You ever see a Square Steering Wheel?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike Phillips
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Mike Phillips

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You ever see a Square Steering Wheel?


My friend and forum member Jay aka JohnHenry brought up a 1955 Chrysler 300 that belongs to a client of his for the TV show, I suggested the owner submit a picture of the car and his "car story" to [email protected]


Reminded me that my best friend in High School bought a 1963 Chrysler 300 that had a Square Steering Wheel. Here's some pictures... of course it's not a hard cornered square but you get the idea...

squaresteeringwheel1.jpg


squaresteeringwheel2.jpg


squaresteeringwheel3.jpg


From
Musclecarclub.com - Chrysler 300 - History


1963 Chrysler 300 J

chrysler-300-1963a.jpg



Comments:
Chrysler simplified its lineup for the new 300 J (there was no 300 I - perhaps they felt the "I" would be confused with "1"). The convertible version was dropped, as well as the "short" ram Wedge V8. The only engine offered was the 413 cid Wedge head V8 with "long" rams which was now rated at 390 bhp.

The 300 J was available in five colors: Formal Black, Alabaster, Madison Grey, Oyster White, and Claret.

Two pinstripes (in a contrasting color) ran the length of the body and 300 J medallions were placed on the C-pillar and the rear deck.

The interior featured a controversial square steering wheel that many drivers found uncomfortable, but the excellent design of the front seats (finished in claret red leather) as well as quality interior appointments made up some of that.

The exterior even featured unique windshield wiper blades with airfoils designed to press the blade against the windshield at high speeds, important because the 300 J could reach 142 mph.


Production:
Coupes: 400
Engines: 413 V8 Wedge "long" ram 390 bhp @ 4800 rpm, 485 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm.
Performance: 413/390: 0-60 in 8.0 seconds, 1/4 mile in 15.8 seconds @ 89 mph.
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:xyxthumbs:
 
I've never actually seen one in an older car. I do have a buddy who ended up bending his steering wheel in his Dodge Magnum to be square like that. Don't ask me why he did it, but he did.
 
Good looking intr, The detail in older models are so cool. Check out that Speedo!
 
Rhudeboye said:
Good looking intr, The detail in older models are so cool. Check out that Speedo!
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I agree.

Whenever I take pictures of cars at car shows I will usually try to take a picture of the car and the dash because the dashes of old cars were usually very stylish.

The coolest dash ever made is what's sometimes referred to as the Buck Rodgers Dash, which was also offered in Chrysler 300F cars... the gauges were housed in a Bubble or Dome with electro-luminescent lighting.

Very cool...
Story here...

Mopar-Dash-04.jpg


300Fdash.jpg



You really have to see one in person to appreciate the layout and design...
:xyxthumbs:
 
Very cool. Looking back at the craftsmanship from that era. Its sad to see where our auto industry is now:cry:

Aston is now one of my favorites in intr design.
 
I imagine looking at the picture that the wheel was shaped like that for good visibility of the gages. A little trick that would be useful today.

PS Smiley face...I think it looks a little like a cartoon duck if you squint the right way...
 
Yes, my brother bought a new '57 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser that had a square steering wheel like that. People would ask how bad it was wrecked to have the wheel bent that bad. It had a ribbon type speedometer, and the back windscreen would retract. What a car! My brother sold it to a county sheriff who used it as as his personal squad car. After he bought it, he told my brother that was only car in his county that he could never catch.
 
Yup - actually drove one once.

Side bar: back in the '60s I saw a car that didn't have a conventional steering wheel. Instead it had two "holes" or "saddles" spaced about 15" apart where the driver inserted their wrists and twisted the wrist to turn the car. Each wrist hole also had a finger hole so one could turn the car with one finger.

Anyone remember what concept car had that system? Was it one of the Chrysler turbine models? (I actually watched one of the turbine cars drive down my street in Toledo - I think it was summer of 1969 - I did a triple take!)

Regards,
GEWB
 
Hahaha awesome! That steering wheel reminds me of Donald Duck for some reason?

Donald+Duck+Cartoon.jpg


squaresteeringwheel2.jpg
 
My dad worked in Dearborn for Ford in the late 60's and early 70's. All of my parent's friends worked for the automobile companies or suppliers.

These pictures bring memories flooding back. Very cool Mike!
 
Geeze Mike, you keep posting these 'older' cars and they bring back so many memories to this old guy. Guess that's one way to keep 'CRS' at bay...LOL

Thanx

Bill
 
Kurt_s said:
My dad worked in Dearborn for Ford in the late 60's and early 70's. All of my parent's friends worked for the automobile companies or suppliers.

These pictures bring memories flooding back. Very cool Mike!
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BillE said:
Geeze Mike, you keep posting these 'older' cars and they bring back so many memories to this old guy. Guess that's one way to keep 'CRS' at bay...LOL

Thanx

Bill
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The classics just have so much more character... plus they are a lot more fun to buff out...

The good news is that as time goes by, modern cars will become classics, so we're here to help everyone keep their new car looking great to preserve them into the future...

:xyxthumbs:
 
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