1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

[Dan C.]

Can someone please validate the steering wheel below to be an actual Woodgrained Plastic Steering Wheel - or could this be real wood? Although I have not examined another true Woodgrained Plastic Steering Wheel up close, this one appears to have a more straight grained, red-gold appearance than the burled-grain, dark brown wheel I saw recently on a 1964. It also shows finger joints.

The previous owner had the "original owner story" on how special it is, etc., etc. but I don't know if some of the standard wheels have these features or if it is truly something special. There are no markings on the wheel, it has radial stainless, not circular, and what appears to be a splintered area on the backside.

Thanks,

Dan

[Tracy C.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Dan,

Frankly, I doubt the original existence of any factory equiped wood grain wheel in a 63. But thats just me talk'n.

Knock off wheels...off road exhaust...wood grained wheels....whatever you else you wish to have had ???

tc

[Mike M.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

the pic is of a plastic c-2 wheel which i doubt left st louis on a 63 vette. it appears to be a 65-66 wheel.mikie

[Mike M.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

correction: meant to type it appears to be a 64-66 wheel. mikie

[Dan C.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Tracy and Mikie,

Thank you for checking this out and letting me know what I have here. This was my first post and I've had this 63 coupe for 24 years. I 'd better pick up the pace a little here so I can complete my restoration in this lifetime!

[John D.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

"A successful restoration is one that you spend at least 20 minutes a day working on". Quote from AACA.

[Paul J.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Dan:

That looks like a wood wheel. It has wood grain, and as you pointed out, if you blow up the picture you can clearly see the finger joints (as well as the deterioration on the edge of one of them). It also has colorization that matches the grain. The plastic simulated burled wheel on my 64 has none of that detail. It's smooth (and much darker).

If it's a plastic wheel it did not come on a 64 Vette.

Paul

[Kenneth B.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Dan:

That looks like a wood wheel. It has wood grain, and as you pointed out, if you blow up the picture you can clearly see the finger joints (as well as the deterioration on the edge of one of them). It also has colorization that matches the grain. The plastic simulated burled wheel on my 64 has none of that detail. It's smooth (and much darker).

If it's a plastic wheel it did not come on a 64 Vette.

Paul

As MIKE said it is a 64/66 wood grained plastic wheel. Not real wood.
KEN

[Dan C.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Again, thank you for the responses. The wheel I saw recently on a 64 was like Paul Jordan's - darker, burled grain and smooth surface. Mine is different enough from that to pose the questions:

Did Chevrolet ever produce a simulated wood wheel where you can feel the textured "ticking" on the wood grain or simulated finger joint? Guessing Maybe 65-67? Or were they always like the 64 - smooth.

Or has anyone heard of companies that produced this version steering wheel "back in the day" that were truly real wood?

Dan

[John H.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Dan -

The wheel in the photos is clearly molded plastic/simulated wood; you can see the molded-in grain and texture, and the mold parting line all the way around the O.D. of the wheel, exactly like the '64-'67 rim (the '67 center was different, but the rim was shot in the same mold at Inland).

The genuine wood wheel was optional in '65-'66, supplied by the Herman Miller Clock Co; MVSS regulations killed it for '67 (splintering in frontal impact).

[Patrick H.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Dan -

The wheel in the photos is clearly molded plastic/simulated wood; you can see the molded-in grain and texture, and the mold parting line all the way around the O.D. of the wheel, exactly like the '64-'67 rim (the '67 center was different, but the rim was shot in the same mold at Inland).

The genuine wood wheel was optional in '65-'66, supplied by the Herman Miller Clock Co; MVSS regulations killed it for '67 (splintering in frontal impact).

Howard Miller Clock Co.

Herman Miller is the office furniture company.
And yes, their offices are across the street from each other in Zeeland, MI.

[Mike M.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Dan
To answer your last questions, as John pointed out, all 64-7 rims were of the same manufacturing process.
Yes, all of these production wheels had both a distinctive wooden grain finish with the "Ticking" in the surface, the "Finger grips" and the simulated filled seams that you mentioned.
Yours apparently has not been subjected to the extreme useage to wear the plastic smooth as was typically suffered by most of the other wheels.
HaND

[Kenneth B.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Can someone please validate the steering wheel below to be an actual Woodgrained Plastic Steering Wheel - or could this be real wood? Although I have not examined another true Woodgrained Plastic Steering Wheel up close, this one appears to have a more straight grained, red-gold appearance than the burled-grain, dark brown wheel I saw recently on a 1964. It also shows finger joints.

The previous owner had the "original owner story" on how special it is, etc., etc. but I don't know if some of the standard wheels have these features or if it is truly something special. There are no markings on the wheel, it has radial stainless, not circular, and what appears to be a splintered area on the backside.

Thanks,

Dan

DAN the parting line is a dead give away. A wood wheel of any type wood not just Teak would have to have some kind of band at the center to hide the glue line. I was a wood patternmaker since 1963. Look at a 65/66 teak wheel & you will see .
KEN

[Paul J.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Again, thank you for the responses. The wheel I saw recently on a 64 was like Paul Jordan's - darker, burled grain and smooth surface. Mine is different enough from that to pose the questions:

Did Chevrolet ever produce a simulated wood wheel where you can feel the textured "ticking" on the wood grain or simulated finger joint? Guessing Maybe 65-67? Or were they always like the 64 - smooth.

Or has anyone heard of companies that produced this version steering wheel "back in the day" that were truly real wood?

Dan

Dan:

After Mike's comments, I looked this up. Apparently, the simulated plastic wood grained wheel (in your picture) was option N34 and was available in the middle of the 1963 production run. Noland says that 130 63's had this option.

The JG says that this wheel continued in 1964, but I cannot find anything about the the option number, or what the standard wheel was. I have found several web sites that say the standard wheel was the plastic simulated burled walnut wheel which I have and what you have seen on 64's.

The only wood wheel was the teak wheel, option N32, which appeared in GM documents around Feb 64 (and shows up on 64 option lists), but there are no production records showing that this wheel was factory installed on any 64's. As John said, it's a 65/66 option.

Perhaps Mike or John or someone can provide some more details for us regarding the standard wheel for 64.

Paul

[Dan C.]

Re: 1963 N34 steering wheel - real wood?

Paul,

Thanks for the additional research. I am not hung up to prove this is a wood wheel, in fact I am and happy to confirm from members that it is plastic. But I am curious why its characteristics are visably different from the stock 64-66 grain, color and texture.

Could it be that the first 130 wheels made in 63 had these characteristics like mine, different from the later standard production version? Are there known examples out there that were judged to be correct 1963 simulated wood wheel cars?

Could Chevrolet have changed the resin color/graining after the first 130 wheels in 63 to what is known for 64 - 66 production? The black book describes the 63 option as a "woodgrained plastic steering wheel" and the 64 as a "walnut-grained" plastic.

Curious because the "original owner" story is that the guy had this from a 1963, not a later car, and swore by it. It was kept long after the car was sold, until he passed...