstands doing something else for a few days but I do remember that the adapter for the Nardi has "113" cast in raised numerals right under the wheel, like it's one of the first things you'd see after taking off the wheel.

The adapter has only the six threaded holes so it's not one of the more universal fit type with more than one set of holes for various wheels. It's black and tapers over it's length down to the size of the T/S switch mount with a smooth outer surface overall.

Next time I can get to it I'll take the whole assembly apart and photograph the adapter. At the same time I'll mount the thing on my mill so I can accurately drill into the material past the threads.

If it tapers it will be a smaller diameter at the steering wheel end after you cut it.

A little smaller, yes, but it's a very gentle taper as the T/S handle's mount is almost as large as the top and it looks like it holds it's major diameter long enough to shorten it some. I'd look at it carefully once it was removed to me sure of enough meat for the wheel holes.

I was just trying to determine if it might be a hollow walled thingy. If it is I'll keep it working until I find another shorter one that works.

Ken, I had the same adapter as you. I bought the nice custom made turned and polished adapter from Carey. That, along with a Grant VW adapter(the new Nardi hub from Carey bolts to that) and I was almost all set. I cut the turn switch off at the hub, and made a new stalk out of stainless tubing. This was JB welded in place, and a custom aluminum end was turned, with a hi-beam switch installed in the end. Ended up with the wheel an inch and a half closer to the dash, which was perfect for me. Painted the turn switch and Grant adapter with brushed nickel paint. All this was in a Spyder. Looks so much LESS kit-car now, and finished!

I had the same idea as you, but ended up with my old adapter on the shelf. I think the end result is much better.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab234/DannyPip/New%20Paint/5-02-10005.jpg

That DOES look good Dan!

JB Weld holds your turn sig stalk in place over time?

So the adapter from Carey isn't broached for the column slines - it just serves as an extension? That's a good idea. I've got some 4" round aluminum stock that I bought years ago for a project that fizzled, and I've got a good lathe and a Bridgeport mill. I knew I could cut a new extension but hadn't thought to buy a low cost hub adapter just to get the VW splines already cut and cut it down to attach to a new tubular piece for attaching the wheel. Hmmm, your post has got my juices running good. That problem has been on a back burner while I get some other stuff done but I'll look at it with the idea to replace the existing adapter with something hopefully better like yours.

BTW, looks like that wheel is turning a pretty fine little car! I've only owned this roadster for a month or so but am already getting more intriqued with the idea of a Spyder. At 6'3" and 230 lbs. I'm probly too big to get into that little cab but whenever I watch a Utube of a Spyder I get the hots for one.

JB weld and an aluminum wedge that is screwed in place, making a sort of sandwich! You can use a Porsche wheel center with early 911 splines also.

And thanks, I really enjoy my car. I am 5"10" and a little less than 200, hopefully less and less as time goes on!

This'll probably gripe someone but yesterday I ordered a shifter from Vintage Performance per info in the thread titles "Shifter questions".

The new shifter will be their 11.5" version that has a dogleg rearward similar to original shifters I've seen in photos of some of the 356 cars. I went and sat in the car trying to get an idea of what the new shifter might mean to how I'd drive and found that if I leaned the seatback back to the next notch it made a shifter about 3" behind my current Empi one fall right to hand.

Having the seat leaned further back changed the feel of the steering wheel location as well - to the point that I'll have to rethink the need to shorten that adapter!

I'd tried the seat back but I was having to reach, actually lean forward off the seatback to shift into first and third with the Empi shifter. That's my only excuse for this.