glen.christian@juno.com (glen christian) wrote:
> i've got a job i've been wanting to do for the longest. the
>steering wheel on my '66 midget is in desparate need of refurbishing.
>it's basically sound. it has a few big cracks in the outer plastic rim,
>and the plastic is pretty sun beat (i drive with my top off a lot :) ).
>what i was planning to do was first of all fill in the cracks with
>something like j.b. weld putty epoxy.
In building my 66MGB from parts I had to use a pretty beat up wheel, much
like you described. I had to go a bit further though, following the advice
of a local mechanic. I ground off all the plastic where the spokes meet the
rim of the wheel and found, just as the mechanic suggested, that the welds
had failed where the spokes are attached to the rim. This is what had
caused the plastic to crack.
I had the spokes re-welded, hopefully stronger this time, and then
proceeded to fill in the ground out area with black epoxy, using masking
tape as a temporary mold. This took several applications and lots of time
:)
I then ground down the excess epoxy and matched the rounded/notched profile
as best I could. Painted and covered with a good leather cover, I'm very
happy with it. The cracks have not returned, and the cover's been replaced
already from wearing out.
I was told that many of these steering wheels cracked as a result of people
using them to push the car (imagine that!) or as an assist in entry/exit
from the car. Two things I avoid.
Dave Culgan
66 MGB soon to be "wireless"
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