Steering wheel restoration.

[Captain Obvious]

27 minutes ago, Av8ferg said:

in 77 they almost look like clown shoes.

Oh yeah? Well.....

Edited May 25, 2019 by Captain Obvious

[dutchzcarguy]

In 2007 i took an old wheel and pulled the fake wood (resin and wood powder mix) off and made myself a fat mahogany wooden wheel!  It was 38 hours of work.. 8 layers of blank laquer..  and lots of sanding was involved..  came out nice..   (metall in semi gloss black)

There is a ring of 6.5 mm in the wheel..  I made 6 parts on the front hollow and 6 massiv parts at the back, glued the front parts with 2-comp. glue to the metall and the wooden parts with prof. wood glue (water resistant) together..

With a matching gearknob, made on a wood lathe.  joke from myself.. the 10 means 10 years of work on my Z  ?

 

 

[siteunseen]

8 hours ago, Av8ferg said:

Dave,
I agree my 280z steering wheel looks like it was left on Venus for 3 yrs. The rubber looks like it was microwaved. Bumpers...I could live with the 75’ bumpers but in 77 they almost look like clown shoes.


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Rear bumper is my bar. Holds, so far, 6 empty soilders (Bud Lights) when I mow my yard. Yeah I know 6 is a lot but I have a big yard.

[dutchzcarguy]

Funny is the parts box with all kind of Datsun stuff under the knob (also a few non Datsun parts..)

[siteunseen]

I just realized that! 

Very cool wheel.

[Av8ferg]

Dutchzcarguy,
That’s some varsity work, way outside my novice ability. Pretty impressive!


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[240260280]

240z fresh off the boat in LA. May 72.

 

Edited May 29, 2019 by 240260280

[Mark Maras]

I like the sea of 510s sitting behind the two US land yachts. 

[240260280]

Here is another light steering wheel in July 1970. It is a commonly sold Z, not one for advertising. It also has the straw coloured wheel finish:

 

[jayhawk]

If it helps, here are photos of the steering wheel and interior from a 1971/1972 brochure:

The cover of the brochure, for reference:

 

[hls30.com]

There is some pretty work in this thread! 

Really the kicker here is that the resin that was used darkens with age.  While it is not too difficult  to get a wheel to look much better, it is another thing entirely to get it to look as it did new.  I have been working on that for quite a while, and I am closing in on it, when I get it completely sorted out, I will put together a full article/video on what I have found out about the wheel, and what I think will put it right.

[ZCarFever]

@hls30.com when do you expect to be able to publish anything about it? Eager to learn something new, as I will refurbish a couple of them this winter...