Testarossa Steering Wheel Spacer

My kids noticed that the steering wheel in my 1986 Testarossa is set very close to the dash and my hands sometimes hit the nacelle over the speedo and Tach instrument cluster. For my birthday this year they ordered me a steering wheel spacer or extender from Hill Engineering. I installed it on my car this evening in about 15 minutes with no tools other than the supplied Allen Wrench. They selected the 25mm spacer which is made specifically for the Ferrari TR series cars and it comes with great instructions (lots of photos) and all the parts and tool needed to complete the job. The end result is that the steering wheel is now about an inch closer to me and an inch farther from the dash. The extender allows me to lower the steering wheel angle which adds another half inch or so to the extension. It is a dramatic difference that I like.

http://www.hillengineering.co.uk/catalog/sws01b-p-238.html?osCsid=ca6e9dbb946f26ec5fe4af75215c9247
Here is a link to the Hill Engineering Web page for the 25 mm Steering Wheel Spacer for the TR. They make a 50 mm spacer also. As well as one for a 355.

I'm going to post a few pictures of the process of adding the spacer. Here is a picture of the spacer on their Web site.
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The horn button simply lifts off the steering wheel without any tools. There is only one green wire in the steering column for the horn. Once I removed the spade from the button I was only left with 6 allen head screws to remove the steering wheel. There is a spacer behind the wheel that you no longer will need nor will you need the short screws that came with the car. Put these in a safe place for the next owner of the car. The new spacer slips into place easily with the "lip" facing out towards the steering wheel. The wheel slips on top of the spacer and the six new and longer Allen head screws hold it all in place. The horn button gets reconnected to the green wire and spade and then the button and trim ring snap back into place on the steering wheel. It's just that simple. Here are more photos of before and after.

First pic is the before shot.
Second pic is the after shot. (notice the increased space between top of wheel and top of nacelle)
Third pic shows the wheel removed from the column.
Forth pic shows the old spacer and screws that get replaced with new ones.
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More photos of the project. The Hill Engineering shift knob was a Christmas gift from the girls this past year. I love it too except when it's 106 degrees outside and then I realize why Ferrari went with the less attractive black pastic knob.

First pic is of the horn button removed and the horn wire inside the steering column.
Second pic is of the finished project with the horn button and ring snapped back onto the wheel after the spacer was installed.
Third pic is looking down from above the steering column. You can see the new shiney black alluminum spacer directly behind the wheel.

Look at all of that new found space between the wheel and the dash. No more scraping knuckles on the dash. However, the blinker and light stalks are now farther from the wheel. It is a much more comfortable seating position now that I'm not reaching out for the wheel. Thanks Hill Engineering!
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I usually hit the instrument nacelle or binnacle with my finger nails when I am looking behind me and reversing out of a parking lot. The spacer should help a lot with that issue. I didn't think about it putting the wheel closer to my pasta bowl. Hmmmm, I'm gonna have to see if I can find a set of seat rail spacers next. ha ha ha. I'm not Italian but I play one when I drive my Testarossa. Ciao Bene!