Steering wheel restoration

[Heuer]

Pete

1. I think it needs to be an aerosol rather than brush to get the finish
2. Not sure anything generally available on the home market (e.g. Rustins) is going to do it.

Will report back.

[PeterCrespin]

Pete

1. I think it needs to be an aerosol rather than brush to get the finish
2. Not sure anything generally available on the home market (e.g. Rustins) is going to do it.

Will report back.

Being two-pack you can put it on far thicker than an aerosol. I did my S1 2+2 steering wheel refurb with it, my walnut veneer dash with it and have just finished the MkIX which has several acres of wood. I know whereof I speak. Brush is nice because the original wheels weren't glass smooth like modern veneers on luxo-barges. You can get it glass smooth if you want - there certainly aren't brush strokes if you're sensible - but I prefer a 2000 grit final rub to give it a gloss but not mirror look. I deal for an early 62 where you wouldn't want ostentatious glass-like polish.

No, wait, you just had Reflectology in.... Pass the sunglasses :-)

[Heuer]

Yes Russell is here at the moment working on the FHC. It was restored 12 months ago and looked fantastic .................. until I parked it next to the OTS! Under the fluorescent lights the reflections were not as sharp and it seemed as though there was a fine layer of dust over it. I called Russell in and under his high power lights he diagnosed there were scratches on the roof caused by a contaminated pad when they buffed it after painting. He used to work in a bodyshop ans says he knows how they work - put the polishing machine on the floor pad down and then drag it towards them by the cable There are also other micro blemishes plus swirls caused by the PO's polishing. All are being carefully removed with the polishing machine - about 15 hours work in total. Interestingly he says the FHC paintwork is coming up a lot faster than the OTS for some reason, probably a different paint formulation. Should be finished today and it is already looking spectacular. Well worth the ?450 and goes to show that even the best quality paint job can be improved enormously. I know Harry at E-Type UK has all his cars done.

As regards the CTB steering wheel I have a excellent unrestored original on the OTS and after all these years it is just as shiny as the newly restored one. But I have no doubt your refinishing work on the wood is excellent - some people have a feel for it, others do not and it ends up looking terrible. When I was restoring 1940's Wurlitzer Jukeboxes I did all the French polishing of the cabinets myself and I found I could get a better finish that most professionals simply because I could spend more time doing it. Any way I will ring Steering Wheel Restorations and see if they will give me chapter and verse on their method.

[PeterCrespin]

Actually, I'm lousy at refinishing - haven't got the patience for all those coats of varnish or paint so I always try short cuts and they usually aren't successful. That's why I like the Rustins stuff in the UK because being two pack means you slap it on thicker and it sets before the runs get too bad! And when they do, the catalysed varnish sets all the way through instead of skinning, so you can sand the run out quite easily pretty soon. I get a lot of practice at that...

I never cease to enjoy the astonishing transformation of wood from dull plain sanded surface to stunning beauty when it gets a coat of varnish. Walnut veneers are just spectacular to do, but even a tatty oldvpiece of softwood comes up a treat. You get a repeat each time you sand it but those first brush strokes are soooo rewarding aren't they?

As the old song goes: "The first coat is the deepest, baby I know, the first coat is the deepest."

[Heuer]

OK I asked and it is sprayed with a polyester lacquer. Not recommended for home use as it requires a specific temperature and goes off almost as soon as it has left the nozzle. It is super hard and the only thing that will cause damage is it being dropped when the coating will shatter. The lacquer itself also imparts stiffness and strength to the wheel.

"Polyester Lacquer is a three part component finish used mainly on pianos and some guitars (mostly electric). The components are polyester resin, usually a proprietary mixture of pure polyester resin and styrene. The different brands have different characteristics according to the application, both during the finishing process and what the items intended use will be. The other two components are cobalt, used as an accelerator, and MEKP (Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide) the liquid hardener. It is supper fast building, all of the coats are applied before the product completely sets up. That could be anywhere from 1 to 30 mils thickness. (I have actually seen a piano top that had at least a half inch thick build after polishing. The piano was flipped on it's top during delivery and the finish literally cracked like tempered glass.) Once the finish has cured, usually around 12 to 24 hours, it must be cut and buffed. Depending on the specific type of Polyester Lacquer applied, this could be just with a wool pad and compound, or proper polishing could start with 320 grit sandpaper all the way up to 2000 grit. Polyester Lacquer, unlike Urethane in all of its forms or any other type of lacquer, dries to a very hard surface. It is akin to polishing glass, or at least it will feel like it the first time through. The advantage to the hardness is that it can be given a true mirror shine if polished correctly. The coating is virtually insoluble, so removal is not usually an option. The product can however be over coated with just about anything once it is sanded properly for adhesion. This is just a brief overview of Polyester Lacquer, a whole book could be written on the subject. I hope this helps."

[CTDavies]

Interesting thread here as I am currently restoring my own steering wheel. The first images here show what it looked like when I got it. The wood was badly worn, cracked and darkened.



here are some of the cracks





In all I didn't think the wood could be returned to an accetable standard so it had to be replaced. I found one of the Nicholas Reeves replacement kits on ebay which was in excellent quality, even if the halves didn't fit prefectly all around. This can easily be fixed.





I didn't want to glue the two halves together myself so I took it to a local cabinet maker to do this for me. In a week or two I will know if this was the right decision.

The ring around the horn button was covered with tiny light brown spots which were impossible to remove until I realized that they should be there.



Someone had damaged the edge of the ring with a screw driver anyway, so I'll have to find a replacement.
The local machine shop has a large buffing wheel and they cleaned the aluminium core for me. This revealed some slight pitting, but I will leave this as it is as this is part of the original car.



I will surely have it varnished later, but what I will use I do not know yet.

Chris

[vikla]

I recently finished replacing the wood on my wheel. I found the gluing quite straightforward. I used standard Araldite (9hr setting?). After polishing off all the oxidation on the wheel rim I lined the bottom wood section with glue, then inserted the rim into it. I then covered the rim and wood with glue. Separately I applied glue to the top section of wood.
I then brought the two parts together and squeezed out any surplus glue. Excess glue can be wiped off with methylated spirits. On another post someone suggested putting cable ties on the rim to hold the sections together till the glue sets. I did this with about 10 ties and it worked very well. I left it for a couple of days and then sanded it all down. For the time being I have just put 4 coats of beeswax on the wheel which can easily be removed if I later want to try one the alternatives listed in the replies earlier in this post. The wood supplied by Nick Reeves is slightly larger in diameter than the original and gives a much more substantial wheel which I am happy with. (my original was about 18mm dia. and the new one is about 20mm) Here are the pics. You can see nicely the ply sections in the wood and also that my alloy part has a lot of 'patina' that I decided to leave on after light sanding and polishing would not remove it.

[ChrisC]

Interesting thread. Are the wood replacement kits available in other woods? It *looks* from the pictures that it might be mahogany as its darker than my wheel or did you guys stain it first? Just interested, not critiquing the wheel kits..

[Heuer]

There are two types of wheel, the early cars had the Coventry Timber Bending Company Ltd one which was round in cross section, an exposed inner rim with fairly pronounced finger grips on the rear. They were constructed from eight 3mm beech veneers 51/2 feet long and 4 inches wide. These were bonded together and cured by low frequency heating, then spliced into four pieces, to make four wheels. Each wheel was then split again and recessed to take the drilled aluminium spider, bonded again, then hand finished and polished on a lathe. The colours of the early wheels vary depending on the veneers but they are almost always pale in colour. Later wheels were made of two pieces of mahogany and grooved on the inner face, chosen because they were far cheaper to make. No stains were used, the wood was sanded and lacquered. There does not seem to be a recognised chassis number or date of change of wheel but in the June 1963 reprint of the Spare Parts Catalogue the new wheel #C20267 is listed as superseding the CTB version #C15168.
I have tried both types and the CTB wheels are far nicer to hold and use. There is a replica now available which is slightly sturdier but retains the round cross section, exposed rim and deep finger grips. It is made with mahogany rather than beech but otherwise it is very tactile, beautiful and flows nicely through the hands. My FHC had one fitted, now replaced by the restored original. Don't know who makes the CTB replica - I am going to put mine on eBay unless anyone here wants it. Here it is:





I understand Mike Lempert in the USA offers a similar wheel: http://www.pbase.com/mdlempert/wheels
Jaguar World Magazine says: "Steering Wheel Restorations, a division of Myrtle, has recently come up with an early E-type woodrim steering wheel with a difference. There isn?t any wood. Made from a composite material and finished to replicate the original wood effect and early finger grips, the replacement wheel looks authentic, is less flimsy and will never splinter when flexed. Each wheel is priced at ?295 (plus VAT and carriage)

? Tel: 01843 844962
? Email: info@myrtleltd.com
? Website: www.steeringwheelrestoration.com"

Edit: SNG sell them at ?278 inc VAT part # C28590

[vikla]

Here is the link to Nick Reeves only listing on eBay at present
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAGUAR-E-TYPE ... 1c3403af5c

The wood looks like mahogany but he doesn't say so on the listing. He used to say on the listings he made them oversize but now says they are 'as OE' which is odd because as I said previously they are a larger rim diameter than the originals. Nick does the wood for the early S1 wheels and had a listing for one only a week or two ago. They are in the same wood. Maybe David's replica was made using Nick's wood..? David, I have picked up from various threads you now have a FHC as well as your OTS. Have you posted up some details of the FHC somewhere and I've just missed it - doubtless its a fabulous car?

[Heuer]

Steve

Yes I now have a '62 FHC which I am going to keep totally standard. I was going to put some photos up this weekend but it has been raining heavily so I will do them once the sun comes out.

[PeterCrespin]

I was going to put some photos up this weekend but it has been raining heavily so I will do them once the sun comes out.

Uh oh! Too nice to use..

You need to call Reflectology's sister company, WaterOffADucksBackology for their rainproofing treatment. OTOH, I could do you a quickie drive-through service with a gallon of used sump oil and an old shower head?

Pete

[Heuer]

No Pete, I am taking it down to Letchworth on Tuesday for Angus to play with then off to Malton on Wednesday for a driven clay shoot. So 400 miles in two days in a treasured car that only did 500 miles in the last 12 months. Got to get it run in! After that it will be used whenever the sun don't shine because when it does the OTS or the Elan holds court. Only reason I did not bother with pictures yet is a) looks better in the sunshine and b) still waiting for the new front number plate as per your directions regarding fonts etc. Have you noticed how odd an E-Type looks sans the front plate? The previous owner used it to raise thousands for charity so I think I should continue its good work.

[PeterCrespin]

Tout ? fait juste! Roulez souigneusement, mais avec ?lan. Oh, sorry, wrong car :-)

That'll be a nice few miles. Be interested to read your impressions versus a 4.2 in all respects.

Pete

[MLBS3V12]

Hi,
I m going to replace the wood rim on my drive wheel.
Can you let me know with glue and coating hqve you used ?
Best regards
Michel