1970 AMC AMX 390 go-package Commodore Blue and Machine wheels 8

Rim Blow was a type of

steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel, a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and hea ...

with no suspended horn ring or horn pad on the spokes that was featured on some automobiles built in the U.S. from 1969 to 1974. The inside of the rim could be depressed anywhere on its circumference to sound the horn.

Design

The rim blow wheel was available in place of the traditional button-type or suspended ring used to activate the vehicle's horn. Some models such as the AMC AMX featured the new design as standard equipment, or it was optional such as on the compact AMC Hornet for an additional $37. A rubber pad encasing wires was mounted around the entire inner surface of the steering wheel rim. Rather than pressing a suspended horn ring, a center horn pad, or switches on the spokes, to make the electrical contact, the inside of the rim could be pressed anywhere on its circumference. Applying pressure to soft rubber inner rim of the steering wheel, a driver could activate the car's horn without moving their hands from the wheel rims. Technical issues, such as hardening (difficult to activate) and shrinking (causing the horn to sound without activation) of the rubber, and a lack of customer acceptance led to the discontinuation of the rim blow steering wheels after only a few years. It is possible to rebuild a vintage rim blow steering wheel.

Dates of rim blow installation

American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the mergers and acquisitions, merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 19 ...

:AMC - 1970–1971 *

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

- 1970–1974 :

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

- 1970–1974 :

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

- 1970–1973 * Ford : Ford - 1969–1974 : Mercury - 1969–1974 : Lincoln - 1970–1974 *

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

- 1969 :

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

- 1969–1971 :

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produc ...

- 1969–1971

Notes

{{reflist Auto parts