Steering wheel
 

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/BG544-Vtg-GMC...UAAOSwQYZWzG5o

All the usual disclaimers about not knowing the seller (at least as far as I know) apply.

Added so the info doesn't disappear with the ebay listing:

BG544 Vtg GMC Chevrolet Chev Chevy WW2 Truck CCKW CMP Steering Wheel NOS

Features:

Markings: Refer to detailed photos.
Dimensions (Approx.): 3.6, Shaft: 1"Diameter, Keyed. Over-all: 18.00"W x 18.00"H x 2.75"D.
Condition: Refer to detailed photos

Buy it now price $494.99 US
The seller received (and declined) 1 offer in the first 4 days of the listing.

Geez......
 

I sure hope he is not selling the CMP one part at a time....!!!!!

Gold
 

I paid $80 US from a vendor at the MVPA convention, he had 6 or 7.

Since I have the metal part from a truck that had the wood fail, I plan to make a new rim. At the difference between what the hub cost me and the ebay cost, I can afford to put in something over 200 hours building the new rim at my post-tax pay rate.
The price might reflect what the seller has in the parts, might represent a bargain to someone who has an otherwise complete truck and can't drive it without a steering wheel or might just be out of the question to someone like me with time rather than money (and I also have a wood steering wheel in good condition to model the replacement rim on (as well as some of the rim fragments that came with the hub)).

Diy
 

There is a great article on one of the more US websites showing a guy rebuilding one, nice work and good instructions.I'll try to find the link.

Diy
 

http://www.cckw.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5443

Have to click on links for the accompanying pictures but worth the scan.

Is this the article you mean?
 

Thanks for letting me know there was an article to search for, is this it?
http://www.cckw.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5443
If there are others, please let me know and then perhaps we can either link to this or create a post in the restoration forum.

On edit: Oops, you got there first Harry. Thanks, other sites will still be appreciated if you have them.

18" or 20"?
 

As far as I am aware the CMP steering wheel is 18" outside diameter whilst the CCKW is 20" yet the way the advertisement puts it they are all the same. Yes, they do interchange but the diameter determines which vehicle it is correct for.

David

For most North American males the 18" wheel would be more desirable (belly clearance).

The wood 18" wheel being offered undoubtably came from the huge surplus dealer in Toronto, Levy Auto Parts. They had hundreds of them in the early 1980's but were inventoried as being for the very rare ( Prototype only?) Boarhound armoured car (G133 in American parlance). Apparently they were the same wheel as used on the Chev CMP's. The American CCKW and DUKW used a similar 20" wheel..... Brian

Who has heard of the Brougham Basket Co. ????
 

Question for the historians of the Pickering Oshawa area.

Who made the wooden steering wheels for the CMP???? Must have been a local Ontario supplier and not specifically GM or Ford. wooden steering wheel were used extensively in earlier automobile so when rubber ran out they went back to old technology.

....and the technology was readily available in Brougham, Ontario since 1860 they made steamed apple picker baskets....... and were still producing them in limited quantities in the mid 1980s for antique/collectors stores.... we actually visited the old factory and met decendants of the original basket makers...... those apple basket now occasionaly come up on Ebay for $150 US each.

The steering wheel could be produced using two pieces of brown ash or black ash typically used in native basketery which has excellent flexible properties even better than oak and interestingly enough has a very similar wood grain pattern to oak.

As any one ever research the source of the CMP steering wheels. ?????

My wife was trained by a native elder from Cape Breton Island, Margeret Johnston and I have done my share of harvesting green(as in fresh still full of sap) brown ash, quarter sawing the logs, keeping them wet in a PCV sewer pipe with some "Bounce" fabric softener which acts as a wetting agent. Once steamed, segments could be bent by hand into basket rims..... tied and allowed to dry for a few days....... we bent up to 1 in. by 3/4 in. in various round and oval shapes.

Brian Gough must be able to share some light on the source of the steering wheels.

I have no objection to the multi layered epoxy laminated approach but original CMP wheels were steam bent on two half moon sections and I beleive that it can still be done. Finger joints cutters should be available for routers to facilitate the assembly of the two segments.

Also.........There are a number of very detailed UTube videos on making repro antiques automobile wooden steering wheels ........ some with various different approaches and most with valuable tips and proven tricks of the trade.

Very similar steaming processes were also used in most early wooden cart and automobile wheels....some of which is documented in old Ford assembly line films.

Cheers

Bob C

Most modern finger joint router bits only make the fingers about 1/4" long instead of the steering wheels fingers 1-1/8". See http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...68,69435,46174 Maybe a table shaper might have the power and stability to use a larger profile bit? but unless you can find someone already setup to do the joint you need, it looks like the bit would cost more than the steering wheel presently for sale.