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I had three great steering wheels I just sold, and recently put a bunch of gashes in my wheel. So I'm going back to wanting to figure this out, and seeing if anyone has anything to add on options.
(Feel free to correct anything I have wrong, this SHOULD be right)
The 99-02 steering wheel uses a single stage airbag (1 plug in the back). Which means when the airbag deploys it deploys at one speed. A 2 stage airbag / 2 plugs means the airbag deploys in two stages to reduce risk of injury.
(I THINK I HAVE THIS RIGHT), The Air bag module takes inputs from the crash sensors and it is sending whether or not to impact to the airbag. IS IT CORRECT, that all the two wires (per plug) are just power and ground and tell the airbag to deploy? If so, someone might be able to compare a single stage module to a dual stage module and see what it would take to swap them. It might have all the same sensors with all the same voltage requirements, and we might just be able to swap over to the newer module, and then run a two stage airbag in our 99-02 as long as the wheel will physically sit on the spline shaft.
Until someone does I was trying to figure out what options we have for our 99-02s. I found a youtube video where you can swap the 03-07 wheel onto the 99-02 by swapping the spline shaft and using the same style airbag out of a 04 / 05, VAN / 2500 3500 (not sure of exact models on this one)
Then you even have the Saab 9-7x (trailblazer) with only half the controls:
I have read and not yet tested, but supposedly you can swap the NNBS wheel directly on to a 03-07. No reason you can't then swap it on to a 99-02 with the splined shaft swap:
They have it with steering wheel controls on the left half only:
Or no controls at all:
By using a single stage airbag for this wheel out of a 2008- 2016, 2500 or 3500 Safari or Express (full size van).
This seemed great, but then I went even newer with it.
Here is the 2014 -2020 steering wheel:
and here is the best picture I could get for an airbag out of a 2016-2022 2500 or 3500 Silverado:
The plug up until the last one looked the same, but this is a single stage airbag. I searched, and these are so new I couldn't find em for any less than $500 on car-part. Maybe in the future this will be an option for someone, certainly not me right now.
I then well, what about previous models: This is the 4th gen (IIRC 93-02) Camaro wheel. I actually love those buttons. I think the look retro (which is whatever), but functionally, they look better than everything else if you don't drive with hands at 3 and 9. My only problem is I remember them having those giant pillow sized airbags, and that rules them out for me. The early 2000 sports cars all have single stage airbags. 4th gen camaro:
The C5 corvette:
I might actually end up trying this, 01-03 Grand prix. I could do without the pontiac logo, but it's not a deal breaker. I just started looking into this, and think I'm going to compare shaft splines on this to what I have next time I go to the pull yard.
Kind of wondering about other factory steering wheel swaps people have done or what there is to add?
Yeah, I went and pulled one today, and as I'm pulling the second, I lose my T25 bit down the steering shaft. That's kind of the stealth swap for 99-02. I figured if you have to buy an airbag, probably a clockspring, and if you aren't pulling a wheel, its probably going to cost about the same, but a newer NNBS wheel probably has better chances of finding one in mint condition.
If the 2500 does, the 3500 should too. I know in the video it says 2004- 2005 vans.
I found a gen IV camaro, and was able to see that the splines on it are larger and would not mate up evenly. I didn't get a chance to pull anything from it to see if there was something similar splined shaft option where that was an option. I think I might see if something would work, but I think I'm probably going to go with the NNBS wheel.
I found the Impala has an identical LOOKING steering wheel as the NNBS. No clue if it has a a different shaft, or if that setup for a different clock spring setup, it is a different part number. I tried to give it a quick check, and it might be a hair smaller diameter (for a car). I'm going to take a tape measure if I remember next time, and see if that's the difference. Some might like that for a quicker spin.
I was trying to price all of this out. To find the 03-07 wheel option, the airbag seems to be about $100-$150. A good wheel, well, good luck. I think your best chance here is to get lucky and pull one yourself. It's ridiculous how much a nice 03-07 wheel is selling for. I guess its because they are becoming harder to come by. The 03-07 wheel (if you aren't pulling it yourself), is the most expensive out of the 03-07, NNBS, and K2XX.
The NNBS airbags seem like you can find one at a decent price. I honestly think that because of the limited models they came in, they are "becoming a surplus". if this catches on, that might change that. My local pick n pull sells airbags that you pull for $50. I checked on car-part and found this single stage NNBS style airbag for $75. After making me wait an hour so they could pull it, he knocked off $10, so I got it for $65. The vans are pretty much nonexistent at my PnP.
I could have waited, but I'm going to keep an eye out for the newer style airbag. Those K2XX wheels in perfect condition are under $100. They have controls on both sides, or only on the left. If you get the one that has both it has additional controls on the right for audio controls. If I get the single controls on the left, I would try swap the buttons (just for the driver's visual) to the left side, since that's all I would want it for. Finding an airbag at a decent price is going to be that challenge.
For now, I have the NNBS style airbag:
Not perfect, but it will do.
That 34019465A SHOULD BE the part number. I couldn't find much on this number or what years/models it came out of.
Now I just need to find a wheel. From what I found about the NNBS wheel, its pretty easy to retrofit controls or even remove them if you want. With the airbag off they are held on by screws, and when it's all installed it's not visible. The only real difference is the plastic wheel surround, on the back of the wheel. If you end up adding controls you can just cut away so they fit. If you are removing or wanting no controls, you need a backing that never had em. You can also pick up the plastic covers on the front, almost every one I have seen is worn out.
I'm not in a desperate hurry to finish this. I'm not gonna let it go on forever like a couple other mods, just going to wait for a clean wheel at a decent price, and then I'll keep going.
For now I'm going to look for one that doesn't have controls, (at least until I pull a backing at PnP). The clock spring will definitely come into question. (That local yard only sells the columns complete, so I would probably even buy one if its cheap enough. That previous video shows modifying the 99-02 clock spring to fit on the 03-07 wheel. At the least, the clock spring will fit on the newer shaft, but how will it mate up to the steering wheel?
I'll keep an eye out and see if I can find one for cheap just to have one. I think I can find a complete column (with steering wheel and no airbag) for cheap enough that would be the way to go. I could find one that was leather, and that would also have the newer style shifter that can be swapped over, (that I wouldn't need, but someone else might appreciate that).
Just pull any wheel and have it recovered in your choice of material
Craft Customs in Rockwall already quoted me for a steering wheel, $299 for a complete recover in leather with baseball stitching. Dying an airbag was $150.
I can find an airbag on LKQ for $50 last time I checked, I just never got around to it.
Just pull any wheel and have it recovered in your choice of material
Craft Customs in Rockwall already quoted me for a steering wheel, $299 for a complete recover in leather with baseball stitching. Dying an airbag was $150.
I can find an airbag on LKQ for $50 last time I checked, I just never got around to it.
Thanks for the tip Mister Gates. $350 is a lot for a wheel to me. For $225 you can buy a fancy new Grant steering wheel.
I don't need one that's brand new. I can get one that's about mint for $100. I'm definitely going to look around for a little bit before I do. I would also like to know why the car version is a different part number. If it's because it has a smaller diameter (I found some wheels are 10mm and 20mm smaller), that might even be better for me. I will probably get over to PnP next week. I searched last time and found a great wheel out of an impala, but didn't have the tools to remove it then. I will next time I go. I'm cheap, I will pull one if I can.
No, those two are NNBS style too. (leave him alone, I added in those links for the NNBS style after I posted ). The price is the same for a Grant wheels, whether its for either of the two NBS or the NNBS. So I'll have $75 in it for the airbag and the steering shaft to change the style. The grant wheel is my buy new option, but that's probably not going to happen.
The only thing I can think of that I would want the buttons for are: volume up and down, and track forward and reverse. If I could do mute, maybe source or call, or maybe even bluetooth might be helpful and a bonus. On the NNBS style the left hand controls are for cruise, which I will never use. I KNOW It would look ridiculous to people, but if I got one with the controls, I have been considering if I would honestly try to mount it so they are where my hand is at. I would clock it ahead about 60 degrees and put the hand controls where my hand is at, about 11 instead of at 9 because of the manual trans. (Still want to read if there is some inspection or other legal reason I can't do that).
I THINK, wiring up any controls at all, should require a clock spring that is designed for steering controls. If buying a wheel, for the same price, you might be able to get a column with a clock spring, (another reason, I want to shop around for a bit). With the right clock spring, it's just wiring it up from there to most likely the stereo adapter module (for me).
10-30-2022, 07:52 PM
99-02 steering wheel swap options (with airbag)
). The price is the same for a Grant wheels, whether its for either of the two NBS or the NNBS. So I'll have $75 in it for the airbag and the steering shaft to change the style. The grant wheel is my buy new option, but that's probably not going to happen.