Joel,
You may want to "steer clear" of that ebay find. The spines are the same, so technically it will work; but the 77 used a stalk horn instead of a center button. So in addition you would need to replace the left stalk switch to the 77 version having turn signal, horn, headlight dimmer.
If you are trying to improve the appearance of your 76 steering wheel. I suggest using a leather steering wheel cover to cover the cracked, sometime sticky, rubber coating. Moss does not seem to carry these, but other competitors do.
You can use 320 grit sandpaper to remove any rust on the bare metal area, be sure to sand in the direction of the existing brushed finish.
Best of all you do not need to remove the steering wheel.
Also good job working out the starter issue!
Jeff