Steering Wheel

[MAK]

The car has the original leather covered steering wheel, the outer layer of leather is peeling off, and while I know it could get recovered I just do not like the thin feel of the wheel and want to replace with a thicker, not overly, wooden wheel, have looked at Nardi, Momo, Grant ETC. 
Not looking to change the spoke configuration, or the size necessarily.  What is involved?
Current wheel has the black Lotus horn button is there 1 made in the yellow and green?

[BDA]

As far as I know, there isn't a green/yellow "horn button" which I don't think is a horn button on the TC. I would like a thicker wheel and a bit smaller too, but that would obstruct my view of my water temp gauge. That is obviously not everybody's problem but I thought I would mention it in case it might be something you haven't considered.

I haven't checked what's available but you seem to have checked most of the steering wheel manufacturers. Most of them have hubs that will fit on the steering column. I can't be specific but I think all that's involved is taking the steering wheel off and putting a new one on. The center of the "horn button" with the Lotus roundel pops off. It may require a sharp blade to get under it to pop it off. Under that is a nut (1 1/16" IIRC). Unscrew that while holding the wheel (no use stressing the steering wheel lock mechanism) and under that is a washer and the steel portion of the black plastic "trim" piece (the trim piece comes off as one piece). With that out of the way, you can pull the steering wheel off the steering column. It might require a bit of wiggling it but it should be fairly easy.

I can't help with putting a new wheel on but I wouldn't think it can be much more complicated than what's required to replace the original wheel.

[SwiftDB4]

RD sells a yellow/green horn button:
Ref. 28M0030R  $79.00
My 1967 S1 has a black one which is a bit mysterious as the word is black ones started in 1968 after Clark's death.

[4129R]

Take the leather off, add split tubing or hose (rubber or plastic)  to the required diameter, and then get a saddle-maker to stitch new leather around the increased diameter steering wheel.

Very cheap (£60ish) and avoids any fixing or horn problems.   

[BDA]

RD sells a yellow/green horn button:
Ref. 28M0030R  $79.00
My 1967 S1 has a black one which is a bit mysterious as the word is black ones started in 1968 after Clark's death.

Unless MAK has a strange TC, his "horn button" is on his turn signal stalk. I'm not sure if a real horn button would fit in a TC steering wheel. They imply that some early TCs had center horn buttons. It would be best to check with them first.

[MAK]

BDA
Horn is on the steering wheel, mine is a 72 Twin Cam, it's not a special, just looks like one.

[BDA]

Again, I learn something new! Thanks!

[Bryan Boyle]

The car has the original leather covered steering wheel, the outer layer of leather is peeling off, and while I know it could get recovered I just do not like the thin feel of the wheel and want to replace with a thicker, not overly, wooden wheel, have looked at Nardi, Momo, Grant ETC. 
Not looking to change the spoke configuration, or the size necessarily.  What is involved?
Current wheel has the black Lotus horn button is there 1 made in the yellow and green?

I've never seen that particular style of steering wheel; it looks like an mash-up of a later wheel (from the hub fitting) with an earlier style horn button glued to the center cap. 

(ALL earlier cars had a black/silver Lotus roundel horn button. It's only the nose badge, from what I learned talking to folks who were at the factory in the '68-70 timeframe, that the black was released at the same time that Clark met his demise at Hockenheim...check out some of the photos in early road tests...they are black/silver horn buttons, except for one yellow/black that was featured in a 47 that I saw)

There are three photos of stock parts below, the first is an S1/2/early TC steering wheel.  They didn't change the style in the Europa until post '72; early TCs carried over the fitment from the S2.  The second is a stock (missing the center plastic hub) TCS steering wheel from 3291R.  While it will fit the earlier stems in terms of splines, there is a different cancel mechanism (two pins in the back, same as the later Esprit/Eclat/Elite) and no provision for a horn.  The third is the center hub trim (which strangely enough, fits the replacement wheel that was in the car when I bought it; I noticed that the OEM hub and center cap, which I like better, fit the smaller (it's a 13 inch diameter vs stock 14 inch) wheel that I have in the car right now.

It seems to me that what you have, as I said, is a mash-up of unknown parentage; you can see the hole pattern of your example does not match either of the wheels that I know were installed in the TC; in fact, photos you can examine in the Brooklands reprint series bear out the use of the earlier S1/2 wheels in early TCs.

As to how to satisfy your desire for a beefier wheel...you can have yours re-covered with additional padding, or modify/bash together a frankenwheel from a known good hub with an aftermarket that meets your desire...or...

(Just a thought...you may want to shorten your shift lever someday...makes it easier to shift with your arm resting on the center pad than reaching up halfway to the roof...just a thought...lots have done it and it helps shorten the throw without seriously affecting the force needed to row through the gears...)

HTH

[MAK]

Thanks Bryan
"it looks like an mash-up of a later wheel (from the hub fitting) with an earlier style horn button glued to the center cap."  This absolutely could be true, since I have no history on the car. The horn button is extremely loose on the wheel, could probably just pluck it off with my fingers.
If it is not an original wheel - hooray, then there I won't feel bad about changing it out.

[Clifton]

I just do not like the thin feel of the wheel and want to replace with a thicker, not overly, wooden wheel, have looked at Nardi, Momo, Grant ETC. 
Not looking to change the spoke configuration, or the size necessarily.  What is involved?
Current wheel has the black Lotus horn button is there 1 made in the yellow and green?

The first aftermarket wheel I used was a Sparco L360, it's 330mm with a slight flat bottom making it a little easier to get out with. It didn't look ut of place. I'm now running a smaller 300mm Alpha brand wheel on the factory hub. It's thinner than the Sparco and doesn't feel nearly as nice, The Sparco is the best feeling wheel I've had in anything.

A Spitfire adapter is all that's needed. I used the factory horn button but I had to mutilate it some as the hole diameter is different.  I would just get an aftermarket button and save the stock one.

[Fotog]

My '72 TC operates with a center steering wheel horn button.  But the wheel isn't original.  I also have the original thin wheel, with the black central button (in stock).

[Bryan Boyle]

I just do not like the thin feel of the wheel and want to replace with a thicker, not overly, wooden wheel, have looked at Nardi, Momo, Grant ETC. 
Not looking to change the spoke configuration, or the size necessarily.  What is involved?
Current wheel has the black Lotus horn button is there 1 made in the yellow and green?

The first aftermarket wheel I used was a Sparco L360, it's 330mm with a slight flat bottom making it a little easier to get out with. It didn't look ut of place. I'm now running a smaller 300mm Alpha brand wheel on the factory hub. It's thinner than the Sparco and doesn't feel nearly as nice, The Sparco is the best feeling wheel I've had in anything.

A Spitfire adapter is all that's needed. I used the factory horn button but I had to mutilate it some as the hole diameter is different.  I would just get an aftermarket button and save the stock one.

Just to add to the confusion...first photo is what I have installed in 3291R right now.  Have no idea who was the manufacturer, but, it's a nice feel in the hand 13" diameter wheel that for whatever reason, accepts the OEM center trim cup and logo.

Second photo is a modified Grant wheel, mounted on an OEM hub that I rescued from a trashed original wheel; the photos of the conversion are available at:
http://www.lotuseuropa.us/0693r/photos/index.php/2009/03-21-09-Steering_Wheel and replaced the OEM wheel in 693R that I posted earlier (yeah, it's the last piece I have of my S2).

AFAIK, the current owner, somewhere in Indiana, is still driving with this in the car.  If you see 693R at a show in the Indianapolis area, you will know who did the resto.. 

You are only limited by your imagination and mechanical skills. (just as an aside...going to a smaller wheel, I've found, helps make the steering a tad less sensitive, since the arm from the rotation point is 1" less...means the effort is just a little higher, not to mention your knuckles aren't dragging on the windscreen if you hold the wheel at the top.  Just me observation, that's all.)

[MAK]

Here is picture of the steering from For Sale: 1974 Yellow Lotus Europa TCS 5 spd (Survivor) that's on the classified section, and picture of mine in the 72 Twin Cam, perhaps a prior owner "doctored" a later wheel to accept the horn, but they look almost the same to me.

[Fotog]

Maybe it has an additional layer of covering stitched on, but otherwise it looks like the original above.