Aftermarket Steering Wheel

The original steering wheel on the USDM 1985 Toyota Corolla GTS is non-sporty.  It is thin, flimsy feeling, and feels commuter.  An easy mod is installing an aftermarket steering wheel.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the OEM steering wheel.  You can google it though.

The things that I used to do the swap were:  steering wheel, wheel adapter, and wheel spacer.  In addition, I had to use an allen wrench (included with the spacer that I bought), a 19mm socket, various extensions, and a ratchet (or breaker bar).

I initially installed this wheel without a wheel spacer and it was way too close to the turn signal.  

To remove the wheel I had to remove the horn cover (you can see it partially remove in the above picture).  The OEM wheel also has a horn cover that you have to remove as well.  Under the cover is the horn.  I had to remove that as well.  (I don't remember for sure, but I don't think there is a separate horn on the OEM wheel.  I think its built into the horn cover.)

--Sorry I forgot to take pics of this part.
The wheel is held onto the steering rack with a 19mm nut.  I used a breaker bar with one hand and I used my other hand to hold the wheel to remove the nut.  The proper procedure to remove the wheel is to use a steering wheel puller.  I don't have one so I just jiggled the wheel free.

These are the parts I used to make the swap.

Left is the wheel, center is the spacer, right is the adapter.

The adapter you use is specific to the wheel you use. Make sure you check before buying.  I know Grant Steering Wheels are different from Personal/Nardi Wheel adapters.

I'm not 100% sure if all spacers are the same, but I noticed the one I bought had castings on one side of the spacer.  I placed that side up (facing the wheel) when putting it together.

My wheel's horn had a metal ring that is placed in the adapter or spacer to tighten up the fit.  You can see it protruding in this picture.  

The wire sticking out of the adapter/spacer is the horn wire.

This is a picture showing the inside of the wheel adapter and the wire for the horn.  On the back of the horn button is a male adapter for that wire.  It is a pretty straightforward installation.

This is the wheel all put together.  You use allen bolts to connect the wheel on top, spacer in the middle, and adapter at the bottom.  

This is the wheel installed.  Installation is the reverse of removing.  Some hints.  You will notice there are notches in the back of the wheel adapter that correspond to orientation that it is installed in the car.  There are two raised bumps in the area of the steering shaft and a plastic piece as well.  The plastic piece is associated with the turn signal.  If the wheel is installed wrong, the turn signal might not work properly or the wheel might not be aligned properly.  If that happens, just remove the wheel and reinstall.

The distance between the wheel and the turn signal is more comfortable now.  The driving position feels better as well.

I would recommend reading your installation or car's manual prior to installing your wheel.  Different cars might have different procedures.  Even different steering wheels will be different (ie:  OEM, Aftermarket, airbag wheels, etc).  

Enjoy your aftermarket steering wheel!

Homemade Pedialyte

I recently heard from a friend that a good way to rehydrate yourself is via Pedialyte. I bought a bottle at the store and liked the taste but the price was a little high for something that I wanted to add regularly to my diet.

I did some research and I found a really great site that had a couple of recipes for homemade pedialyte (http://www.ourlittlemonkeys.net/2010/01/26/homemade-pedialyte/).

I gathered the bits to make the solution.

Water, baking soda, sugar, salt, and flavoring.

I doubled up the recipe from http://www.ourlittlemonkeys.net.

I used 8 cups of water and added 1 Tsp Baking soda.

I then added 6 Tbsp Sugar.

Next I added 1 Tsp of Salt.

I mixed it and refrigerated it.

And here is the finished product!

I did read that drinking Pedialyte might be a little extreme and it should be done in moderation so I am trying to watch for any weird reactions. The taste isn't what I expected as the Pedialyte I bought in the store was more tasty. It could be the flavoring packet that I had used though.