new steering wheel and horn button

Super nice !

AWESOME !

That's excellent!

Where did you get the wheel?

Are you weeely asking him that?  'Bugs bunny voice" calling the bear on the cycle  

It's really a "piece of art" unto itself! 

Here's Marty's without the rivets and with hidden fasteners and rounder button... 

I like both. 

Yeah those wheels have been tempting me for a while, but I don't really want a P crest on the wheel. 

Very nice, Jimmy!

That new wheel looks so right. I really think a nicely made, period-correct looking steering wheel is one of the best upgrades one can make on one of these cars. It just feels right, and it really amps up the legitimacy factor, to me.

One of the first non-safety-related things I did on Bridget was replacing the stock Grant  14-inch wood rim—which isn't a bad wheel at all—with this outrageous 17-inch replica Bluemels Brooklands banjo wheel as found on MGs of the period. 

I actually hesitated. At nearly $400 all done it was a ridiculous expense! 

But it changed the whole character of the car. It absolutely transformed it from "obvious kit car" into "hold on, what is this stunning old machine doing here on a busy city street?"

Now, some guys don't like that old time thin grip, the large diameter, the sometimes flimsy feel of the old banjo spokes, and I get that. A chunkier, modern wheel is absolutely worlds better, ergonomically. But they just aren't art.

Jimmy's new wheel is Art.

Marvelous, absolutely marvelous. 

(As said in your best Billy Crystal replica voice)

Thank you for all the nice comments, I agree it is a work of art and makes a huge improvement.

 I bought the entire wheel, adapter and horn button with home made Porsche crest button from James (Jaime) from his classified listing here on SOC for $375.00 all in shipping included. I thought it was a very reasonable price. 

   I need help now getting the horn to work. Alan maybe or someone else with infinite knowledge can give me some direction. My old wheel and adapter had the horn setup in a one wire system. The wheel adapter had a copper ring in the base that was isolated from the rest of the adapter with a wire going to the horn button. The copper ring was in contact with copper half round fingers on the top of the steering column and this is the 12 volt power.  The outside of the horn button was the ground via the wheel, adapter and steering shaft. When the horn button was depresses the circuit complete and the horn blew. The new adapter doesn't have the copper 12v pickup ring but the adapter does come in contact with the 12v contact fingers on the steering column and immediately completes the circuit to the ground which is the steering shaft and horn blows non stop soon as the adapter is in place. For now I have the horn wire disconnected. The new horn button has two wires instead of one. How is the new horn supposed to be hooked up?  how do i pick up the 12 v signal without using the copper contact system? Does what I described make sense to anyone? Thanks in advance. Diagrams with your descriptions appreciated.

@edsnova posted:

That new wheel looks so right. I really think a nicely made, period-correct looking steering wheel is one of the best upgrades one can make on one of these cars. It just feels right, and it really amps up the legitimacy factor, to me.

One of the first non-safety-related things I did on Bridget was replacing the stock Grant  14-inch wood rim—which isn't a bad wheel at all—with this outrageous 17-inch replica Bluemels Brooklands banjo wheel as found on MGs of the period. 

I actually hesitated. At nearly $400 all done it was a ridiculous expense! 

But it changed the whole character of the car. It absolutely transformed it from "obvious kit car" into "hold on, what is this stunning old machine doing here on a busy city street?"

Now, some guys don't like that old time thin grip, the large diameter, the sometimes flimsy feel of the old banjo spokes, and I get that. A chunkier, modern wheel is absolutely worlds better, ergonomically. But they just aren't art.

Jimmy's new wheel is Art.

Ed, how does that wheel feel when you drive?  Do you feel like it turns faster?  

Jimmy look at this ... https://www.speedsterowners.com/topic/horn-wiring

@IaM-Ray that wheel makes me feel like the captain of a large freighter ship during the War of 1812 and this could not be more appropriate.

https://www.speedsterowners.co...e/VS_Wiring_Horn.jpg

What i need it a thin flat ring of copper sheet with a thin sheet of insulating material bonded to one side and a wire soldered to the copper. This commutator ring we will call it will sit in the bottom pocket of my new wheel adapter and come into contact with the hot 12v commutator on the top of my steering shaft replicating the way the setup was designed to function on my steering column which looks to be out of a 71 beetle. This was the correct way to make the horn work without having a wire twisted and spun over and over until it eventually breaks and shorts out. This is the way my old after market wheel and adapter was set up.  I will be looking to see if the commutator ring I described is offered for sale before i commence fabricating one. I will keep you informed.  Thanks for the info. It appears this is an old issue many have had. 

After my first search using steering wheel adapter 1971 vw beetle I found this. I believe one of the items in the kit is the commutator ring I need.

@edsnova posted:

@IaM-Ray that wheel makes me feel like the captain of a large freighter ship during the War of 1812 and this could not be more appropriate.

Not a good analogy, Ed.

You guys lost that war...

 I think i figured this horn thing out. I have the wrong adapter for my steering column. The link below is the adapter I need as you can see the copper bottom to make contact with the 12v horn power as it is delivered on my steering column.  The one without the copper inlay bottom is the one I have now which is wrong the pic. of the other is what I need. I guess I will be ordering the correct adapter.

https://www.flashpowerparts.co...-audi-vw-beetle.html