replacement steering wheel and boss

[HoraceM22]

After attending to a number of issues on my '74 TCS I now would like to change the wheel for a smaller one. After looking here for some guidance as to what boss might be available I thought I'd just ask the experts.
I have been given couple of part numbers at Demon Tweeks ( MTCTRI001 and MOM7800 ) and these look as though they might do the job, but don't have the centre horn fitment.

Has anyone actually changed their wheel for a Momo or Sparco type wheel with the centre horn push? If so can you remember (or look up) the part nos, please?

Many Thanks
HoraceM

[SwiftDB4]

I used a blank smaller steering wheel and kept the stock center hub. My Europa is an S1 so I don't know if later Europas have the same hub. Just cut out the center to clear the horn button and drill the mounting holes. Here's a sample, but there are different diameter blank wheels and different suppliers:
https://www.kartek.com/parts/momo-mod-31-blank-12-12-318mm-diameter-18-dish-black-suede-undrilled-steering-wheel.html
Also another example from a UK supplier:
https://www.mksportscars.com/products/race-steering-wheel-300mm-blank-suede
I think this is the one I got and the steering effort is not heavy despite its small diameter and my 215/50/13" tires:
https://furoreproducts.co.uk/steering-wheel-255mm-blank-centre-black

[BDA]

Moto-Lita supports Lotus (https://www.moto-lita.co.uk/collections/bosses?gf_121160=Lotus+7)
Lotus Supplies has a 13" wheel and proper boss (https://www.lotus-supplies.com/?s=steering+wheel&post_type=product)
Kelvedon Lotus has some steering wheels (https://kelvedonlotus.co.uk/product-category/lotus-europa-s1-tc/suspension-and-steerings-lotus-europa-s1-tc/page/8/)
SJSportscars has hubs for MOMO wheels (https://www.sjsportscars.com/parts-and-accessories/SJ074H0002.htm)
Carid has a pretty large catalog of universal steering wheels and hubs and adapters (https://www.carid.com/universal-steering-wheels/?vehicle=115664). A phone call to them might be required to get the right measurements needed to get the right parts. I don't believe they have an outlet in the UK so they are likely a US only option.

Full disclosure - I have kept the stock steering wheel because a smaller one would block my view of the water temp gauge  .

edit: added listings from some of the usual suspects and clarified that Carid probably doesn't have a UK outlet.

[4129R]

Full disclosure - I have kept the stock steering wheel because a smaller one would block my view of the water temp gauge  .

Of the 5 warning lights between the speedo and the tacho, can you see the top left or right indicator warning light? I couldn't.

[Clifton]

The Moto-Lita one looks nice, that would be my first pick to do over. I used the one in the link below. A little heavy but looks good.

https://shop.vendio.com/crowderscustomizing/item/2041820460/index.html

Sparco L360 wheel

[Dilkris]

And just like that - our friends in the States are telling us where to buy stuff in the UK, plus comments - later supported by input of valuable considerations closer to home. This simply has to be the most helpful specialized forum in existence. 
Would you be offended if I ask you how old you are HoraceM22? (I am 71, but everything still works, sort of.) - I am trying to predict a futures market for the Europa in general before my wife divorces me for spending more money on my TCS rebuild....    
 

[Lou Drozdowski]

These guys are in the US...sorry Horace, the wheel is Italian!

Very happy with the Luisi steering wheel...boss is also available

https://classicgarage.com/sh315lestwh.htm

[BDA]

Full disclosure - I have kept the stock steering wheel because a smaller one would block my view of the water temp gauge  .

Of the 5 warning lights between the speedo and the tacho, can you see the top left or right indicator warning light? I couldn't.

I see all the warning lights between the speedo and tach thought if I remember correctly, when the car was "new", the crash pad sagged a bit and blocked some of my view of the top of speedo, tach, and upper indicator light (don't remember which one it is!).

As for my water temp gauge, the steering wheel blocks the upper right hand corner of the gauge. The attached photo give a decent idea of my view but it's a little worse than that becuase the camera is closer than my eyes so the water temp gauge (first to the right of the speedo) is covered up a bit more by the steering wheel. The oil pressure gauge (covered by the steering wheel on the bottom left) is in better view.

[BDA]

These guys are in the US...

Very happy with the Luisi steering wheel...boss is also available

https://classicgarage.com/sh315lestwh.htm

Lou, I wish you wouldn't do that! That's a great looking wheel and I can't have it because, as I explain above, I wouldn't be able to see my water temp gauge!!

[HoraceM22]

Many Thanks guys for these suggestions, although at a quick glance, as it's late, I'm not sure any of them include a horn push arrangement
Dilkris, I'm 75 and still looking great??
Like I said earlier, I've just finished doing some jobs on my "totally renovated" car after buying it earlier this year, like...
Sorting the gear linkage
Making a reverse gear détente to stop second and reverse getting too friendly with one another - AND it works.
New engine mounts - not really needed
getting the brakes to work better - front and back - but may try some new pads (Green stuff anyone?)
New DAB audio set
Getting the carbs set at Northampton Motorsport, which had the disappointing by-product of finding that I had alarmingly low compressing readings, necessitating an engine rebuild in the winter. Oh goody!

But, the car runs nicely and IF I can get a boss which also has a horn setup, which some wheels say they do then I'll be a happier bunny.

[EuropaTC]

Hi,
When I bought my car in the 80s it came with a very trendy 10" (?) Astrali wheel which also had a horn push in the mounting boss.  I later went through restoring & fitting the OEM wheel but around 8-9yrs ago I bought a 12" MotaLita, as in the second photo. This also has a horn push in the middle, but it's not using the Motalita boss. 

I don't know if it's still the case, but the cheap Mountney wheels used to have the same fitting as Motalita, so I bought a cheap Triumph Mountney boss from Ebay and fitted a Lotus badge to the horn push.

Brian

[314159td]

I can confirm that Momo part number is correct, the full number is MOM12115117800 I believe. It's regularly listed incorrectly for compatibility, but fits the early Triumph 5/8", 36 spline steering column very nicely. (The "early" column being Herald whatever through 1977-ish Spitfires, so all Europas and many other cars included) This is the cheapest place I've found it, and where mine came from. The somewhat unattractive ruffles on the side are from the rubber sleeve that wraps around the wheel adapter and allows it to collapse a bit if you slam into it in a crash.
The Momo boss will give you a 70mm 6-bolt pattern, common to many different wheels. I personally like the Momo Prototipo, as it seems Lotus copied that or maybe the other way around.

I've attached a picture of it on my Herald, which is exactly the same column as the Europa. The spring loaded metal pin for the horn slip ring is in the right spot and works great after cleaning the contact surfaces.
I got the horn button from this eBay seller, who also sells several other buttons. They fit correctly and feel good enough, look the part well. If you send an offer for $20 they'll accept it. I forgot to reinstall it when swapping from a cheaper 70mm wheel, but most of them share the same horn button hole size as well.

[jbcollier]

What Europa do you have?

Early cars have a spring clip on the steering shaft to cancel the signals and use a horn brush/ring for a centre horn button.

Later cars have a slotted rear face on the steering wheel mount that engages with dogs on a rotating ring on the turn signal switch to cancel the signals and the horn is sounded by pushing in the turn signal stalk.

Both mirror what the Triumph Spitfire was using at the same time.  Looking for hubs for a Spitfire is an easier and faster way of finding wheel options.

[314159td]

Later cars have a slotted rear face on the steering wheel mount that engages with dogs on a rotating ring on the turn signal switch to cancel the signals and the horn is sounded by pushing in the turn signal stalk.

I would not have expected that; the cut-in to the later style column on the Spitfire is though to be the 1977 model year, well after the last of the Europas. It comes from the TR7 iirc (which is more Spitfire than TR), and that started production as the Europa was ending in late 74.

[Bryan Boyle]

Full disclosure - I have kept the stock steering wheel because a smaller one would block my view of the water temp gauge  .

Of the 5 warning lights between the speedo and the tacho, can you see the top left or right indicator warning light? I couldn't.

I shuffled the lights around...top to bottom...brake, ignition, beam, left arrow, right arrow.  Figure, sans the pdwv, that the brake light only tells me the handbrake is on, beam is redundant in the day, ignition is visible, and the two directional indicators are down on the bottom.  There is enough wire lead length to shuffle them around.  I have a 13' replacement wheel that came with my car; no mfr markings or engravings as to its origin, but, it fits, takes the original center boss from the OEM wheel, and is a meatier grip, for what it's worth.  (I still have the original and a spare S1/S2 wheel with an undamaged center horn button/logo.)