New steering wheel on old Jimny?

Is it possible to fit the new steering wheel from a facelift Jimny onto an old 1999 without major headaches?

Suzuki seems to have made my steering wheel out of an old sponge I presume that I'd need it complete with airbag, but would that (and the horn switch) plug straight into my wiring?

My old steering wheel fell apart too! Got a replacement from a scrapyard for 30 quid. Not sure if it is from a later model but it is a slighty darker grey. I reused the existing air bag no problem. Just means I have a 2 tone wheel. It's kinda cool.

Yes, I had thought of sourcing another pre-facelift one, but I quite fancy one of the nice leather jobbies fitted to the newer ones

Nobody else has though of trying this? How much of a pain is it to get the steering wheel off? Maybe I'll be the first to try. How would I tell if the airbag was going to work ok?

You need to make a puller to remove the wheel, there should be 2 threaded holes in the wheel when you remove the airbag gubbins.

Don't use the old trick of slackening the nut, and banging both hands hard on the wheel rim to get it off, the steering column has plastic shear pins inside so it can collapse in an accident.

Aha! Thanks for the warning; I'd have probably tried to bash it off

distantcamera wrote: Aha! Thanks for the warning; I'd have probably tried to bash it off

that brings back memories
I was helping my mate get the steering wheel off his MGB (yes I am that old) and he said you pull while I hit it with a hammer
his famous last words were .............

don't worry I won't hit your hands!

I have a deep-seated bitter loathing of the MBG. If I ever won the lottery (a few times) I'd buy them all, line them up and then burn them one by one.

kirkynut wrote: Did you remember to leave the nut on a few turns to stop the wheel flying off and hitting you on the nose?

Kirkynut

didn't get that far! - I was leaping round swearing, nursing my fingers, and he was rolled up in a ball in stitches

[quote="kirkynut" post=13450

It sounds like you need a Bigjimny counselling session to help you get over your MG ordeal!

Let's start with you telling us what has made you feel this way...

Kirkynut[/quote]

Paying £76.60 monthly for five years for one that I didn't own, didn't drive (not even a car license back then), didn't particularly like and more importantly didn't get to sell. The same one that got me banned from the AA and accused in court of allowing someone to drive without insurance (even though it was never mine!) Grrrrr... Lesson learned: never let a future ex girlfriend have a loan in your name...