dizzycap wrote:How were the original leather steering wheels made? The thin ones, not the "fat grip"/RSR ones.
I had a 380mm 914 hard rubber wheel in my last 911 and really liked it. However for my 68 I would like a leather 380mm wheel. But it has to be thin. And hard. To me vintage cars have thin wheels with really marked finger cut-outs on the back.
Was there such a thing as a 914 leather wheel? Was it built around a hard rubber wheel or around a hard plastic wheel? I'm thinking one could single-wrap a black plastic 914 wheel to get what I want. (And them leave it in the sun to patinate properly )
Hi Dizzcap
Andy's advice is spot on....hard plastic wheels will give you the slimmest end result...being solid it means I can pull the leather slightly tighter than with soft rubber rims...(which are also slightly thicker)...produces a nice smooth finish and a very well defined profile of the bumps on the rear face. Over time rubber wheels loose the grip definition through wear....this isn't the case with plastic wheels which are more durable.....
Hope that helps
Best
Jonathan
1974 2.7 Carrera
(full restoration. now as an RS Touring)
1963 3.8 E Type
( 11 years in the making…………………….)
1952. XK120…the next one ……….……..)
Hi, many thanks - I can supply an 804.10 wheel, which is the hard plastic variety. There are typically used as the base for a double-wrapped leather wheel - because they are the same as an 803.10 which is what was used in period - but I am sure Jonathan can single-wrap one!
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