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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Steering wheel, restoration of

My steering wheel is in pretty good shape but I would like to restore it a bit. The hub appears to be a reddish brown plastic of some kind and I have used a buffer to polish it. There is some paint that is scratched. The spokes are in good shape. The perimeter of the wheel has a few cracks that I would like to fill in or repair. Is there some source of information on such repairs? Is there someone who does these repairs?
Thanks in advance for your responses.
Appreciatively,
Milton Babirak
Milton Babirak

You can go here to Eastwood Company's page for the steering wheel restoration kit. This one is the "master" kit, but they also have cheaper ones.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2571&itemType=PRODUCT

Cheers

Larry
Larry Karpman

There are a couple of steering wheel restoration shops out there. I have not used them but they appear to do reasonable work, cost is probably hight.

Here are a couple

http://www.dealsonwheels.com/parts/company.aspx?c=37

http://www.kochssteeringwheels.com/productcart/pc/mainIndex.asp
Bruce-C

Milton,
I had a similar problem with the steering wheel of my TF which had been in storage for some 35 years. The wheel was split and badly cracked with the steel inside the outer plastic rim quite badly rusted in places. I read up some articles in The Sacred Octagon and decided to attempt the repairs myself based on the advice in the tech papers.
I opened up the splits more by cutting and grinding away the plastic round each split to expose the rusted steel. I then cleaned this up and painted it with anti rust paint. Then I used some 2 part epoxy material that comes in the form of a candy bar looking bit of soft plastic which has both the resin and the hardner extruded together to fill all the cracks. After it goes off this material becomes hard enough to work at with files and sand paper to reshape until the contours of the original wheel are restored. I then used a very hard two pot epoxy paint and covered the wheel with 8 coats.
The stainless steel spokes came back really well with some very fine wet and dry paper and I then repainted the hub in a colour to match the original.
The final result was great and it gave me a very satisfied feeling to have done it all myself. It wasn't difficult and I'm sure that with patience and care you could manage the same with your steering wheel. Give it a try!
Best of luck,
Bill

Bill Tutty

If the plastic is just too far gone, try this: http://gblandco.com/oldwheel/oldwheel.html


gblawson (gordon)- TD#27667

Congratulation, Gorden !
Good job, looks great
Cheers
Guenter
GK Guenter

I have used the 2-part epoxy with great results. Can be drilled, sanded and painted when dry. Two brands are Marine-tex and Loctite. Marine-tex is 5-1 and Loctite is 1-1. I restore old bakelite and ebonite fishing reels and these products are excellent for filling cracks and small missing chips.
SEAMUS
F. HEALY

Gorden,

Who made the one that you have the image of? I like that one.

David......
David Honness

Gordon is being polite. This is what he does in all that spare time he has (don't all us MG owners have a lot of spare time).

Contact gordon and he can let you know how to get him to make you one.
Bruce-C

Gord,

I've looked at your step-by-step of the resurrection of the original TD/TF wheel, each time with amazement. Gorgeous job - congratulations!

First, you obviously have a well-equipped shop with tools you've probably amassed over the years. To go with them, you obviously have the skills to know how to use them and produce such a pretty job.

You made your wheel with a sort of "compound layering" and it seems to have worked out quite well. But would it not also work out by making the wood parts in solid, then making a groove with a router on upper half and lower half following the steel part of the rim, then glueing them together?

I have finally realized that I can no longer continue with my original, badly-splintered wheel and will be installing my Nardi in the spring. I've attached a pic. Its one of the thin rim jobbies and no metal shows anywehere; and the rim is inlaid with thin strip of ebony (I think). I must admit its a thing of beauty.

The hub is crude at best. Its from an old TD wheel, in which I cut off all the spokes. Then I drilled it to mount the sub-plate shown under the Nardi wheel. Its crude but it'll be nicer when I'm finished.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.


Gordon A. Clark

This thread was discussed between 12/02/2008 and 13/02/2008

MG TD TF 1500 index

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