Steering wheel interchange

[tmoney]

I am thinking about taking a newer chevy steering wheel like 2012 or so and putting it in my 72 truck. The rest of the interior has been updated and I think this will be a nice touch. Is there any way to do this?

[RichardJ]

That late of a steering wheel, will include an air bag and often a lot of cumbersome electronics that you won't be able to use. For a factory wheel, look for something before '91. Some cars had driver air bag starting in '88, but not all.
I used a wheel from a '85 Z24 Chevy Cavalier. Smaller diameter with soft, fat grip and it bolted on. Had to trim the rubber on the GMC horn button and then that fit as well. I didn't need or want the old oversize wheel after I installed the power steering.

[tmoney]

There are brand new chevy steering wheels out of the work truck packages with no electronics. The air bag is another story. I could remove the fuel source from the air bag or just use the outside covering and mold a piece of foam for it to fit over. But here are a few pictures

[425HP409]

I'm not sure that late of a steering wheel will fit properly on our trucks. Here is the one I put on mine from a 88 and newer truck. It fits perfectly like it was made for the truck. It is a nice diameter (smaller than the original) which makes the truck a dream to drive. It was one of the best mods I did to the truck as far as driving comfort.

[tmoney]

That does look good. I wanted something a little newer just because I have the new dakota digital gauges and the 2012 interior etc. Whats that second knob for on the left side of the gauges?

[FirstOwner69]

In my opinion the wheels you posted will look out of place even with the upgrades you've made. Plus, the contours of the the back side of the center housing will not match the circular column. I also doubt the shaft is the same diameter and may even be metric. Not sure though.

Here's a shot of my wheel much like the one pictured above, except it's leather wrapped and as a result the rim is a bit thicker. I've only seen this style on the 92-94 S-10 Blazers with the LT package. The 93s and 94s were a bit different from the 92s in that the leather extending onto the spokes is recessed as in the picture.

[425HP409]

Originally Posted by tmoney

That does look good. I wanted something a little newer just because I have the new dakota digital gauges and the 2012 interior etc. Whats that second knob for on the left side of the gauges?

The 67 and 68 had the wiper and headlight switches on the left side and the manual choke knob on the right. Starting in 69, all trucks had automatic chokes and they moved the light switch to the top left where the wiper switch was, moved the wiper switch where the choke was and eliminated the choke.