steering wheel refurb

[Bob Purton]

I have just finished refurbishing my steering wheel. Its a Nobel one that blob of this forum flogged me some years ago. I wasnt sure if it was worth doing at the time as there were large chunks missing and many cracks all over it. I know that if you are willing to pay substantial amounts you can get the whole hard rubber casing re-molded but I thought I would try and save it as it was.
It wasnt a total leap of faith as I had already repaired the steering bar on my old schmitt and although a hairline crack re-appeared some time latter I was still fairly happy with the results.
I guess the difference between a steering bar and a wheel is that with the bar quite a lot of tension is exerted onto the bar ends especially when slow maneuvering and with nothing to stop the ends flexing . Once the rubber gets to a certain age it loses its flexibility whereas with a wheel every action is supported somewhere reducing the chance of cracking. I think most cracked wheels are just the result of material shrinkage.
Anyway, I cut out all the cracked areas and loose chunks then started filling using PC7. After much fiddling and fettering I got it to the stage of being ready for its top coat of paint. When I restored the schmitt bar I used some left over 2k paint, had it put in an aerosol by my local automotive paint shop and sprayed it air dry, no hardener. This worked out well as to this day it hasnt worn through and this kind of paint does remain flexible to some extent.
So, I did this agian with the nobel wheel using some pepper white 2k left over from the underside of Bobette. here are the results. I'm quite pleased.  Also I wasnt prepared to pay a lot for a genuine white center button so the one you see is from a Reliant, they are very cheap and paint over easily. Job done for not much money.

[marcus]

Top job Bob!

[AndyL]

Looks mint.

I looked up PC7, as I didn't know what it was. An epoxy based filler type glue. Should be very strong.

Worth looking at modified acrylic adhesives for this kind of job, they're stronger than epoxies for plastic bonding as they actually key into the plastic as opposed to cling onto it like epoxy. The finished joint is tougher than the original material in the majority of cases. If you can also add a bit of fibre reinforcement over areas of damage, then that will also go a long way to preventing cracks reappearing.

Don't know if you sat the Wheelerdealers eposide where they restored the Isetta, but they had the wheel refurbished for that, and it looked to me like the chap remoulding the rim was using a mixture of polyester resin and chopped glass strands for reinforcement.

[Bob Purton]

Hi Andy. I did see that episode. I didnt log what they used, just assumed it was vulcanite. A more modern material would make more sense though.
I like PC7 because it retains flexibility which matches the nature of the material I was repairing , also if you drill a series of holes into the sides of the cut for the epoxy to be forced into it does key in well. I didnt invent this repair system, it was written up years ago in Kabin news. There may well be better products out there now.
One day I will remove the fancy laced cover from my Isetta wheel. I dread to think what its covering up as the standard of restoration on the car was rather inconsistent!

Could this be a suitable subject for a RCN article?

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Bob

Steering wheel restoration would make a good article for RCN.

Chris Thomas
Rumcar News

[Bob Purton]

Oh good Chris. I will look forward to reading that!

[AndyL]

I don't know what original resin was used. I would think that was a heat cured product to speed up manufacture, rather than something cured by catalytic reaction like the products created in smaller batch production or for DIY use.

I have three steering wheels, none of them have what I would consider to be a rubbery texture. The plastic rim is hard plastic. Two rims are from Isetta's, the third liberated from a rather forlorn burnt out Reliant Regal many moons ago.

[Bob Purton]

Maybe the hard rubber substance is a German product then as the schmitt bar was not a hard plastic and the Nobel wheel wasnt either, perhaps a Fuldamobil item??
When I say vulcanite, I use it in my work with Wimshurst machines and other influence machines/electrostatic apparatus and it's a little like bakalite only softer[turns nicely], you know its rubber based when you machine it from the smell it gives off. My Nobel wheel gave off a similar odour when I was cutting sections out with a grinder. You have to be careful when machining some of those antique compound materials because you never know whats in them, I nearly passed out once when turning a compound billiard ball, still I suppose I should of been grateful it didnt explode.
I see where you are coming from though, If the wheel was made of a hard resin type material I would have used another product.  Maybe you should volunteer to write the article?  You have obviously restored a lot of microcars. I'm all for sharing the knowledge.

[AndyL]

Only have the one microcar, Bob. Happy enough with that, and it leaves some others to enjoy.

It's interesting, because my wheels seem to be hard rigid plastic. perhaps they've gone hard with age?

[Bob Purton]

You surprise me, for some reason I thought you were a long standing bubbler, must be thinking of someone else. So the Isetta is your first project then? I think the material on those wheels must vary some as my dad was a lifetime Reliant driver and I dont ever remember seeing any shrinkage or cracking on any of his old Regals. The Nobel wheel isnt rubbery or squashy to touch, you only realize its not hard plastic when you start to cut or drill it. Same with Schmitt steering bars.

[richard]

maybe you two are discussing  relative hardnesss ?

[AndyL]

I've been involved in the micro car scene for a long time, went to my first rally back 1989. However for a few years I was just a curious spectator. I didn't have the facilities or finance to own a car like that.

When I eventually found and purchased a car, it was a bit of a wreck, and I still had to build the facilities to renovate and house it. I worked on various aspects of the car, then other aspects of life took over, and work stopped.

A lot of work was done on the car, although the main job left is to sort the shell out. It needs a little bit of welding here and there, a few dents bumping out, and a through strip to clean off all the rust and have it readied for respraying.

Was thinking of having the door dipped, as the box sections were rusty inside (not heavy pitting) and shotpeening won't deal with that. Have heard a few horror tales of this however- don't want the door coming back looking like a lace doily!

I stopped attending rallies in the early nineties, the last I attended was the National in 1993. My work patterns sometimes made weekends awkward, and if I'm honest my interest in the rally scene had waned a little as it seemed the cars were being renovated to a higher standard, but were being used less and less.

The rallies I always enjoyed the most were the Quainton and Bath events. Large enough to get some variety, but small and informal enough that you had a chance to get around and talk to a few people. Plus they seemed to attract the kind of owners that really used the cars.

[Bob Purton]

Well, from the few chats we have had so far you sound more than qualified to do a good restoration but if I can help in any way I will. That said, I'm more of an Inter expert that an Isetta one.
I know what you mean about the rally scene though. I have started to favour the smaller events as well. Never been mad on the National although I do plan to go next year to be supportive but mainly to show off the new car which should be finished by then[I said that last year as well!] Last year at Malvern the forum users met up for a chat on the Sunday which was good. Put some faces to names. We should do that again next year.
Havnt done Bath for a few years. Maybe next year.

[Stuart Cyphus]

maybe you two are discussing  relative hardnesss ?

 Apparently lots of things get less hard as the years go by.  Even I've started to notice with some things...   

[Big Al]

Mark provided a good item on restoring the Schmitt steering bar in Take Off which is accessible on the net I believe.
A service exists that takes in duff bars and restores them in Germany. Its not cheap. However efforts to replicate this item are frustrated by the lack of whatever steel alloy was used in the original. Its very tough metal and resists hacksaws with some success. It would never break in normal service meaning a crack is not the end of the world. Though it can rust over time peeling off the casing.
Early Goggo and Heinkel Ireland have issues with cracked steering wheels too.

Rallies, well its not just me then. However if folk vote with their feet and say nothing then the situation does not get resolved into more active events, unless an organiser takes the chance to attempt a more varied event. Constructive criticism should be welcomed.
Strangely at clubnight it was once again stated by two guys unbidden that the last 'good' National they attended was Toddington - 1999. Not just for activity but because it was the last to feature a full field of autojumble. I cannot really comment on that for several reasons.
Bath might well be a slightly different event next year. That might well please more folk and it is to be hoped some more might attend in cars. Hatton has every chance to do well. It is very much a venue that can be driven too. Chuck in a lot of Frisky in one place and maybe a surprise or two and why would you miss it? Blimey even Root is talking of driving up there.
 
But have the Maniacs not been driving thier cars over the last decade or so? Perhaps the South it is, that is whinging.