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| | | | Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 12 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 12 | Restoring a '57 3200 and trying to keep it totally stock throughout. When I bought it, it had a '56 (flat, not dished) steering wheel, not the dished one shown in '57 literature. Trying to figure out if any early '57s were made with leftover '56 steering wheels, or if someone changed it. It looked like it was all untouched when I took it apart, best I can tell. I actually like the '56 wheel better, so if it is original to the truck I'm going to keep it, but trying to be a purist and keep it stock. Anyone have any wisdom to offer on this? Thanks.
The very best nugget of wisdom anyone could ever offer you in dealing with your wife: You can be happy, OR, you can be right.
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 693 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 693 | Whether you have flat or dished depends on whether you have the shorter or longer steering shaft. The dish distance was taken out of the length - 55.2 and 56 have longer shafts. Otherwise everything interchanges. I think you'd end up with the wheel in your chest if you used the longer shaft with the dished wheel... The opposite is also true - a flat wheel on the shorter shaft will give more room for a larger guy, so a 56 wheel in a 57 might be the reason you found what you did... | | | | | Joined: May 2005 Posts: 8,983 Sir Searchalot | | Sir Searchalot Joined: May 2005 Posts: 8,983 | Don't think the leftover thing is viable.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,214 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,214 | If I remember correctly, when a flat wheel is put on a short shaft your fingers will hit the top of the dash when you turn the wheel...it's real close. The turn signal bell and lever are also different between flat and dished wheels. Mike B  | | | | | Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 247 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 247 | To the best of my knowledge all 57 -59's had a dished wheel.
Possibly the whole steering shaft has been changed after an accident or a repair of some kind.
Jim | | | | | Joined: Apr 2016 Posts: 1,045 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Apr 2016 Posts: 1,045 | I'm putting a dished wheel on my 53 so I can have the turn signal mech. I had to shorten my column 4".
Old enough to know better, too young to resist.
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,098 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,098 | The shift lever also has a slightly different angle on the 57-59 vs the 55-56.
Fred
1956 3100 Pickup/Red/350/3sp OD/PS/Disc Brakes
1957 Bel Air Sport Coupe/Red/355/TH350/PS/Disc Brakes
2017 Silverado LT Single Cab SB/Black/5.3/6 Speed Trans
1947 Willys CJ2A w/F-Head engine
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,214 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,214 | I'm putting a dished wheel on my 53 so I can have the turn signal mech. I had to shorten my column 4". You could have used the 55/56 turn signal assembly as it was made for the flat wheel... Mike B | | |
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