StudeNorm

I just removed the steering wheel and chopped, Dremeled away the plastic rim. Once done the wheel fell apart in my hands. Upon examining the welded area I was a bit/a lot surprised to see there was no fusing of the rim metal to the spoke metal. In other words, not a true weld... There was only a thin layer of welding rod material spanning the gap on the top side holding the assembly together. If they had welded top and bottom like this it would have been better. I am surprised it lasted this long. Not sure if this was standard practice or a lack of proper QC. Needless to say an aftermarket wheel could not be made to fit so I will continue with my repair. Pictures to follow.

Thanks, Ed, et al. John C agrees with you so that is the route I will go and see where it gets me. Might be a good excuse to purchase a MIG machine... Cheers.

Thanks for the re[plies, all. It looks like welding will be the solution. The car is trapped on the hoist while I use the space under it during some home reno projects anyways so I will pull the steering wheel and see what I can get done during this lockdown period. Colour matching the resin might be fun but I don't mind a good challenge . Cheers.

Hi. I am looking for a replacement wheel or suggestions on how to repair mine. It seems like it broke at the rim/spoke junction. Can it be repaired or is that too risky? Thanks.

The hog troughs are accessible from the very rear over the top of the frame. They may also have drain holes in them at front and back. I got into mine with a boroscope and found a dead bird and various and sundry other things that the squirrels brought in. I would think that if you don't want to drill your body panels you can get creative and find a way to use a scope and a very long nozzle to spray the bolt threads in the troughs. Might take a bit of contorting to get things aligned or just fire a bunch of lube at high pressure and coat it all but the point being when you get it apart cleanup will be easy. Good luck.

The other day I went for a spin and upon entering the car I had a hold of the wheel and pulled on it a bit to adjust my butt in the seat and felt a funny movement, in the steering wheel, not my seat. The wheel now has a back and forth wiggle where the rim meets the spoke, one side only for now. It feels broken at that point. Is it possible to repair or will it need replacing? I have a welder but realize the plastic will have to be removed and then replaced. Does anyone have an old wheel in decent shape I can buy? What are my options for a good looking after-market replacement? My interior already has some minor mods. Thanks for your help.

Would that be the reason my Avanti has Quiet Tone exhaust listed as an option? It was originally destined for Gilroy, California delivery.

One of my girls found this map at a flea market and got it for me for my birthday... This was before I had my full-sized Avanti.

I believe my Ford van had king pins but it was a '79... As per studegary.

Turkey baster... cut the end off the baster to a point where it fits over the pushrod, draw the lifter up a bit (1/4" or so) squeeze the bulb and off pops the lifter.

I have a Dave T pump on my R2. I spent a lot of time and money trying to get a correct rebuild kit only to box up the old pump/kits and get one fully configured and ready to go from Dave. It has been working like a charm for years now.