[Healeys] How to restore a BJ8 steering wheel

rfbegani at gmail.com rfbegani at gmail.com
Tue Jul 26 06:00:02 MDT 2022


Thanks for the information.  The two component stick is probably from the same manufacturer that made the stick my customer sold in the plumbing and electric industry fill the hole in the wall around the water pipe or conduit rather than mix a batch of mortar.  Same as the sculpting clay.  

 

As my steering wheel is not in the poor condition shown or the one Roland described I will just fill in the cracks with black clay, smooth and paint the surface and polish.  Then I will reinstall the 40-year-old leather wheel cover which has covered the cracks etc. quite well for all those years. When I am no longer around, one of my sons can buy a new steering wheel for my old girl. 

 

I want to thank both of you for the information How To as the information has given me ideas on how to make the repair better looking.

 

 

 

I know that this group always knows where there are articles on How To restore and repair our Healeys.  However, what happens when those articles disappear when the person who maintains the site passes.  I am a member of the Catalina 28 Sailboat Ass which had 30 years of the members articles on Yahoo Groups when the provider decided not to support that part of their program.  Fortunately, two of our members with TECH knowledge knew the site was going away and retrieved the data and moved it to @groups.io  They organized the information in a great way so any of us can quickly access and down load it.  

 

It seems to me this group should consider consolidating their information to one site.  What do you think?  Maybe the new Healey Club of America site?  It might outlast all of us!

 

Bob Begani

 

From: Alan Seigrist <healey.nut at gmail.com> 
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2022 6:07 PM
To: Roland Wilhelmy <sentenac.rw at gmail.com>
Cc: Robert Begani <rfbegani at gmail.com>; Healey list <healeys at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Healeys] How to restore a BJ8 steering wheel

 

Geoff Chrysler has a nice article on doing this:

http://www.detailenthusiast.ca/blog/steering-in-the-right-direction

 

 

 

On Mon, Jul 25, 2022 at 12:54 AM Roland Wilhelmy <sentenac.rw at gmail.com <mailto:sentenac.rw at gmail.com> > wrote:

The horn ring is Bakelite and it responds well to ink, shoe polish and buffing. 

 

The steering wheel is of more "modern" plastic. It is stronger but sometimes not strong enough. I used PC3, a two part epoxy material because that is what was used by the restorers of early VW steering wheels. It tends not to separate from the original plastic or crack due to shrinkage. (So far so good). It is quite hard and you'll need to file and sand to match the contours. That is a lot of work. Also a lot of work is digging out corrosion at the bottoms of cracks opening the cracks so you get a good connection between wheel and filler. 

 

I restored my BN1 wheel because replacements aren't available. You can buy exact replacements for your BJ8 and that's what I would do if I owned a BJ8. I put maybe 40 or 50 hours of labor into restoring my wheel. I wouldn't have done it if there were an alternative. 

 

-Roland

 


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On Sun, Jul 24, 2022, 9:37 AM <rfbegani at gmail.com <mailto:rfbegani at gmail.com> > wrote:

Hi Roland:

 

Now that my Healey is on the road again, I have been working on the interior of the car which is original and in great condition after applying polishing creams to the vinyl and other surfaces.  My steering wheel is in good condition except where wheel meets the wire.  Most of the Bakelite?? Or what ever the material is has broken off the wires.  I purchased a two-component epoxy sculpting clay in black.  I have used it before to reconstruct, seal openings etc.  Once the two components are mixed you can mold the clay does not get hard immediately.  I believe I can fill in the in the voids and sculp the material to almost match the original mold.  While the material should match the wheel, or I will rub in Jet black leather dye to obtain luster.  

 

So, what did you use in your restoration?  The horn and housing on my wheel are in good condition and the Jet-black leather dye improved the surfaces so I could polish and buff to a nice luster.  My horn and trafficator work well and looks great. Am not looking for concours perfection.

 

Bob Begani

BJ8 67

 

From: Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net <mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> > On Behalf Of Roland Wilhelmy via Healeys
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2022 11:04 AM
To: Paul Leeks <paulleeks909 at gmail.com <mailto:paulleeks909 at gmail.com> >
Cc: healeys <healeys at autox.team.net <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net> >
Subject: Re: [Healeys] How to clean the steering wheel?

 

It depends on your wheel. If it is an un- restored original then you could try soap, followed by various solvents carefully applied. If the wheel has been restored, that is, cracks repaired, etc.,and then painted, it depends on the paint what kind of cleaning it can stand. I used black automotive urethane and it holds up well, even to brake fluid.  If the surface of your wheel has been altered and not just coated you will need to sand it smooth carefully. And then possibly paint it if it won't polish up. 

-Roland

 

On Sun, Jul 24, 2022, 2:55 AM Paul Leeks <paulleeks909 at gmail.com <mailto:paulleeks909 at gmail.com> > wrote:

Hi all

In the process of working on my 100/6, I seem to have contaminated the steering wheel with either oil or brake fluid from my hands.

It now has a nasty matt finish :-(

Can someone recommend the best way to clean it up?

Many thanks

Paul Leeks
100/6 BN4

 

 

Paul Leeks

 <mailto:paulleeks909 at gmail.com> paulleeks909 at gmail.com

07718 523778

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