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I am not sure of the material, but after my epoxy repair cracked, I broke the plastic off an old rim and dissolved it in a small jar of acetone until it became a paste.
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<div dir="auto">When I did the repair, I brushed acetone into the cracked area to soften the old plastic before applying the paste. I used masking tape to dam up the shape.</div>
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<div dir="auto">That repair has lasted far better than JB Weld.</div>
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<div dir="auto">Laurie </div>
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<div>-------- Original message --------</div>
<div>From: Michael Salter <michaelsalter@gmail.com> </div>
<div>Date: 2026-04-08 5:47 p.m. (GMT-05:00) </div>
<div>To: healeys@autox.team.net </div>
<div>Subject: [Healeys] Steering wheel repair </div>
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Many years ago, I repaired the large cracks in the original steering wheel of my Phase 1 BJ8 by grinding them out with a Dremel and filling the cracks with JB weld. After sanding and repainting with epoxy gloss black it looked great however, after a few years,
more cracks appeared at the interface of the JB Weld and the original plastic from which the rim was molded. Back then I replaced the original wheel with a shiny new Motolita wood-rim wheel, with which I was never completely happy, and all was good, sort of.<span></span></p>
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I am now faced with having to do the same type of repair on the original wheel from the BN2 which I am currently restoring.<span></span></p>
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Before starting with the JB Weld process again I thought I should do a little research to see if I could find a filler material which would form a stronger bond with the plastic rim material.<span></span></p>
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Gemini told me that the rim was made of Bakelite but I was not convinced. Bakelite is a “thermoset” plastic which, when heated, does not melt. A simple experiment quickly proved that the rim plastic was a thermo-plastic material because it easily melted and
could be deformed when heated and again unlike Bakelite it dissolved in acetone.<span></span></p>
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I have done some Googling and it seems that it’s very likely that the plastic used for molding the rims was Tenite™ cellulose acetate.
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Does anyone know for sure what the original steering wheel rims were made from?<span></span></p>
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