Yenko Steering Wheel

[Dean P.]

Guys, these wheels have a thicker rim than the run-of-the-mill Vette/Camaro/Chevelle/GS wheels. They also only came in black. They do not have the metal strip around the outside of the rim.

[camarojoe]

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I have that Buick wheel pictured above but in Red...anybody interested?

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If you have one in red someone painted it. Dean is absolutely correct in saying the 70 GSX/Yenko wheel was never made in anything but black, period. You probably have the smaller rimmed version with the metal band around the outside perimiter, which were available in a plethora of colors, including several shades of red. The above "fat grip" wheel was indeed a Yenko option, and was shown in the 1971 "Stinger Stuff" catalog. The only factory usage was the 1970 Buick GSX. They are not the same as the ones used in Corvette and other Buicks. They have no "finger grips" on the backside, and no metal band around the outside, and the padded rim itself is much thicker. You'll also notice the faux "double stitch" around the inside of the rim in the above photo... the thinner Corvette/Buick versions didn't have this detail either. Probably one of the rarest GM wheels ever made, as I think GSX production in 70 was well under 500, plus whatever over the counter ones were produced. I think Yenko originally indented for these to be "standard" ont he Deuces, but didn't get enough to use them in all of them, so he made it an extra cost option, and sold them for years out of the parts dept. I've even heard of him giving them out to Yenko Supercar owners who stopped in for a visit with their cars.
I love these, and put an NOS GM one in my own car, plus have a few spares. I've also sold a couple... Haven't seen one for sale in a long time.

There was a great thread about these a few years back...

[Rixls6]

I had a Buick sport steering wheel a while back that is different than the regular Vette wheel and has a depression running around the inside.

[Kurt S]

http://www.camaros.org/swheel.shtml has a lot of relevant info on the different versions.

[dl7265]

Thank you Joe for the reply and information. So according to that article they were available on the 1970 Yenko "Deuce" Nova? What about Camaro ? Are they accepted far as Concours judging? I'm not familiar with these cars is why I'm asking.

An acquaintance sold a NOS ones a year or 2 ago for $1500, are they still valuable to the Yenko folks ?

Whats up Dean?

DL

[camarojoe]

Well, since the wheel wasn't available until 70 they weren't used on Yenko Camaros in 69, however several owners of these cars were given these steering wheels by Don at a later date and I know of several '69 Yenko Camaros with such wheels installed. Yenko actually listed the wheel as an option right on the sYc window stickers for the Deuces. NOS ones are very scarce, and I've only ever seen a few. The one shown in the link KurtS posted is actually an NOS one of mine, alongside an NOS Chevelle/Buick style wheel for comparison. You can clearly see the differences.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

My general rule is if I see finger grooves - I keep walking! Joe nailed the details on this special wheel though, also, they are actually very nice to drive with - they are indeed a 'comfort grip wheel'.

[bkhpah]

I agree, plus the smaller diameter makes long legged drivers have a bit more room..BKH

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

One thing to watch, the grain tends to wear off and the grip will have 'smooth' areas. No reason to kick one to the curb, but that can reduce the value sometimes. I might put one on my '69 too, since another deuce owner really needs the '70 stock version wheel that I have in there at the moment.... They are/were available in repro from a local PA GSX guy/judge - lived somewhere down by the Philly airport.

[dl7265]

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One thing to watch, the grain tends to wear off and the grip will have 'smooth' areas. No reason to kick one to the curb, but that can reduce the value sometimes. I might put one on my '69 too, since another deuce owner really needs the '70 stock version wheel that I have in there at the moment.... They are/were available in repro from a local PA GSX guy/judge - lived somewhere down by the Philly airport.

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Duane Heckman , Classiccarinteriors.com They are very nice.

DL