Elite Steering Wheel Options

Body parts, seats, dash, headlining, windows and stuff!

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Lotus-e-Clan
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Lotus-e-Clan wrote:
theelanman wrote:I thought like this....sort of.....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/233144151185?u ... noapp=true
Nice wheel (in itself).

AFAICR, the Elite column is non-adjustable. It would annoy the hell out of me if a replacement wheel obscured the instruments or warning lights in any way.

Smaller diameter steering wheels, and/or those without flat / horizontal boss arms are likely to obscure something. Personally I couldn't live with that. You could of course re-arrange the instruments and warning lights to suit a new wheel.

I'd rather refurbish the original 70's wheel and think about getting 'tastefully creative' with the centre pad -as suggested earlier by 'pompey ice'. For example I could see a stitched/ribbed leather covered pad with widely-spaced L O T U S letters across the centre. I'd make a new one from scratch and keep the original as a back-up.
I'd try different approaches on paper first - all black, all cream, black and cream. I'd try different fonts too - guided mostly by those popular in the seventies and those used by Lotus, and different finishes - chrome -black -stainless - aluminium etc.

When you look at the car from the outside it's clearly seventies. Anyone looking inside will expect to see clear seventies design cues too - otherwise it would 'jar' and possibly lose respect from those looking to admire and absorb the vibe.

It's not my car -but you did invite suggestions/opinions - hope you don't mind too much my preference to keep it seventies! :lol:
Just had another idea ..... You have recovered the dash in cream leather so I see why you are thinking about wood as a nice contrast.

So you could get the original wheel rim recovered in cream leather and make a high-gloss /burr walnut centre 'pad' It would be easy to shape wood in the image of the original pad given today's wood working tools (routers etc).

I'll get my coat. :wink:
Peter K

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theelanman
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by theelanman »

They do dipping........
Where you float a transfer on water and then put the item to be covered through the wrap stuff to coat it.........
I think that'd works for the centre panel in wood effect......
And yes I'd thought about re trimming the wheel itsself

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don.hasi
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by don.hasi »

Pete Boole wrote:I love the instrument panel in your car Don - did you do it yourself? The chrome bezels look great.

Pete
Thank you :)

It is a MY85 dash with some new instruments and some converted in chrome by myself. Of course it is not ready, but time is very limited...

In opposite to what Peter guessed (which of course would make sense) the original design of early Excels and late Eclats offers a ruined view to the instruments. The stock and this optional steering wheel and the boss (!) covers the most important instrument on ours. And even a rearrangement didn't work. It really is a mess if you are taller than 1,50m...

I just read yesterday the excellent article of Ollie Winterbottoms review of his Tasmin where he states how proud he is, that everything can be viewed. The original layout on the Elite which he did, was different. I appreciate the more modern signalbars (the lights for turn signal etc.) which Look even today very cool. But the clock layout is beyond any ergonomic touch. I don't know if he is responsible for this again. Someone please should ask him.
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TrevorK
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by TrevorK »

I believe that Lotus chose a Giugiaro designed interior over Ollie Winterbottom's submission so it wouldn't be Mr. Winterbottom's fault.
What car is that?

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Lotus-e-Clan
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

TrevorK wrote:I believe that Lotus chose a Giugiaro designed interior over Ollie Winterbottom's submission so it wouldn't be Mr. Winterbottom's fault.
Image

If you look at the original wheel you can see that the centre bar is actually 'off-centre' allowing the dash to be seen clearly.

I can't recall an issue seeing the dash through the original wheel on my 76 Elite (don't have it any longer mind). It might help that I'm same height as Chapman - pretty sure he would have 'gone off on one' if he couldn't see the instruments! :wink:

Maybe Don is describing later, post-Chapman, Eclat's with non-original wheels?

Mind you, this early Eclat/Excel interior with a Personal steering wheel looks like the dash would be ok to view too - given the drooped steering bars? It would look a lot better with the Elite wheel to my eye though -given the straight origami lines of the dash -the curvy wheel bars look out of place.

Image
Peter K

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Lotus-e-Clan
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

TrevorK wrote:I believe that Lotus chose a Giugiaro designed interior over Ollie Winterbottom's submission so it wouldn't be Mr. Winterbottom's fault.
Lotus-e-Clan wrote: Image

If you look at the original Giugiaro wheel you can see that the centre bar is actually 'off-centre' allowing the dash to be seen clearly.

I can't recall an issue seeing the dash through the original wheel on my 76 Elite (don't have it any longer mind).
It might help that I'm same height as Chapman - pretty sure he would have 'gone off on one' if he couldn't see the instruments! :wink:

Maybe Don is describing later, post-Chapman, Eclat's with non-original wheels?


Mind you, this early 84 Eclat/Excel interior with a Personal steering wheel looks like the dash would be ok to view too - given the drooped steering bars?
It would look a lot better with the 70's Elite wheel to my eye though -given the straight origami lines of the dash carried over into 1984 -the curvy wheel bars look out of place, for me at least.

Image
.

Hold -on - this must be the dash that Don is referring to? 1985 Excel with a hybrid transitional dash?

This later Excel wheel and hybrid curved instrument panel doesn't quite look right.
Instrument visibility must be pretty bad with this combo?

Image

.

Need an adjustable column for that steering wheel to work with the dash - as in the 89SE below (mine pictured).

Image
Last edited by Lotus-e-Clan on Tue Feb 25, 2020 00:38, edited 1 time in total.
Peter K

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don.hasi
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by don.hasi »

Oh yes, Signore Giugiaro... :roll: this is the first one on Peter's post and it seems to have worked fine. The second is the one I am referring to with the bad view on the vital instruments with both steering wheels (I have both) and the third one, is the one I have now. The symmetric design flow of the cabin is ruined but it is functional and works with the oem steering wheels.
ImageImageImageImageImage

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don.hasi
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Optionse

Post by don.hasi »

This is the original view of a later Elite/Eclat and early Excel. If you don't get out of the seat, you won't notice your car is cooking. :evil:

Image

Notice the axle of the steering hub and you know, if you don't drive with a Citroen steering wheel, you are lost
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Lotus-e-Clan
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Great post Don! Shows the issue clearly. 8)

The pictorial evidence strengthens in favour of the original dropped-centre Giugiaro wheel for non-adjustable columns in Elites/Eclats (if you don't want to re-arrange the dials). :wink:
Peter K

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theelanman
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by theelanman »

I have looked and looked for another option for Elite Steering wheels

Basically there seem to be non......personally I think the available replacements look too modern

I love the original 2 spoke (Im only doing this as mine is knackered and now doesn't fit with my bright shiny new interior)

to this end..........Ive done a design....and am going to find out how much it is to get made

Ive stuck with the 2 spoke theme......but tried to soften the big 'block' infront of you...and add a bit of the old in, by using typical drilled spokes

anyway...........at the moment I'm at 'design' stage

thoughts and ideas are much appreciated.......and I have thick skin so please let me know what you think....

cheers

G

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Pete Boole
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by Pete Boole »

What diameter are you thinking of? Are you leaving the dash as it is, or trying to get the gauges more visible? Looks like a nice project. Looking forward to seeing your car.

Pete

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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by theelanman »

Keeping everything as it was......
Same dash and steering wheel diameter ......

:D

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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by richardw »

Looks good Gareth! The only problem with your drawing is that in real life the instruments are offset to the left by about 1". This has always bugged me!

The issue is that there are too many instruments to see through the wheel - not to mention fitting warning lamps in. My plan, when I get around to it (probably never,) would be to relocate the fuel and volt gauges to the centre panel - forming a row of three instruments with a central clock. The switches would be repositioned in a row above the heater controls. In the instrument panel itself, I'd have the temp and oil pressure gauges mounted centrally (relative to the steeering column) in the upper half of the panel, flanked by the speedo and rev counter. Below the oil/temp gauges I'd mount a row of the more important warning lamps, with the remainder mounted on the left hand side of the panel in the space vacated by the centralisation of the instruments.

Cheers, Richard
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theelanman
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by theelanman »

Anyone got the steering wheel dimension for the horizontal cross member........and the offset for the steering boss/column.....

I think there are 2 fixing holes to each end too.......dims to those would be good.....

thanks 

G

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theelanman
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Re: Elite Steering Wheel Options

Post by theelanman »

anyone able to add the dimensions to these sketches?

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