It can be viewed here:
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/serv...11919&langId=-1

Any thoughts on the effectiveness? I've never seen one up close so I can't tell a whole lot about it. I already have a Grant Formula 1 wheel and can get this lock cheap.

I would think that just a detachable wheel would be more than enough. Personally, I wouldn't want something bright red drawing attention.
Push comes to shove they'll flat bed the car out, steering wheel be damned. I've seen it happen once and heard of it happening quite a few times.

Haha, that wouldn't stop any of the repo guys I've met. Drag it up on the roll back and away they go. I'd guess that any thief that wants it would be the same, it might stop casual thieves/joy riders though.

I could encase the car in concrete and if they wanted it they'd get it. I'm not naive enough to think that I could stop everyone. You both hit the nail on the head I'm just looking to slow someone down. I'm guessing the lock is easily defeated then all you'd have to do is throw on a generic wheel from autozone or pepboys.

I just installed the race version.

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/serv...11919&langId=-1

Installed! I managed to get it off eBay for $60. I did have to grind a bolt head to get the locking piece to sit flush, but all is well. I am definitely going to have paint the bright red cover black.

It won't stop someone determined but should stop the joy riders and amateur thieves.

Well that was quick. I just ordered a regular Grant quick release like Bill did. I'm going to remove the Grant security system. After thinking about it some more I decided the fact that four 8-32 screws secure the locking mechanism to the base wasn't safe enough. And with the Kirkey I'm going to want to release the steering wheel all the time and this is a much sturdier design for that. The only downside is I'll lose the horn.

I'm sure you can keep the horn somehow. Maybe use one of those coiled wires that will stretch as you turn the wheel. The wheel might wind up being tethered to the car!

I'm going to put a horn button somewhere else. Haven't decided where yet.

Considering using my factory Second Gear Start momentary switch on the dash for it...

Axoid, did it move the wheel any closer to you? If so, how much? I have been interested in one of these for a while for the Firebird.

Heh, additionally, we're thinking of INSTALLING a horn on the car. It is amazing how many people will just stand there, in the way, talking (well actually yelling) to their buddies while we are trying to get somewhere. They don't even pay attention when we pop the car in neutral and pat the gas. Another CP friend noted the same problem with his Mustang. We're both thinking about adding a horn. It is amazing we need to consider it.

I'm not Bill and I have a 4th gen so take it for what it's worth...

My wheel is now further away from me compared to when it was just attached with a standard Grant adapter. I have to verify this with grant but you might be able to attach one of their 1 or 2" spacers to it in order to move it closer. I have a pic of the cheap stamped steel version below. I used adapter #3021 which is shown in Bill's link. It's pinless and SFI approved.

Ignore how dirty the car is I've been busy:











Amazingly I was thinking to myself I'd need a horn for autocross. Last year there was a cone in the middle of the finish on course at one event. I came to a stop like I should pointed and yelled and sat for what seemed like 15 seconds but the corner workers were sleeping. I ended up having to take off (another car on course) and wasn't able to get a re-run since the workers said they hadn't seen anything. That's a good use for the horn.

Something tells me third and fourth gen steering columns are very similar from the tilt mechanism to the wheel. How much room do you have between the turn signal wand and the steering wheel. I know I lost some room when I went with the Grant wheel, but it looks like you can barely squeeze your fingers in there!!

Is there only 1 way to put the wheel back on now? In other words, can you put the wheel on crooked or does it only slip on in one place?

It does look and is close to the wiper/blinker/cruise control stalk. I drove it around for 20 minutes tonight and had no issues with clearance-even did a little "slaloming."

I think these will work with it:

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/serv...ategoryId=15337

Well I ordered a 1" spacer:

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/serv...ategoryId=15337

#4001

So what's the difference between the Grant 3001 and the 3021? Does the 3001 work with factory wheels? That's what we are presently running.

3001 fits standard 3 bolt racing wheels whereas 3021 fits 3 bolt AND Grant 5 bolt pattern. Now why the 3001 is more money when it lacks the 3 bolt/5 bolt adapter (you can see it in the jeg's pics) is beyond me.

I'm replacing the adapter with that spacer to move it closer to me.

I'm not sure a stock wheel could work with any quick release-at least not a stock 4th gen wheel. My factory wheel had a center hole that was splined and fits onto the splined concentric stock shaft and is retained by a single nut.





Somehow I missed this.

Yes you can put it on crooked, but it's not likely since the number of splines in the shaft is pretty low. Being off one spline is pretty obvious. I did pay attention when I pressed on the grant splined adapter to make sure my wheel could end up centered.

I think I freaked my neighbour out the other day when he saw me open the door, release my steering wheel, get out and then reverse the process.

Ok here's the old piece that bolted to the SFI quick release via three socket head cap screws:

Front


Back


Here's the steering wheel with the 1" spacer/adapter:





If anyone sees anything wrong with this (safety wise) let me know. The only thing holding the aluminum disk on before was three socket head cap screws. The only difference now is that the 5 screws are spaced out further. This does put more bending load on the three screws at the base, but I think it's more than fine. The spacer is actually meant to replace the stamped metal piece I showed earlier that is used with regular (non quick release) Grant steering wheel adapters.




Another option is these Longacre steering wheel spacers.

http://www.hrpworld.com/index.cfm?form_pro...&action=product

They're available in .25, .50 and .75" thicknesses from what I can tell. I just didn't want to make the three bolts in the center any longer. I though that would be more of a strength issue than the spacer shown above.

You'll be fine like that.

My solution on a Subaru is similar to Rob's: I needed to come back 2 1/4", so used 1 7/8" long x 1/2" dia spacers with 6 ea #10-32 flathead screws. Screws are 144ksi min tensile strengh, fully threaded into 3/8" thick 6061 T6 aluminum, bolted to Summit QD with 3ea 1/4-20 hex cap screws. Looks kinda spindly, but using the root dia of the 10-32 screws works out to 2859#, each of 6. Looks to me that most of the loading will get translated to tension by leverage on the spacers. If the driver can put 50# of force on the wheel, and the lever ratio is approx the radius of the wheel/radius of the spacers, or about 27x, or 1377#. Sound reasonable?

Nice setup Alan.

Well doing some quick math (I must've been lazy earlier)...

For 5 10-32 socket head screws you have a total area (using root dia) of 0.094 in^2
For 6 10-32 socket head screws you have a total area (using root dia) of 0.1080 in^2

They're 144 ksi tensile as you stated.

For 3 1/4-20 socket head cap screws I have a total area of 0.0839 in^2

But they're rated for 180 ksi.

Another factor is that the three screws are inboard of the 5 or 6 so they are subjected to higher loads when the wheel trys to bend about the center.

You have four basic loads here:

1) The driver turning the wheel (torque) puts a shear force on all the screws.

2) If the driver pulls on the wheel (i.e. not strapped in properly to brace him or herself) you get a a axial load in tension on all the screws

3) #2 results in a bending moment with the lever arm being from the outside of the wheel to the center which is counteracted by the screws which are another distance out from the center- the ratio Alan stated this puts tension on some of the bolts and compression on the others

4) The screws at the base are subjected to another bending moment that's the function of the 1 or 2" spacer

This would be easier in MS Paint.

Maybe I'll get bored and do some calculations later.

Howdy,

I don't know how the hell you'd calculate any of it, but I _would_ say that 50 lbs isn't all that much for the steering wheel to be able to support...

I'm thinking of times when folks use the wheel to brace themselves in braking, pull on it to get in/out of the car, etc. Seems like you'd exceed 50 lbs doing that.

Mark

Rob - I don't have a problem with the 3ea 1/4" bolts - every QD that I have seen has this fastener size on the same circle, and the increase in the lever arm length acting on them is only 5% more because of the 1 7/8" spacers.

My thought (and my engineering background is electronics, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong) was that worst case load on the 6ea 10-32 bolts would be turning the wheel with no power assist, car stationary. It takes a pretty good tug to move a 295 Hoosier. It that case I don't see shear doing much but trying to tilt the 1/2" dia spacers, translating to tension on the bolts. If the area of the 6 bolts adds, then there is 17,000# min tensile strength. Even if the driver can tug 100#, that is 2750# of force, over 6x margin.

You and Mark bring up the other force - fore and aft. This is in a race car, so wheel will be off the column while driver is getting in/out. Harnesses keep the driver in place on track so no need to brace against the wheel. But say I ignore that and figure the driver will try to do pullups on the wheel, how many of those six bolts are carrying the load? If some are in compression (or net zero load cause the spacer is in compression) then the rest are taking all the load. If 3 are taking the load then my margin is cut to 3, if everything is on 1 bolt then I have no margin.

I have a couple of weeks before this car sees the track, I will redesign the spacer setup if this is the case.

Oh I don't think there is a damn thing wrong with the industry standard 1/4" bolts. I think they and the 10-32 screws both have roughly the same likelihood of failing.

I'm pretty sure most stock car boys have the same setup and they have no problem obscenely bending the steering wheel.

I don't see anything wrong with any of the setups honestly-I don't even know why I asked initially-I'm just paranoid.

You're really supposed to use the proof strength rather than the tensile strength (proof<tensile) when you size bolts. I don't know what it is for 10-32 screws but I can look it up for the 1/4" bolts.

Yeah shear would be greatest at low speeds when there is a lot of friction preventing the wheels from turning.

I made some pictures in paint to show all the different loads the screws see depending on what the driver is doing and how he is pushing on the wheel. It's really quite complicated, which is why there is what appears to be a large factory of safety. I'll post them later.

And I don't think making the spacer longer 1-3" will add that much more stress, but I'll check it out when I have time.

Man I must be bored lately.

If anything I would connect the 6 spacers so they will stay parallel to the steering column. Think flat plate welded between the posts, it might be easier to bolt up too. Or machine a round slab of aluminum then drill and tap it.

I beefed up the mount - changed 10-32 144ksi bolts to 1/4-20 170ksi, and spacers from 1/2" dia to 5/8" dia. Calculated tensile strength goes from 2865# to 5389# (each of 6), and lever ratio drops from 27.6 to 22. Car gets its first shake Sun at Thill.

Nice adapter, Alan! We just put our QD in our firebird. Took three tries!!

I finally discovered we had to pull the lockring out to get the QD to latch on the hub (our pimp-daddy CP Firebird is fully-optioned with tilt wheel). After having to _pull_ the splined hub off the car a couple of times, I had to dress the splines so the QD would go on and off smoothly. Now that it is on, it is very nice. It would have been nice for the thing to have come with _some_ instructions.

I've been using the Summit GM splined QD with good results - I do some minor trimming of the shroud for finger clearance. The aluminum disc that ties wheel to QD needs a 1" hole in the center for clearance to the big nut (locktited) on the end of the column. I get the QD working free enough that it snaps in place securely, and lube the splines lightly.

There is a video clip floating around the intarweb of Justin Hall exiting T11 at Laguna, and the steering wheel pops off...mighty distracting for most folks.