OK, folks - here's the deal...curiosity was killing me and since I happen to
have an old TR3 steering wheel laying around, I decided to try my luck at
restoring the finish. Since it needs some SERIOUS crack filling, plus the
entire surface of the wheel has what I'd describe as pin pricks all over it
(like maybe it had been dropped on pavement and scratched), I didn't much
care whether my experiment made it worse, so I gave it a shot.
Sandpaper is AMAZIN' STUFF! This wheel was very dull grayish color - hadn't
looked new in 40 years, I suspect. In fact, it came off of a car that had
sat in a guy's yard, barely covered, for 20 of those years...so you get the
idea how bad it looked. I grabbed a small piece of 220 grit wet/dry and wet
sanded a 6" section of the wheel. Then I went to 400. Total of about 30
seconds per grit, tops. Then I wiped off the residue, decided I needed no
more sanding and went directly to a cotton buffing wheel charged with
whatever the white compound sold at Sears is called. Buffed for a few
seconds and WOW! Looks like a new wheel (well, 6" of it looks new anyway.)!
This did not get rid of the pin pricks or weathered cracks as I didn't sand
enough (or coarse enough). Not sure how deep they are, so I didn't bother.
But - if you have a TR3 steering wheel that isn't pitted, just discolored,
this should absolutely work wonders with very little effort. Even better
than the same process on my Bakelite Control Head. The wheel is made of a
softer material and sands/shines much easier than the Bakelite did. I've
seen painted wheels and IMHO, they don't hold a candle to this! BTW, this
wheel was not painted. Whatever the material is, it is solid to the steel
core and black throughout (I cut into it with a pocket knife to check).
Anyway, the wheel on my car is in good shape, but if it ever decides to
deteriorate, I'll break out the sandpaper! Give it a shot, Pat.
Michael Ferguson
1959 TR3A TS53990L...O
There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.'...Dave Barry
(case in point - see above!) :^)
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