Steering wheel restoration

Post by **Heuer** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:25 pm

I have an original Coventry Wood Bending Company Ltd E-Type steering wheel in need of restoration. These wheels were fitted to the first 500 cars and have a different wood (beech) and profile (round) to the later 'Moto-Lita' wheels. The later ones were a darker wood which totally encapsulated the alloy and had a thumb groove. Not only is the original style wheel iconic, it was used on front of the E-Type brochure, it is also a delight to use. Very tactile and slips through the hand perfectly. They are extremely rare so I want to restore it to original spec but all I can find are kits to the later spec. Does anyone know of a company who can restore the wheel correctly, polishing the alloy and stripping off the old dark aged varnish?

The restoration project:

The 100% original one on my car:

MarkE · Post by **MarkE** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:20 pm

Not a company, David, but a one man band who produces superb results. He is Len Chandler, and I have seen the work he has done on some very rare early Lotus Elan and Lotus Cortina wheels, which once restored fetch upwards of ?1500!

Contact 01276 856591 or
len.chandler@btinternet.com

Post by **Heuer** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 3:23 pm

Thanks Mark, I should have guessed you would have a contact!

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:38 pm

David : it's really quite easy to do it yourself. Having got sick of the sticky varnish, I have now done the wheels on both of my Es to my satisfaction ( at the instruction of a neighbour of mine who was a cabinet maker ) by polishing the alloy on a buffing wheel first , then stripping the old varnish with varnish stripper and steel wool, and then after neutralising the stripper ( never put water near the wood, so white spirit is a good idea ) coating the wood with finishing wax rubbed on with 000 grade wire wool . When finally polished off, this produces a really lovely soft sheen finish which feels far nicer than varnish under the fingers, and does not become sticky in hot weather

Post by **Heuer** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 10:05 pm

Christopher

Thanks. I was going to do the metal polishing as I have a buffing wheel. The main problem is the wood on the underside which has cracked - all there but it has separated along the grain. Given the rarity of the wheel I would like to preserve the beech by gluing it down, but that is a job you can only do once and must get it right first time.

Post by **1954Etype** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:11 am

David

(having told you that I knew of no-one who could restore your wheel) I have a chum who restores <18th Century furniture - uses animal glues, wedges, dowels pins etc - all in the traditional way. If you want to get the wheel down to me I could get him to look at it for you. He won't touch it unless he is happy he could restore it properly.

MarkE · Post by **MarkE** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:19 am

Mine had some splits along the grain as well, David. I tried gently squeezing the rim back together with a pair of rubber-jawed clamps, and the gap closed up very easily. So I opened it back up, put some waterproof wood glue in the crack, re-clamped and left it for a day or so. I then polished the aluminium, stripped and re-varnished the rim, and it looked like a new wheel. And it looks as good 10 years later.

Have a look at yours to see if it is that simple.

It would get tricky if the rim doesn?t want to clamp back together, which may indicate some expansion of the aluminium underneath?then seek professional help!

Where did you find the wheel? Did the seller know what it was?!

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:43 am

Mark

The wheel has lots of small cracks in the wood rim but is still attached to the alloy. It can be repaired but it will need care:

I bought it off eBay for ?33 as it was wrongly (vaguely) listed, for a friend who wanted one. Searched Stoneleigh, to no avail, and then this one turned up. I would have bought it as a project anyway given a good original is probably worth 15x that amount, even if you could find one. Without wanting to sound overly anal, the steering wheel is the main man/machine interface and this type of wheel gives the E-Type its unique feel that reviewers at the time raved about. Very seductive! If you find one buy it, no matter what year your car is.

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:56 am

1954Etype wrote:David

(having told you that I knew of no-one who could restore your wheel) I have a chum who restores <18th Century furniture - uses animal glues, wedges, dowels pins etc - all in the traditional way. If you want to get the wheel down to me I could get him to look at it for you. He won't touch it unless he is happy he could restore it properly.

Thanks Angus - I will bear that in mind as the woodwork is the major task and a cabinet maker would be ideal. I have emailed photos to Les Chandler so I will see what he has to say about it first.

MarkE · Post by **MarkE** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:00 am

I don?t think I would tackle that either. Len?s your man. He always has a stand at the Lotus shows, and I?ve seen his restored wheels for early Ferraris, E Types, woodrim and leather Elan wheels and the good old Les Leston woodrims. His attention to detail is fantastic. For example, when restoring leather rimmed wheels, he uses the original stitching pattern and correct number of stitches per inch. If it can be repaired, he?ll do it.

The aluminium may need a fair bit of polishing as well!

E Type wheels are good value compared to some. I had to pay ?600 for an Elan S2 woodrim a couple of years ago, and a S1 Elan wheel went for ?1950 on eBay last year. Goodness knows what an early Ferrari wheel would fetch.

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:24 am

Mark

I agree the E-Type wheels are good value partly because Moto-Lita do such good reproductions and partly because few people know about the 'original' E-Type wheel that launched the legend:

I assume the number of Elans extant requiring steering wheels does not support Moto-Lita making a true replica, hence the value of originals?

Car-Nut · Post by **Car-Nut** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:34 pm

This is the book for you David

http://www.rau-autowood.com/images/Jag-Wheel.jpg

christopher storey · Post by **christopher storey** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:57 pm

Eeeeeeeuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwgh!

kingzetts · Post by **kingzetts** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:28 pm

I assume you mean that steering wheel, Chris, and not the young lady adorning that e-type???

Erikantwerp · Post by **Erikantwerp** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:26 pm

Hi David,

I just bought myself also a steering wheel project, not with a pedigree as yours , but still a genuine one from a 1966 series 1 FHC. It is in pretty good condition but with a few cracks.

could you let me know how your contact with Len went ? I might be interested as well.

cheers
Erik

Post by **Heuer** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:41 pm

Erik

Len has the steering wheel at the moment so I will let you know. From Len:

"I am able to offer full refurbishment for 1950?s and 1960?s classic leather and wood rimmed steering wheel. Leather bound wheels are recovered and hand stitched with the original cross stitch pattern. Wood rimmed wheels would have all the old vanish removed, splits would be glued and clamped and new vanish applied. If required by the customer, alloy parts can be re-polished and the boss can be repainted to the original finish. Early Lotus Elan and MK1 Lotus Cortina wood rim studded wheels can also be undertaken. Prices from ?120 for leather wheels and from ?150 for Wood rimmed wheels. Return post and packing at customers cost. If the customer requires special delivery and insurance this is at extra cost. I reserve the right to refuse to restore any wheel that I consider to be unsafe to use on a car. Len Chandler 01276 856591 len.chandler@btinternet.com"

Post by **Heuer** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:44 pm

Sorry to report that Len cannot restore the steering wheel as he can not repair wood! Seems the corrosion has caused the wood to split. The wheel is now in the hands of another who claims it can be fully restored for ?100 - I will keep you updated.

Erikantwerp · Post by **Erikantwerp** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 6:20 pm

David,

sorry to hear that but thx for the update ! Please do keep me updated as mine also has one crack in the wood ....('

')

cheers and all the best
Erik

MarkE · Post by **MarkE** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 9:12 pm

David, if the wood has split because of oxidisation of the aluminium frame, this is a big job if it is to be used on a car again. The wood has to come off, which can lead to further splitting or even its ruin. Then the aluminium has to be repaired, with the oxidised part cut out and replaced in a manner that preserves its structural integrity. Then the wood, or more likely, a new wood, has to be replaced, prepped and varnished.

Wood rim steering wheels are pretty dangerous at best, and are banned from most categories of classic motor sport. If they have a hidden weakness, even a low speed shunt can turn them into dangerous and sharp objects which will hurt a lot if you come into contact with them.

Ask the other repairer how he is going to do all this work. If he?s not, then expect a wheel that has had a cosmetic renovation only?a bit of stained wood filler and a coat of varnish will just make it a pretty wall hanging.

It?s a shame on a lovely wheel like this, but I suspect that the reason Len couldn?t / wouldn?t do it is that he couldn?t do the job properly without destroying the original wood? and that?s the main reason for having the wheel in the first place.

Post by **Heuer** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:49 am

Mark

Thanks for the info. I bought the wheel on behalf of a friend who wanted it for his S1 OTS. He is a racer (was running a Lister, now running two Lola T70's) and after Len returned the wheel to him he asked the people who maintain these cars if they knew of anyone. They did and the wheel has gone to them. Just a bit of fun really to see what can be done. If a better one comes up he will no doubt get it but it will be interesting to see how things turn out.

Erik

If your wheel just has split wood and no corrosion then Len would be able to fix it for you.

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