The Ford Barn

1930artdeco · 03-04-2011, 10:22 PM

Anybody ever seen a suicide knob on a Model A steering wheel? Well this is what is left of one-anybody know where I can get a replacement knob?

Mike

james hitchcock · 03-04-2011, 10:51 PM

I've seen them ( brodie knobs) at swap meets ever so often. I've also seen new spinner knobs in the garden dept at Lowes. They go on riding mower steering wheels.

callcoy · 03-04-2011, 11:03 PM

It is called a spinner knob and used by individuals with limited mobility. Your photo shows the clamp protruding outside of the wheel rim. This condition can cause a painfull collusion with the legs and or hands under the right conditions. I have been selling and installing spinner knobs for 30 years. These are designed and made to be very safe and as a result they are very expensive. If you can live with the clamp issue, I would suggest that you visit your local Tractor Supply type store, they have an inexpensive knob (it may be wooden) you can purchase. This type of knob is designed to be installed over the rim and one spoke, this type of install keeps the knob from twisting around the rim. If you have any questions contact me.

JoeWay · 03-05-2011, 12:16 AM

I had one on my Tudor in high school. We called them necker knobs. I took it off when I started the restoration--I think it's still in a box in the barn.

Those were the days!!!

Joe

mot · 03-05-2011, 04:01 AM

they are found on ebay and go by all the names above
spinner knob seems the most popular,with suicide knob the second
one very similar to yours
130492656683
when I was a kid,photos of naked women were the most popular,Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayward were several I remember

2manycars · 03-05-2011, 07:55 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I have one from the 50's with Marilyn Monroe inside. They were much more useful in the 50's when the steering wheel had to be turned several revolutions to go lock to lock, and there was no power steering. Not so useful on a model A, where you can make a turn with one hand while signaling with the other. The quick steering of the model A makes the difference.

Ray64 · 03-05-2011, 08:48 AM

Napa has them ,also Tractor supply,and John Deere

denis4x4 · 03-05-2011, 09:36 AM

I found a spinner knob and matching shift knob made of bakelite from the thirties.

V4F · 03-05-2011, 09:52 AM

i use a Marilyn Monroe knob ........................ steve

ford1 · 03-05-2011, 10:40 AM

you need to becareful if the clamp gets loose and the knob starts to work back and forth on the steering wheel, it will wear a deep grove in the rim and can ruin a steering wheel, i came up in the 50's and they were called brody knobs, we used them to do donuts in the field behind the school at lunch time, and ant where else there were a bunch of guys and girls, they made it possible to put your arm around your girl and still drive, especially if you taught her how to shift the trans

vtwinsideways · 03-05-2011, 03:31 PM

A fella walked up to me at my Grandmother's funeral and asked "Know how I lost my front teeth", popping his upper and lower partials out for me to see the 8 vacant holes. I thought for a second and responded "Yeah, you didn't make the turn on Assumption blacktop." I had never met the man in my life, but my Dad had told me the story so many times growing up, that I knew who he was immediately. They were racing and the blacktop had two sets of wide sweeping high banked curves at either end of a 1 mile jog. Going through the second curve, this fella tried to overtake Dad on the outside. He went over the top and at some point in the crash his front teeth met the spinner on his steering wheel knocking out 4 of the uppers and 4 of the lowers. Ouch!. Luke

gunmetal blue · 03-05-2011, 05:24 PM

Try some of the tractor supply places (tractors that work the farm fields). I will check for you around Indiana.

Chris Haynes · 03-05-2011, 05:40 PM

eBay has lots of them

roccaas · 03-05-2011, 10:14 PM

I always heard they were called suicide knobs because of the devastation wrought on the human body when one broke away in a high speed turn. Neckin' knob seems appropriate for slower driving, but with the shifter and brake in the center of the car....

Special Coupe Frank · 03-05-2011, 10:40 PM

Had one in my '48 New Yorker... ( which was a bit of a wheel-winder, lock-to-lock)

Can't imagine trying to use one on a stock Model A with the original legnth pitman-arm and quick-ratio box...

Clydes 31 P/U · 03-06-2011, 06:33 AM

Mike, I took a glass mushroom shift knob and reworked the clamp stem to fit it.

Richard Redmond · 03-06-2011, 07:45 PM

I recently bought an eBay spinner but haven't fitted it to my 29 Roadster.

2 things -

to Ford1 - shame on you - keep your trans zippered up!

to Steve / callcoy - I'm wondering how best to fit the spinner. It came with a strip of poor tin that was difficult to work with and was almost impossible to tighten. My photos show the spinner and a paper template which I wonder is the way to go when trying to complete the clamp. Is there a better way and what is the best material - metal or tough plastic strap?

Thanks

Richard

Clem Clement · 03-06-2011, 07:53 PM

I got my elbow caught in one on those things and thehorn ring. Dangerous.
Clem

Wuudie · 03-06-2011, 08:09 PM

Pop's car has the original Neckin Nob (as he called it) on the steering wheel- do Model A'ers look negativly on people who have them on there? Was it common occurance to see it on A's?

I may get busted on by fellow A'ers or be given a hard time, But since dad and mom drove off from thier wedding in the car- and pop called it the neckin nob- I'm keeping it.

03-04-2011, 10:51 PM	#2
james hitchcock Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Visalia Ca. Posts: 617	Re: suicide knob I've seen them ( brodie knobs) at swap meets ever so often. I've also seen new spinner knobs in the garden dept at Lowes. They go on riding mower steering wheels.

03-04-2011, 11:03 PM	#3
callcoy Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hendersonville TN Posts: 180	Re: suicide knob It is called a spinner knob and used by individuals with limited mobility. Your photo shows the clamp protruding outside of the wheel rim. This condition can cause a painfull collusion with the legs and or hands under the right conditions. I have been selling and installing spinner knobs for 30 years. These are designed and made to be very safe and as a result they are very expensive. If you can live with the clamp issue, I would suggest that you visit your local Tractor Supply type store, they have an inexpensive knob (it may be wooden) you can purchase. This type of knob is designed to be installed over the rim and one spoke, this type of install keeps the knob from twisting around the rim. If you have any questions contact me. __________________ Steve - Santa Rosa

03-05-2011, 12:16 AM	#4
JoeWay Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Quincy CA Posts: 752	Re: suicide knob I had one on my Tudor in high school. We called them necker knobs. I took it off when I started the restoration--I think it's still in a box in the barn. Those were the days!!! Joe __________________ 1929 Tudor since 1962 Feather River A's

03-05-2011, 04:01 AM	#5
mot Registered User Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sacramento Ca Posts: 1,179	Re: suicide knob they are found on ebay and go by all the names above spinner knob seems the most popular,with suicide knob the second one very similar to yours 130492656683 when I was a kid,photos of naked women were the most popular,Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayward were several I remember

03-05-2011, 07:55 AM	#6
2manycars Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Eastern CT Posts: 2,732	Re: suicide knob Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I have one from the 50's with Marilyn Monroe inside. They were much more useful in the 50's when the steering wheel had to be turned several revolutions to go lock to lock, and there was no power steering. Not so useful on a model A, where you can make a turn with one hand while signaling with the other. The quick steering of the model A makes the difference.

03-05-2011, 08:48 AM	#7
Ray64 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Grafton,OHIO Posts: 727	Re: suicide knob Napa has them ,also Tractor supply,and John Deere

03-05-2011, 09:36 AM	#8
denis4x4 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Durango CO Posts: 1,309	Re: suicide knob I found a spinner knob and matching shift knob made of bakelite from the thirties.

03-05-2011, 09:52 AM	#9
V4F Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: ca. Posts: 2,522	Re: suicide knob i use a Marilyn Monroe knob ........................ steve __________________ V4f

03-05-2011, 10:40 AM	#10
ford1 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: oroville ca. Posts: 1,554	Re: suicide knob you need to becareful if the clamp gets loose and the knob starts to work back and forth on the steering wheel, it will wear a deep grove in the rim and can ruin a steering wheel, i came up in the 50's and they were called brody knobs, we used them to do donuts in the field behind the school at lunch time, and ant where else there were a bunch of guys and girls, they made it possible to put your arm around your girl and still drive, especially if you taught her how to shift the trans

03-05-2011, 03:31 PM	#11
vtwinsideways Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: T(r)aylorville IL Posts: 150	Re: suicide knob A fella walked up to me at my Grandmother's funeral and asked "Know how I lost my front teeth", popping his upper and lower partials out for me to see the 8 vacant holes. I thought for a second and responded "Yeah, you didn't make the turn on Assumption blacktop." I had never met the man in my life, but my Dad had told me the story so many times growing up, that I knew who he was immediately. They were racing and the blacktop had two sets of wide sweeping high banked curves at either end of a 1 mile jog. Going through the second curve, this fella tried to overtake Dad on the outside. He went over the top and at some point in the crash his front teeth met the spinner on his steering wheel knocking out 4 of the uppers and 4 of the lowers. Ouch!. Luke __________________ I get all my excercise jumping to conclusions! http://www.newporthillclimb.com/

03-05-2011, 05:24 PM	#12
gunmetal blue Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Milford, Indiana Posts: 366	Re: suicide knob Try some of the tractor supply places (tractors that work the farm fields). I will check for you around Indiana.

03-05-2011, 05:40 PM	#13
Chris Haynes Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Camarillo, CA and Pine Grove, CA Posts: 2,832	Re: suicide knob eBay has lots of them __________________ 1921 Runabout 1930 Tudor Early 1930 AA Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?

03-05-2011, 10:14 PM	#14
roccaas Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 1,300	Re: suicide knob I always heard they were called suicide knobs because of the devastation wrought on the human body when one broke away in a high speed turn. Neckin' knob seems appropriate for slower driving, but with the shifter and brake in the center of the car.... __________________ 20 years ago we had Johnny Cash, Steve Jobs, and Bob Hope. Now we have no Cash, no Jobs, and no Hope...please don't let Kevin Bacon die!

03-05-2011, 10:40 PM	#15
Special Coupe Frank Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Northeast Penna Posts: 2,108	Re: suicide knob Had one in my '48 New Yorker... ( which was a bit of a wheel-winder, lock-to-lock) Can't imagine trying to use one on a stock Model A with the original legnth pitman-arm and quick-ratio box...

03-06-2011, 06:33 AM	#16
Clydes 31 P/U Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: northern Il Posts: 302	Re: suicide knob Mike, I took a glass mushroom shift knob and reworked the clamp stem to fit it.

03-06-2011, 07:53 PM	#18
Clem Clement Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Fairfax, VA Posts: 3,393	Re: suicide knob I got my elbow caught in one on those things and thehorn ring. Dangerous. Clem

03-06-2011, 08:09 PM	#19
Wuudie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Easton, PA Posts: 261	Re: suicide knob Pop's car has the original Neckin Nob (as he called it) on the steering wheel- do Model A'ers look negativly on people who have them on there? Was it common occurance to see it on A's? I may get busted on by fellow A'ers or be given a hard time, But since dad and mom drove off from thier wedding in the car- and pop called it the neckin nob- I'm keeping it.