I picked up a used steering wheel hub to fit a 72 914 I bought recently. After getting the hub, I realized it doesn’t look like I expected it to - it doesn’t have the protruding, necked down portion like stock 914 steering wheels do. The car is in storage so I can’t check it right now. In the pic below, the hub in question is on the left (back side shown). A Momo is on the right for comparison (which has the protruding, necked down portion. The spline and shaft diameter appear to be the same for both. What years should the one on top fit?

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All of the Porsche steering wheels have the same splines.

The adapter you have is for the later 914/4. It has the recess for the turn signal cancel cam.

You have an early /4 with the early column. The adapter will bolt on, but you won't be able to fit the turn signal cancel and horn contact ring.

Clay

Thanks. It's for a racecar actually, so the turn signal bit isn't important.

The thing I wonder more about it whether the necked down protruding part is important on a 914 column. For early 911s, the protruding portion has to be there to locate the steering shaft - otherwise the shaft flops around in the housing. I can't remember whether this matters on a 72-on 914 column.

I don't see how the flat hub will stand off from the 914/911 steerer enough but maybe I'm missing something. The "necked down portion" is basically an integrated spacer.

Yeah exactly. The guy I got the left one from says it came from a 914. I found a pic of what appears to be the same hub, also saying it's for a 914. I can tell you it doesn't fit an early 911 - it doesn't seat all the way because it can't protrude into the steering shaft housing.

The same guy who says, "ran when parked", LOL.

You really do need the "knecked down" portion of the steering wheel. It is the inner race for the upper steering column bearing.

Good luck.

Yeah I wondered - is that true for both early and late 914 steering columns?

Yes. Early and late are very similar. Early is 90 degrees like early 911 and later has a chamfer but still similar spacing.

I found a thread that shows some pics of a 914 steering column. It looks like the splined portion of the steering shaft (where the steering wheel hub attaches) protrudes clear of the housing? If that's true, then the steering wheel hub wouldn't need to protrude into the housing like on an early 911 to help locate the shaft in the housing.

Am I looking at it wrong?

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=182321

That is a late /4 column. The early /4 is different and requires the bearing surface, as does the /6 column.

The way to tell is if the windshield wiper switch is on the dash, it is an early column. If it is on the right side of the steering column, it is a late column.

Thanks. It's a racecar, so it doesn't have any of that wiper stuff, LOL. But it's a '72, which I believe would have the late column.

Yes. If it's a '72 or later column, It will have the VW shaped chamfer on the steerer shaft instead of a 90 degree angle like a Porsche column.