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Custom 1940 Ford-Style Billet Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom

Jason Mulligan . February 17, 2026 . Blood Sweat and Gears . JASON MULLIGAN
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Crafting a One-off Steering Wheel with Colorado Custom

When it came time to choose a steering wheel for our project Brass Tacks ’76 K5 Blazer we knew we wanted something trick, clean and classic. We headed over to Colorado Custom in Anaheim, California, to discuss our ideas and see what we could come up with. Colorado Custom offers dozens of trick billet steering wheels along with its lineup of wheels for autos, trucks and motorcycles. Because this is a full custom project, we wanted something unique, so we decided that a one-off custom wheel would be the way to go. Newer trucks come equipped with airbag steering wheels that ideally should be kept intact for safety and legal reasons, several companies offer upgrades that retain the factory airbag. Be careful when removing a steering wheel equipped with an airbag; make sure the battery on the truck is disconnected and there is no voltage going to the wires.

The 1940 Ford steering wheel has long been a favorite of hot rod enthusiasts thanks to its clean, uncluttered two-bar design. But we couldn’t find one offered in the same style of wheel and in a billet version, so this was our chance to recreate the classic design with our own special tweaks. The design and engineering team at Colorado Custom took our idea and created a wheel that replicates the look but features larger bars for better strength and a simplified ball mill line design that helps tie in the Segundo wheels and fins on the PML valve covers. In keeping with this classic style, we chose to go with a custom horn button too so that the hub and horn bezel would appear to be one solid piece.

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After the steering wheel left the CNC machine it was polished and the half grip was wrapped in Adobe Ultra Leather to match the rest of the inte- rior. We opted for the larger 16-inch billet wheel as opposed to the 14-inch standard because this is a larger, open top truck. Then the wheel was carefully installed onto the Flaming River paintable tilt steering column. ST

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Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom
[01] Here is a 1940 Ford-style steering wheel; the wheel is much too large for modern vehicles (and unnecessary with power steering). This is the basis for the design of the new one-off wheel from Colorado Custom.
[02] The wheel idea is turned into a 3D model that can be tweaked and programmed for the CNC machines. As you can see, the bars have been enlarged for strength and the milled lines.
[03] The wheel starts off as a blank 16-inch aluminum forging. The center has been milled out and drilled to accept the hub.
[04] The forging is mounted in the CNC machine where the programmed design runs and begins to cut the rough shape of the wheel design.
Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom
[04a]
Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom
[05] Once the rough shape has been cut, the bars are rounded to finish the design.
Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom
[05a]
Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom
[06] Here you can see the three-dimensional quality to the rounded and flared bars.
Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom
[07] The milled lines are the next step in the process. The lines will tie into the finned valve covers and keep some of the retro style of the 1940 steering wheel intact.
Steering Wheel by Colorado Custom
[08] Here is the finished cut of the steering wheel. It will be sanded and polished to a smooth, mirror-like finish inside and out.
[08a]
[09] Next on the CNC is the horn button. Rather than using a traditional flat horn button and bezel, we wanted a little more dimension. A taller horn button bezel is rounded off in order to meet up perfectly to the wheel and create a domed connection to the hub.
[09a]
[09b]
[10] Here you can see the final polished finish on the steering wheel and the domed horn button bezel complete with Colorado Custom horn button.
[10a]

SOURCE

COLORADO CUSTOM
714.441.2498
Coloradocustom.com

 

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