Hello guys.

Im uprgrading the cluster to a Lariat and wanted to ask if someone has been able to upgrade steering wheels as well to that of a Lariat (temp and audio controls) from a lesser model (i.e. XLT).

I havent checked behind the stereo (regular AM/FM/CD) to see if there is a wire harness somewhere that connects the audio to the steering wheel.

I really dont care about HVAC, and I know its more complicated to upgrade that.

Thanks for all your input. Hope to hear from you soon.

Joab
ELP TX.
-------------------
05 XLT SCrew; Tow Pkg; not stock for long...

 

i wanna know 2.

 

It's been done. Search under clockspring, I think. Why bother? The radio and A/C controls are not that desirable, since you probably can't use either one...
Just put in the leather cruise wheel and enjoy it.
Chris

 

Any ideas on where to find such a wheel? My eBay hunts have only yielded the plain black vinyl cruise wheels. And looking at Ford Parts Network, the leather cruise only wheels are quite expensive. I just want a Tan leather wheel with cruise.

-Travis

 

OH My, you just used a bad word, not in the usual vocabulary.
That word is TAN.
Tan does not go with leather on e-bay or from the other vendors.

Just yanking you, but truly, Ford's cruise kit comes with any color you want, as long as it's black vinyl...

Also, I don't recall ever seeing a tan leather wheel go on e-bay for this year. I've only seen one (1) tan leather set of seat covers, and that's in about a year of watching.

I am sure you could get a cruise wheel, strip the switches off, easy once it's on the bench, and put them in any new model wheel.

There are some nice wraps, and slip ons made, but I never cared much for them.

Does anyone actually have a tan leather wheel on their truck? I have seen the tan plastic ones, gray plastic, I have several black plastic, and then black leather.
Chris

 

Funny you should mention this. There is actually a tan leather wheel on eBay right now. Thing is, it has the HVAC and radio controls on it, stuff I can't (nor want to) use. So just HOW easy would it be to pull my cruise stuff off my tan vinyl wheel, then transplant it onto the new tan leather wheel? That would be awesome to do, since the leather wheel is only $59.99.

-Travis

 

I agree 100%. I have the leather FX4 steering wheel with cruise control in my FX4. My wife has the "deluxe" steering wheel in her '03 Eddie Bauer Explorer. I have put approximately 1/3 of the 45,000 miles on her Explorer, and I have never used the radio and A/C controls...not once! It's a waste of your time and money, IMHO.

 

I'm gonna look for the tan one, just for fun. As to swapping the cruise stuff, very very easy. You need both wheels off, and then it's a couple ten mm nuts on the back. Nothin to it.
Chris

Such a deal!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...QQcmdZViewItem

not so good;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...QQcmdZViewItem

but better by far, just wrong color;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...QQcmdZViewItem

 

I would like to swap my steering wheel also. I have the gray interior but a black wheel would work. My question is that I have the six disk mp3 player and was wondering if the radio controls on the steering wheel could be used .

 

I was thinkin the same thing.... I also have grey interior. I wouldn't mind going to a black steering wheel... but then the airbag and surrounding trim on the steering column would still be grey. Want the leather wrapped steering wheel... but not worth buying all that stuff to go with it!

Am I correct when I say that they never offered the lariat with grey interior??

 

I read somewhere that you can die the air bag with a kit that body shops use.
Also does anyone know if painted doors handles will be on the any of the 06s?

 

Do you have the controls now? if not, the harness for the radio-a/c is not in the column, at least, none have posted saying they found it. The black leather wheel looks OK with the gray center. I have used light gray wheel with the black and everyone liked it. I then went to the black leather, and it has a different shade of gray on the switches... So a black wheel with dark gray switches goes with anything, except tan, of course.
Chris

 

The clockspring is the same one used for the speed control, is that what everyone is wondering ?

 

On the STX and XL trucks, there is nothing to plug the a/c and radio controls into. All the trucks have the connections in the column for the cruise.
Chris

 

One more question, what would be the resale value if you add all this stuff post-purchase? Do people (i.e. dealers) really give you what Ford charged you for (a/c, radio controls on steering wheel, audophile system, etc) when you trade in the truck?