Feb 2022
Letter Car Steering Wheels
We take a look at the steerings wheels used on Letter Cars.
There is a lot more going on with steering wheels than
you might think. In some letter cars the steering wheels were
unique. In some years there was nothing special about the letter car
wheel as it was shared with other models.
And off we go.
1955
The 55 wheel is a large wheel measuring 18" in diameter.
It has upper and lower portions in black with tan sections lower right and lower left
with chrome thumb grips.
The wheels were the same on all 1955-56 NYer, Imperial and 300 cars with only color differences.
The horn rings for 1955 and 1956 are fragile and rare. A watch mounted in the
steering wheel center was optional.
1956
The B wheel is the same as 1955 except for the manual transmission cars.
Chrysler used the 18" steering wheel (all black) and column from 1954 for these
manual transmission cars. The horn button was from 1953.
The center mounted watch was again available.
Normal steering wheel 
Manual transmission
1957
The steering wheel is 17.5" in diameter with the upper section in tan and black for the lower portion.
The C wheel was also used on other models, such as the Saratoga, depending on interior colors.
A self winding watch (Benrus) in the center hub was optional.
1958
Black upper and tan lower portion, the reverse of 1957.
The Benrus hub watch was again available as an option.
1959
The E wheel is 17.5" diameter with a black upper
portion and tan lower.
Restored by Dennis Crooks
1960
The 300F steering wheel is 16.75" in diameter and has clear portions top and bottom.
The New Yorker and 300F use the same steering wheel. The Windsor only came with a wheel that didn't have the clear parts and also had a horn ring instead of the padded bars. The standard wheel in the 300F is tan but if the car had a special order interior that used a different dash, the wheel matches the lower metal part. For instance one with red seats and a red lower dash would have a red wheel with the clear.
300F before restoration 
300F after restoration by Dennis Crooks
1961
The 1961 steering wheel is the same as the F except the tan section is black.
1962
The H wheel is 16.75" in diameter and has a clear portion only at the top. The
rest of the wheel is gold. There is a lot of glitz in the H.
300H 
The 1962 300Sport had a similar wheel to the H.
1963
The 1963 wheel is unforgettable due to its rectangular shape.
Measuring 16.75" right to left and 15" up and down,
the idea was a wheel of this shape would be easier
for the driver's legs to clear on entry and exit.
Since all Js were equipped with a claret interior (unless special ordered),
the wheel matched the interior in red. Only the “Deluxe” wheel (a.k.a. “square” wheel) was offered on the J.
The center medallion did not have a 300 logo and was shared with other Chrysler models.
Rarely seen these days is the round steering wheel offered
to those customers adverse to the "square wheel".
The Newport and 300 Sport got the “round” wheel standard. It was the 1962 wheel designed for the Astradome instrument cluster and it obscures the view of the fuel/temp & amp/clock gauges when the wheel is centered straight. The Deluxe wheel is shaped so the fuel/temp & amp/clock gauges can been clearly seen through the inside of the wheel when the wheel is centered straight.
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1964
1964 continued the idea from 1963 but added a tilt wheel. Newport and 300 Sport had the round 62 wheel with a partial horn ring below the spokes. The Deluxe "square" wheel was standard on 300K and New Yorker and had a full horn ring. The optional tilt wheel was a GM wheel. The tilt wheel featured and upper and lower horn ring with "Chrysler" in the center hub. The tilt wheel is found in numerous colors. Black interior cars have a gray smoke translucent wheel, red interior cars have a red translucent wheel, tan interior cars have a beige translucent wheel. A blue translucent wheel was offered on blue interior cars as well.
The standard Deluxe wheel 
The standard Deluxe wheel 
The tilt wheel
1965
The L steering wheel is 16" in diameter and was available
in several colors depending on the choice of interior. The tilt wheel
option was available.
standard column 
tilt wheel
Steering wheel restoration
D&D Automobilia, 1400 Carolyn Drive, Charlotte, NC 28205; phone (704) 650-4632 don@danddautomobilia.com . Repair of steering wheels, knobs, lenses. Don & Donna Eash.
Steering wheel center ("Horn Button")
Click here for our page on the horn buttons.
Thanks to our contributors: Carl Bilter, Bob Brown, Jack Child, Dave Dumais, Bill Elder, John Lazenby, Chris Pinder, Dan Roy, Nick Taylor, Don Warnaar, Joe Williams.
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