Hello,
I have a 1985 300D.
What kinds of specs are required to have correct in order for one steering wheel to be installed in place of the w123 steering wheel?

Interested in having some fun and picking up a vintage wood wheel for it.

thanks!

There are some Momo wooden ones that fit, but you might have to refer to their catalog.


I bought a used one that fits on the W123 column for an 83

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Thanks. But isn't there some kind of measuring / sizing for the connections? Or is it just a wild world of attachment designs and concepts.
Is it even realistic to look for a used (80's) third party steering wheel at all and be hopeful that it will hook up?

You just need the correct hub for your application that mates to the steering wheel of your choice. The horn contacts are on the back. There are two common bolt diameters for aftermarket wheels, 70 and 74mm. Many hubs have both.

__________________
Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil

MB's of that vintage usually have a splined end of the steering shaft that measures 22mm in diameter. That installation used a 27mm hex nut. Later MB's have a 15mm splined shaft and use a flat head bolt which requires a 10mm Allen tool to remove.

Most of the aftermarket steering wheels bolt to an adapter/stand-off that itself is bolted to the steering shaft. There are different height adapters there are also different diameter wheels. You'd probably want a wheel of a similar diameter to the original if only because the sight line to the instrument cluster will be altered with a different diameter wheel. For instance you might find your turn signal indicators obscured by a non-standard dis wheel.

Lots of Nardi wheels on eBay.

How about Momo steering wheels of the same vintage? Found a mid 80’s one I’m keen on. Hard to get info from sellers sometimes.. but what segments could I ask them to measure? And would adapters be pretty easy to source no matter what measurement I get from them?
Honestly the OEM steering wheel diameter doesn’t sit well with my line of sight of instrument cluster, so I’m open to changing it this way or that!

Most adapters put a flat steering wheel right about where the factory wheel sits front-back. You can get either spacers or deep dish wheels if you want it to be closer.

Momo makes a hub for your car. They're around $100-150.

__________________
Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil

And I assume this is just too dangerously cheap? ... 15$ adapter but appears like the Momo brand ones ...
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F282397758956

I wouldn't trust it.

__________________
Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil

Found one that seems promising... https://jhpusa.com/products/momo-steering-wheel-hub-mercedes
There are many to be had for W123's up through 1983, but very hard to find for 1985 for some reason. What's the reason? Seems like 1970's-1983 had something different from 84/85 in this regard.

Either way.. Just so i understand.. is the point of these adapters to bring the car's steering column mount surface into a kind of universal standard that many aftermarket steering wheels will work with? Or am i to be looking for just one specific wheel type itself that this adapter is catering to?

The late W123 has the same mounting as a W201/124/126.

The link you posted is for a genuine Momo hub. It has the 70mm bolt circle for Momo steering wheels and will fit Momo horn buttons.

Fitment is for: Compatible with 1980+ Mercedes Benz (W123, W124, W126, ,W129, W140, W201)

__________________
Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil

https://www.ebay.com/itm/253725799129?ul_noapp=true
Here's what appears to be a Nardi knock off. Looks great to me.
70mm.. so i guess would it work with the Momo adapter just discussed.
And i assume it's safe to say that the Momo adapter will in fact bolt up to the W123 steering column?
So perhaps those two pieces are a matchup for this project. Not too bad of a budget either.
Now it would just be a matter of finding Mercedes logo cap for the wheel's center!

One thing to be aware of is that MB requires a dual contact horn button. The one included with that wheel may or may not be compatible. I'd also ask for a pic without the horn button installed. And while you're at it ask for the diameter of the horn button hole too. You can get a Momo horn button with Merc star, which is what I would go for if I got that wheel.

__________________
Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil

I wrote the site about the Momo adapter linked above..
“I see that this is notated to be for 1980+ W123 vehicles. However, i want to confirm that this will work with my 1985 W123. Will it? I have seen many other steering wheel adapters that only work for vehicles up to 1983, so won't work with 1985. Is there something different about this one that ensures it works for up through 1985? Thanks!”

They promptly wrote back!..

“I'm sorry I'm not able to confirm the fitment of this Momo Hub on your 85+ W123. We do not have the vehicle to test fit the hub. If you do find more information please so share with us so we can update the description.

Best”



Hmmm so where am I at? What’s my approach here? Start taking apart and measuring stuff?

Take off the horn pad and if you see a 10mm allen socket screw then you have same spline as W201/124/126 etc.

If you see a hex nut then you have earlier style spline.

__________________
Watch him go!!! link

#dontdealwithkahlil