well hare ya go...on a scale of difficulty I giv er a 10 and maybe 2 more two more.....In the end Im very pleased..the feel of the wood..( a bit narrower than factory) is very comfortable..the custom hub cover finishes it out nicely I think..all aluminum as well..one more job done..a few more to go...
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pyro

 

Goes well with your Orange Paint.

No more air bag.

 

I read on another forum that it is illegal to eliminate the air bag on a car. Not sure of the rules in Canada, but they said yes in the US.

Nice work, however.

 

Looking good.( and better pics too )

 

its a glitch in the law really..you can do what you want but in the event of resale,I have to replace it all or sell it with a scrap title..same rule applies to any show car..tv car..etc..
As for the other bags,pass side and side bags,after I fab up a mount for the drivers bag,everything will still function as factory minus the drivers bag
Atleast that way the passenger wont be effected

 

Any how too info on this install? I have a blown out airbag and I am looking to replace the wheel with an after market. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

It is a doable job but with a few resrtictions if you dont mind them like in my case...I also have a fix for these issues may they come into play...
first..find a cool wheel!!!...next look at the back of the wheel..it will be either a 5 hole or a 6 hole bolt pattern in the back...for this application I used a 5 hole but no big deal to go with a 6...Grant Mnfg are a great place to get aftermarket wheels as the "hub" you will need to replace everything, matches up great with any 5 hole pattern..the newer 6 hole style wheels are more the import kinda thing...momo makes a universal for that...but thats the easy part...now..take your old HHR steering wheel minus the bag..in the center of the wheel you will see a spline looking hub..it has what is called a "master" in the spline design..this will have to eventually end up part of your new wheel..I warn you..this is cheap cast and if your gunna press it out(kinda have to)it will explode..we cut into the edge with a blade to release some pressure but still it shattered the rest of the wheel..please wear proper safety gear..(we dont need to loose an eye)take that little spline hub..take your new adapter too to a local machine shop(make sure u get a good old guy or sumthin...sumbody whos got experince..this is like surgery...have the center of the new hub you just bought(please ensure it fits the new steering wheel first)and have that drilled out to size tight enough for a press fit...take the old spline..press it into the newly honed out hub...a bit of commercial adhesive or even a small tack weld(aluminum) on the newly installed piece I recommend to ensure safety..
now go back to the car..the old clamshell will probably be useless with a new wheel...depending on the wheel hub..in my case we needed to make a spacer to get the wheel out far enough to clear the controll sticks..if so cut a solid piece of aluminum...mark out the bolt pattern of the hub and drill..its only 3 holes no big deal..1 big one for the stud in the middle and 2 on each side..you will most likely have to replace the hardware for longer studs when reassembling thw wheel...
now the real issues....the turn sig return is now gone..ull have to mcgyver sumthin
yout airbag warning is now lit on display.....this triggers the computer into failure and takes away your auto starter...
no more cruise contoll nor display buttons for info....
all other airbags are now in failure mode and will not deply in case of emergency.....
now heres the fix for that...still thinkn of doin this???ok keep reading...lol
construct a small cage that fits under the dash..the bag fits in ur hand..its not big atall...plug the darn thing back in and all these smaller issues will go away...as far as your cruise and info button go..you can get creative and mount the buttons anywhere you really like..just have to extend the harnesses..go the the wreckers and grab one of and aol wheel that way you can make and "extension cord" for the buttons...
with the main bag plugged in now all the other bags will deploy and hopefully dont hurt your shins if it ever goes off..any other questions give me a shout..lots of pics in the gallery of the wheel hub itself..thats the hard part..

 

oh and forgot to mention..(officer will like me for this)..to keep this legal..check your state law but this is how it goes for us...it is illeagal to resell any vehicle without the airbag..in that event all must be returned to factory specs...if not sell on scrap title

 

Something to look into.....I thought I saw a replacement hub for the C6 vette for an aftermarket wheel. I believe it's intended for racing applications, but it may work.