Can I raise my steering wheel? Options

[gnomefabtech]

Title asks the question. Steering wheel is a bit too low. Is there a way to use shims under the mounting screws under the dash to change the angle?

[Front yard mechanic]

Just add a smaller wheel

[gnomefabtech]

I have a smaller wheel. It's covering the gauges lol.

[SirAndy]

I have a smaller wheel. It's covering the gauges lol.

Turn the gauges.

I have a 5 gauge dash and turned the tach completely upside down and some of the other gauges turned about 45 degrees to allow for a better view.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

PS: There's no way to get the steering column further up without some major cutting and welding of the dash sub-frame and reworking the dash top itself.

[SirAndy]

Turn the gauges.
I have a 5 gauge dash and turned the tach completely upside down and some of the other gauges turned about 45 degrees to allow for a better view.

Found a pic ...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-179-1181552489.jpg)

[brant]

The steering shaft mounts from the bottom
So any shims added would lower it more

No easy way to raise it
Ditching the dash (racecar style) would be required to raise it

[tygaboy]

Yes, you can raise the steering wheel!

You can get an offset hub/adapter. Robert @buddyv has one in his car. I think Mark @markhoward may have one, too.
And when you first put it on, it'll freak you out because the wheel doesn't rotate around the center of the column. You'll also never notice that when you drive. Many/most (?) newer cars have offset wheels.

[windforfun]

Turn the gauges.
I have a 5 gauge dash and turned the tach completely upside down and some of the other gauges turned about 45 degrees to allow for a better view.

Found a pic ...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-179-1181552489.jpg)

I would have rotated the clock too.

[SirAndy]

I would have rotated the clock too.

Both the oil pressure/temp gauge and the clock are not obstructed by the wheel.

So it's a | 0 | 45 | 180 | 45 | 0 | symmetry
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[mepstein]

JWest

[GregAmy]

I dislike 350mm wheels, I use a 380mm Prototipo. And I use the JWest adapter as well to raise the wheel, both street and race cars.

Works great for me.

[mgp4591]

Title asks the question. Steering wheel is a bit too low. Is there a way to use shims under the mounting screws under the dash to change the angle?

If you do get adventurous and start cutting the mounting bracket to fit you better, be careful of the alignment of the steering linkage...if it gets too radical, it can bind on you. I've modified a Subaru SVX steering column and I did some serious cutting and welding to the linkage to make things work without binding.

[wonkipop]

Title asks the question. Steering wheel is a bit too low. Is there a way to use shims under the mounting screws under the dash to change the angle?

this might help or give an insight.

interestingly half a century ago when crayfords of UK did the original right hand drive conversions on brand new 914s for UK / commonwealth countries the steering wheel ended up about 10mm higher on right hand side.

this was even noted by road testers at the time.
and was considered a positive.




here is the actual crayfords #1 right hand drive conversion.
if you zoom in on photo you can see very clearly by how much the steering column ended up raised.



the column sits hard under instrument binnacle rather than hard on lower dash pad element


35 odd years ago when i converted my left hand drive 914 to right hand drive i had access to one of the crayford cars that came here to australia. we more or less copied it using it as a reference.

this is how my steering wheel ended up. exactly as per the crayfords version and sitting some 10mm higher than a standard lhd 914.



referring back to my now faulty and failing memory (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer3.gif) i can tell you why.
the whole cowl firewall area behind the dash in a 914 is incredibly assymetrical.
lots of mods required due to fuel tank which has to be cut along with firewall.

we used everything from the left hand side of car including the steering column mounts, these were cut off and rewelded on right hand side. directly to firewall cowl area. which happens to be 10mm higher on that side. i won't go into the rest of the grizzly detail involved. there was a lot of subtle modification done. but the steering column, the diagonal shaft everything was re-used without any modifications, cuts or shuts etc. and the steering wheel was positioned exactly as per llhd apart from it being at the end of it all 10mm higher.

and i got to say its an improvement in many ways. its just that tiny bit easier to get your knees under. but apart from that barely noticeable. and i have good vision of my instruments right up to our legal limit of 60/65 mph. any faster and its academic with our draconian speed limit enforcement.

anyway as i see it to raise the steering wheel might be possible left hand drive but it would require cut and shut work to mod the lower cowl portion of the firewall. it might also involve work to ensure the diagonal steering shaft can have clearance around that lower cowl portion of firewall as well. but i seriously doubt any need to cut and shut the shaft itself.

having said that its a hell of a lot of trouble for something you do not need to do.
i had to do it at the time 35 years ago. no choice but to convert to right hand drive if i wanted to road register my 914. they have since changed the laws in aus and these days i could have left it left hand drive. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

[Rob-O]

Don’t want to hijack this thread but do want to know what happened here? I can’t think of a logical reason for a carpeted patch.