Markeb01 Build Thread

[markeb01]

Originally Posted by CVA59

I may have missed it but what is your steering wheel off of?

If you’re referring to the wheel shown in post # 7, that’s a LeCarra Mark 4 wheel with a GMC emblem added:

http://www.lecarra.com/images/Mrk4ele.jpg

It was very light and comfortable but didn’t fit the theme I was after. It went away years ago when I was finally able to locate my all time favorite – a 1960’s vintage Covico steering wheel. It’s a 14.5” dished version with a black vinyl rim. The standard Covico wheels are very distinctive, having equally spaced spokes and a shallow dish compared to Grant and Moon wheels.



Covico wheels started out as a boat accessory, and all the early models I saw had white rims. By the early sixties it seemed every cool magazine show car, drag car, and high school car had a Covico wheel. The Monogram Big Deuce kit even came with one. As their popularity went wild, colors were expanded to include metalflakes and candy apples.

Unfortunately they were inexpensively made with thin commercial quality chrome, so it is very difficult to find one in good shape today. Mine has thin plating, but is in good condition overall. In the last 30 years I’ve only seen one in better condition.

Here’s a 1962 Car Craft Covico installation article on a Corvair, along with a typical ad showing the various colors and prices. I always preferred the conical shape of the Covico adapters compared to the Grant bell design, but they only fit on early steering columns which I no longer have. If I had an early column I’d have a Covico adapter.