TR4/4A Refurbished Steering Wheel Correct Paint

[TRMark]

I refurbished my TR4 steering wheel. The weld broke attaching the spokes to the steel rim. I cut enough of the plastic away to weld it, of course the heat melted some more of it. Repaired it with POR 15 epoxy putty. It isn't perfect, but then neither is the rest of the car. I painted the wheel using gloss black enamel with a catalyst. I don't know if the gloss was appropriate, thinking of scuffing the paint and redoing in a satin. What are your thoughts?

 

[Andrew Mace]

Gloss is fine, IMO!

 

[TomMull]

I agree. The original (Bakelite?) wheels were very glossy when new but quickly faded to a very dull finish. Tom

 

[Tosh]

Wrap a leather steering wheel cover around it and the gloss (or lack thereof) becomes moot.

 

[Geo Hahn]

I believe that gloss is 'as original'.

Mine still has the original gloss except for the 10:00 position where it has lots of scratches. The original owner was married and I surmise he wore a wedding ring and no gloves while driving. No plans to remove the scratches as I wear gloves and like it that he left his mark on the car.

 

[trglory]

Definitely gloss and the glossier the better. I did the POR15 route on mine and when I was done, it sparkled like a piece of polished onyx; never expected that the old cracked wheel could look that good again. Then it dawned on me that the paint would not stand up to the abuse that a Bakelite wheel could take and it would be a mess in short order. While it was still perfect, I put a Wheelskin cover on it (fits like a glove) and it looks great. However, all that work was for now naught, save for the little parts peeking out at the spokes.

Initially I was bummed, then I remembered that I didn't build this car to impress judges (God knows, the judges would absolutely hate some of my upgrades); I built it for my personal satisfaction. There is a lot of other work inside and under the car I did to satisfy my standards that no one else will ever see. I am happy being the only one to know that the wheel under that leather cover looks like a million bucks. After all is said and done though, I'm glad I added the cover because the Wheelskin bulks the rim up a bit providing a much more comfortable grip.

Joe

 

[TRMark]

Thanks for the help. I forgot about a cover, guess I got into the zen of restoration more than warranted. I like the looks of the Wheelskin, will check that out. I had a cover on the wheel before it broke years ago and was replaced with a TR6 version. -18F not wind chill, that's cold.