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vitesseefi South West Posts: 2,249	Steering wheel repair or remake vitesseefi @vitesseefi
	Jun 27, 2021 16:00:07 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Hoping to tap into the deep well of talent, ingenuity and experience on RR.... I have this rather lovely 15" wooden steering wheel which was given to me 35 years ago by a good friend and has been in service on my Vitesse more or less continuously since. Yes I know it is shamefully dirty - this is partly because it has been sat in the garage for a couple of years. Don't know the origin / make as it has no markings at all, but it has a nice compact boss and takes the standard badge/horn-push. It's a bit unusual in that it has no metal in the rim at all. The spokes slot snugly into the laminated wood rim and are secured by small self-tappers that pass right through the spoke - which brings me too the problem. It's not the most rigid and robust of items and periodically the three screws clamping the rim to the spokes have to be nipped up. Last time I went to do this, one of the screw heads had gone. I didn't snap it off (that time or the last), it was just gone. It's snapped off flush and it's tight - at least, it's tight in the context of having naff-all to grab hold of. Here's what should be there It's tight in the spoke rather than the wood. I've tried a little penetrating oil. I've tried a little heat. I've tried a little percussive persuasion - all limited by really wanting not to hurt the wooden rim. I've also tried drilling the screw. It's really small and really hard and the end is far from flat - anyway, I really need it to come out intact so I'm not left with an un-extractable stump below the spoke level.... Any bright ideas on how to deal with it gratefully received! Part 2 is that if I'm forced to admit defeat, I would like to re-use the boss and make a wheel in the same style to replace it. This would have metal in the rim and probably be smaller (14"). Has anyone done this before. What grade of aluminium is best and how is the wood attached? Motalita and the like seem to use brass rivets which I'm not that keen on..... Thanks Nick
	1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend) 1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing) 1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)

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comfortablynumb Posted a lot Posts: 3,068	Steering wheel repair or remake comfortablynumb @comfortablynumb
	Jun 28, 2021 7:39:52 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Might be talking c**p here but how about putting a washer around the head to act as a heatsink, and spotwelding a nut to the screw head? I appreciate its wood and you don’t want to burn it, but might give you enough purchase to get it undone?


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dodgerover Posted hell of a lot "These days turned out nothing like I had planned" Posts: 5,882	Steering wheel repair or remake dodgerover @dodgerover
	Jun 28, 2021 7:58:00 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	If you remove the other screws will the rim rotate around to unscrew it from the broken stump. If it will then hopefully you should be able to get a pair of mole grips on the remains.
	Mk2 lwb transit work van retrorides.proboards.com/thread/159214/new-work-1985-transit-update Dodge 50 (247CUi) powered Range Rover (resting), WANTED Aussie Valiant

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vitesseefi South West Posts: 2,249	Steering wheel repair or remake vitesseefi @vitesseefi
	Jun 28, 2021 15:06:00 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	The “washer idea” is on the “desperate measures” list….. As is the use of a pair of jump leads and a car battery to see if the screw/some interface can be locally heated by resistance. That could also go wrong! The spoke goes into a nicely made slot. There is just (barely) enough rotation available to show me that the screw is stuck in the spoke, not the rim….. It’s a tricky one for sure! Nick
	1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend) 1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing) 1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)

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melle South West It'll come out in the wash. Posts: 1,984	Steering wheel repair or remake melle @melle
	Jun 30, 2021 20:13:19 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Jun 27, 2021 16:00:07 GMT vitesseefi said: What grade of aluminium is best and how is the wood attached? Motalita and the like seem to use brass rivets which I'm not that keen on..... In one of the recent Retropower Uncut videos on YouTube they said they were going to make a wheel from 6082 aluminium, which sounds like a good choice to me. Instead of "through" rivets you could use "blind" dowels I suppose? I'm sure you can even get away without mechanical fastening if you use the right adhesive. I'm not a massive fan of visible rivets either; this 16" Moto Lita MK9 is what I want for my Saab 96, and I've been contemplating making something similar myself as I thought it would be a nice project: I'm sure petervdv can further advise.
	www.saabv4.com '70 Saab 96 V4 "The Devil's Own V4" '77 Saab 95 V4 van conversion project '88 Saab 900i 8V

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petervdv Part of things Posts: 852	Steering wheel repair or remake petervdv @petervdv
	Jul 2, 2021 17:41:34 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	I am not sure that there is no metal in the rim. I restore steering wheels and i have never done one that has no steel or aluminum in the rim. On some you can see it, on some you cannot. It is also possible that someone fitted the screws afterwards as where the spokes meet the rim is the weakest part of the wood and its often cracked there or loose. You actually do not need rivets or screws in your new steering wheel. I have restored steering wheels from 60 and 70 cars and originally only the 2 wooden halfs were glued together with woodglue and there was no bond with the metal. In todays world we have modern epoxy glues which bond the wood rim to the aluminum and no screws or rivets are needed. I only fit rivets to remain the original look but not for strength. The difficult part is making the wood rim. This is normally not made out of massive wood but with thin layers of wood wrapped and glued circular. For the aluminum, its best to use a aircraft grade aluminum with a 6... or 7... code. Its not easy to get hold of a small sheet of these types of aluminum. What i recommend is to contact a compagny that laser cuts aluminum and ask them to lasercut your design or buy a small sheet of aluminum from them. you can see examples on www.classicsteeringwheelrestoration.com Regards Peter


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Dez Club Retro Rides Member And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up. Posts: 11,713 Club RR Member Number: 34	Steering wheel repair or remake Dez @dez Club Retro Rides Member 34
	Jul 4, 2021 11:09:11 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	I agree, a new lazercut wheel using the old one as a pattern to draw it up would be pretty easy. Same with the rim sections, very easy to shape 90% of the way with a CNC router table these days, then finish the last bits by hand once assembled.
	1928 Y-block powered ford model A sedan All my other Junk

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perf Part of things Posts: 35	Steering wheel repair or remake perf @perf
	Jul 5, 2021 9:24:49 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Jun 27, 2021 16:00:07 GMT vitesseefi said: It's not the most rigid and robust of items and periodically the three screws clamping the rim to the spokes have to be nipped up. Last time I went to do this, one of the screw heads had gone. I didn't snap it off (that time or the last), it was just gone. It's snapped off flush and it's tight - at least, it's tight in the context of having naff-all to grab hold of. Here's what should be there It's tight in the spoke rather than the wood. I've tried a little penetrating oil. I've tried a little heat. I've tried a little percussive persuasion - all limited by really wanting not to hurt the wooden rim. I've also tried drilling the screw. It's really small and really hard and the end is far from flat - anyway, I really need it to come out intact so I'm not left with an un-extractable stump below the spoke level.... Any bright ideas on how to deal with it gratefully received! Thanks Nick Have tried a left handed drillbit? Or a small endmill


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kevins Posted a lot Posts: 4,704	Steering wheel repair or remake kevins @kevins
	Jul 5, 2021 19:57:23 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	have you tried warming up the spoke with something like a hot air gun, possibly it will then expand enough to loosen the screw.


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vitesseefi South West Posts: 2,249	Steering wheel repair or remake vitesseefi @vitesseefi
	Jul 6, 2021 13:01:14 GMT Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top
	Thanks all. Peter, definitely no metal in the rim apart from the tips of the spokes. This is old. Early 60s latest. Kevin, I’ve tried the hot air gun, no dice. Might have to start venturing into emergency measures…. Melle, thanks for the alloy reference. We are getting quotes for laser-cutting. Surprising variations! Now my son wants one too, but that means making another boss….. Life gets complicated so easily! Nick
	1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend) 1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing) 1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)

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