Wrapped Steering Wheel

[Editor_Reid]

There was some recent discussion on the subject of steering wheel covers, and I thought you might be interested in the different route that I took. A few months ago I saw some photos of an unrestored 100 that had a wrapped steering wheel, like they used to do with pre-war race cars. I was struck by how great it looked.

Then in January I visited the Arizona auctions and saw another 100 with a similarly wrapped steering wheel, and again, I thought it looked really great. That motived me to finally try it on my 100. Here's the result (although this photo was taken before the loose ends were finally hidden and secured):

I have since driven the car about 500 miles and I absolutely love the way the thicker wheel feels in your hand, and the grip/traction you get is fabulous. It also looks good from a color perspective as my 100 is Healey Blue over Old English White, and now the interior is also blue and white.

I used "sash cord" readily available on amazon.com, not that you asked.

 

[Rob Glasgow]

All that’s needed now are the sweat stains from competing in the Le Mans 24 hours.….

 

[Dandare]

I used "sash cord" readily available on amazon.com, not that you asked.

Reid, wouldn't the sash cord be a bit hard to keep clean?

Danny

 

[Lin]

Nice job Reid. Looks great.
I saw this one at Encounter in 2000 (twenty-three years ago!)
Lin

 

[HealeyRick]

And it's a great way to hide those nasty steering wheel cracks.

 

[Editor_Reid]

Reid, wouldn't the sash cord be a bit hard to keep clean?

Danny

I wear clean driving gloves, but eventually everything gets dirty. Some call it patina.

 

[GregW]

Just need an 8-ball shift knob and some fuzzy dice for the rear view.

 

[BoyRacer]

I wrapped mine with 3/16" cotton sash cord. And in keeping with the "industrial" look of my Healey I welcome the look to my wrap that will come with use from my un-gloved hands. The funny thing is that I wore gloves most of the time with my other steering wheel. It's hard to describe but the feel and grip that I now get from this wrapped wheel is really nice.

 

[red57]

I think the thicker rim from wrapping is the way to go. I have never liked the feel of the thin wood rims because they seem slippery and hard to grip (although they do look great). Mine is an aftermarket wheel a little smaller in diameter than stock and came from the manufacturer with a leather wrap over a foam padded rim. It's about 1" diameter (so probably similar to cotton sash wrapped wheels) and the grip is great and very comfortable to me. I found a company in Texas that does steering wheels to recover mine as per original and I love it.

 

[roscoe]

Boy racer,
I sent you a pm asking about your aftermarket seats. Thanks.