2009.11.03 - Nardi Horn Button
- Bent new spring for Nardi horn button
- Tweaked horn button and retaining spring
- Attached Nardi wheel to Works Bell quick release

I received my steering wheel yesterday and discovered both some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the optional trim ring was included after all!  The bad news is that the horn button was missing parts. (ಠ_ಠ)  After scratching my head for about an hour trying to figure out how it was supposed to work, I decided that it must be missing a spring inside the button.  A fellow Miata owner (Adam/revlimiter) on ClubRoadster kindly confirmed my suspicions.  So today I picked up a spring from Lake hardware and used some pliers to re-shape it.

Unfortunately, when I went to assemble the button with the new spring, I discovered that it was too stiff and also that my plastic button was warped. I used the heat gun to soften the button and press it back into a more rounded shape and I also used a chisel and hammer to mildly bend the retaining tabs on the ring to provide some additional support.  I bent the spring into a softer coil and reassembled the button, and now it seems to work pretty well. I wouldn't call it an elegant fix, but it seems to work and there is no visual indication that the button is anything but original.

Once the button was fixed, I attached the wheel to the quick disconnect and attempted to insert the horn button.  After a gentle tweak to the bends in the horn button retaining spring, I was able to properly insert the button.  Now I just need to select a hub and I can start enjoying my new-to-me vintage style steering wheel!

$0.98 - Spring for horn button