Steering Wheels

Fiero Steering Wheels

by Tom Derr

(This article is reprinted from the October 1998 Issue ofMid Atlantic Pride.)

A quick tour through the RPO codebooks will provide fivedifferent steering wheels (N36,N46,NK3,NK4,NP5) listed for the Fieros. Thetable shown provides a brief description, colors available, and years ofproduction information. The pictures should bring all into focus as to whichsteering wheel is which.

The N36 is described as "rally, four-spokevinyl"; I like to call it the "wheel of broken ears." Youknow, it is the one with the grey oblong ears hanging on each side. Thiswheel offers some of Pontiac’s greatest engineering, at least until thefirst time you hit the horn in panic, then half the engineering is on thefloor. The ear sets are, however, easily replaced. They are listed in the"P" Parts Catalog as part #17989706 at $12.55. Availability may bemore of a problem. I have repaired numerous sets by salvaging an ear, orset, from boneyard donors. The left and right ears are interchangeable if you don’t mind one of the little horn graphics being upside down. Ofcourse you could paint over both if it bothered you that much. A word ofcaution, these buggers are like the ashtray lids, they break easily uponremoval. When I want an ear off a donor horn set, I sterilize my wirecutters and cut it out. Similarly on the set getting the transplant, Isurgically remove what is left of the ear mount taking extreme care not todamage neighboring tissue. I’ll put a light coat of grease on thereplacement ears and pop it in place on the horn assembly.

The N46 is really two slightly different wheels. On the‘84/’85 Fieros the four spokes were even all the way across the wheel.In the ‘86/’87 Fieros the outside ends were enlarged. Even thoughPontiac calls this the "deluxe" wheel, it is the bare-bones nakedbase wheel. Unlike the "ears" wheel it is extremely durable. Thesewheels have a tendency, however, to hold dirt. Any good vinyl cleaner willmake it look new. Don’t treat them with Armor-All or other vinyl dressingsunless you like the excitement of going around corners with a slippery gripsteering wheel.

The NK3 wheel is the sporty formula 3-spoke wheel invinyl. Like the "deluxe" wheel it is extremely durable. Itprovides a better grip and is more comfortable than the "deluxe"wheel because the rim is thicker and somewhat softer.

The NK4 wheel is not related to the NK3, but is theleatherized version of the N36 "ears" wheel. N37 might have been atoo logical code to use. This wheel has the same problems as the"ears" wheels, but is more comfortable and easy to grip - theleather makes the ring thicker and softer. The leather on this wheel cantake some heavy use. I’ve seen 80 to 100,000 mile veterans that are stillwrapped tight and holding their dye very well.

The NP5 wheel is the top-of-the-line, leatherized versionof the sporty NK3. In ‘84/’85 Fieros, the spokes are a little differentthan the ‘86/’87/’88 GT’s. The earlier wheel has a seam in themiddle of the spokes in the front, while in the later version, the seammoves to the back of the spokes, and a thumb notch is added. The leather onthese wheels loosens rather easily, and the dye wears through fairly quick.I’ve seen many 30 to 40,000 mile wheels looking like a barber’s poll ontop half of the wheel. If you loosen your grip and don’t use the wheel tosupport the full weight of your arms, the loosening of the leather can bedelayed significantly. Also using a quality leather dressing on a regularbasis helps extend the finish on these wheels. Sincethese are the most exclusive wheels, and also because they deteriorate the most,they are the most sought and hardest to find. When Pontiac still carriedthem, they sold for $299. A fellow named Chuck Gaines (541-388-5407) willre-wrap your leather for $150, or install new leather for $200. Highlyrecommended by the Corvette folks is Barb Pelton (248-681-4336), but herturnaround may be several months. On occasion, Mr. Mikes (800-924-8858) hasdone wheels for those purchasing his leather interior package, even thoughhe doesn’t advertise leather wheels.

Removal of the above steering wheels is done in the samefashion. Pop off the hub cover, I use a Popsicle stick so I don’t damagethe hub or hub cover. Disconnect the contact assembly by turning the blackplastic shaft about a quarter turn counterclockwise. Remove the nut retainerclip from the end of the steering shaft with needle nose pliers or a smallscrewdriver. Use a 21 mm, or 7/8 socket to remove the hex nut. And use asteering wheel puller with two three-and-a-half inch long 5/16" boltswith 18 pitch threads to pull the wheel. Be careful not to loose the horncontact assembly and spring as you remove the wheel from the column.Installation is the reverse. When replacing the wheel, be sure to align thecontact assembly access hole in the steering wheel with the contact assembly’splastic housing on the steering column. The nut is torqued to 30 footpounds.

Repairs are not complicated or time-consuming if you havethe intelligence of the average carrot. Other than replacing broken"ears", the next most common problem is poor electrical contact,usually caused by rust. Although I do remember cleaning one corrupted by asoda - a sticky affair for sure. Occasionally the spring will break and needreplaced. Generally, just a few passes with some sandpaper or a scratch-pad,and a good wiping with alcohol will restore proper electrical contact. Forthose vinyl wheels where the paint has worn through, a new coat may be inorder. This is a good time to use that hot pink color your wife has beenrequesting. Or you could use MarHyde’s "Walnut Brown", #2111(about $3.85 at PEP Brothers) which is a close match for the original brown.Actually it is a little darker than the ‘86-‘88 brown, and a littlelighter than the ‘84-‘85 brown. But it is real close to either, and itis not likely that anyone could perceive the difference. The differencewould, however, be perceptible if used on a portion of any of your panels orconsuls. So unless you have a real disaster to patch, I wouldn’t recommenddoing a partial patch job. In grey, Dupli-Color puts out a vinyl and fabricspray called "Charcoal Gray", #VS11. I found mine at Parts Americafor about $3.75 a can. The color is almost a dead match for the gray used onthe Fiero wheels, but is "flat" in appearance. I’ve been lookingfor an equally correct color that has more of a sheen to it. No success yet.

Crossover wheels can be found in most compact andmid-size GM wheels. They all mount the same. Be sure you get the contactassemblies as they usually differ. Some of the ‘80’s Pontiac wheels arealmost identical to the Fiero wheels. The only difference in most of thesewheels is the higher wheel hub (about 1-½ inches) assembly. Even the colorsmatch. You can, of course opt for a different color is so desired. In thebase four-spoke vinyl wheel like donor cars would be the ‘84-‘88 Pontiac1000, Pontiac 2000, Phoenix, Pontiac 6000, and the Sunbird. For the"ears" wheel, likely donors would be the ‘87-‘88 Sunbird,Grand Am, and Pontiac 6000. For the three-spoke wheels (leather or vinyl),the likely donors are "84-‘88 Pontiac 2000, Sunbird, Phoenix, Pontiac6000, and the Firebird. For the three-spoke wheels, the hub assemblies canactually be switched with the Fiero three-spoke wheels if you want to staywith the shorter Fiero hub. All that is involved is drilling out 4 aluminumrivets to remove the plastic trim ring, and then unscrewing the"T15" TORX screws and switching the hub mounts. The plastic trimring can be riveted back on, or screwed, or even glued if desired. Obviouslythe rivets do the best job. Make sure that the ring is installed in itsoriginal position or you won’t be able to align the horn button properly.Junkyard price for wheels is usually in the $25 to $50 range. A little morefor really nice ones or leather ones. If you have a "you-pull-it"type of junkyard nearby, the prices are usually in the $5 to $15 range ifyou can find one. And one last point, if you are going out in traffic, don’tforget to use your steering wheel.

Notes:

1. Colors stated are specific to the steering wheel, and should not be confused with the interior color theme.
2. For the NK3 and NP5 steering wheels, the horn button was black.
3. In ‘84 the brown was Medium Dark Camel Tan, in ‘85 it was Dark Camel
4. The steering wheel color for the Indy Pace Car was light slate gray, and only available as part of the Y82 Pace Car package, a $2895 option. The steering wheel was otherwise the NP5 wheel.
5. GT wheels had the Fiero GT emblem on the horn button.

Notes:

In ‘88 the steering wheel brown was called "Dark Camel" in the Merchandiser. In the 22P Parts Catalog, two browns were listed - "Medium Beechwood", and "Light Saddle".

GT Wheels had the Fiero GT emblem on the horn button.