S1 original steering wheel

E-Type
1

Looking for an original polished steering wheel for my 68 E type, needing refinishing ok if the wood is in good shape
Mark

2

Best repost in the Classifieds to avoid running afoul of the site rules (related to site liability concerns).

If youā€™re seeking originality your ā€˜68 steering wheel spokes should be brushed aluminum rather than polished. Something to do with US Federalized Safety Standards saving us from the evils of reflected sunlight.

1 Like
3

Hi Mark:

Not intending to be picky but if you mean ā€œpolishedā€ as in shiney thatā€™s specific to how the Series 1 wheels are but just in case youā€™re not aware there was a change for the '68 Series 1.5 model - the steering wheel spokes at that time were changed to brushed aluminum. If you care at all about this detail itā€™s mentioned in the JCNA MY ā€˜68 Judgesā€™ Guide.

Best place for your search is to post a want ad in the Classified Section. Good luck with this.:slightly_smiling_face:

4

Oops, I see Nick beat me to it. :open_mouth:

5

So how would you go about producing a brushed finish with the wood on and off .

6

Producing a brushed finish is easily accomplished with 600 grit wet/dry.

7

Done that but it does not look factory

Benjamin Sign Co.

8346 NORMANDALE CIRCLE
PRIOR LAKE MN 55372
952-435-6636
Roger Benjamin

8

I used 600 grit but likely my standards are lower, since Iā€™ve also done several retrofits that donā€™t look factory. Maybe blasting with glass beads would reproduce the effect, though you might need to experiment with air pressure and nozzle size. Dunno. Just throwing that out.

9

As Nick, Iā€™ve produced a satin finish on alum with the fine grit Wet/Dry paper using it WET. Do not sand dry I would go 400 to 600 to 800grit depending on the state of the surface. Then some fine rubbing compound and aluminum polish by Hand to finish it off. Reduces any sanding marks to invisible. If you use a power buffer you will get the mirror finish you donā€™t want. Hereā€™s a couple of products.

This is a pic of a trim piece I added to my Sprite. Did it about two years ago. Itā€™s a little dirty now.

If you want a brushed finish stop at the extra fine grit paper. You get it to 1200 and finer. Too fine, go backwards.
1FFA96E5-E101-4C20-B7A3-B70A714356E9_4_5005_c
72465E90-30A7-4CAC-BC61-0B79EF80CB67_4_5005_c
E80A45B8-8539-4EB4-AF04-A50B7004CA79_4_5005_c

I would not bead blast it for a brushed finish. Thatā€™ll just make it dull not brushed.

1 Like
10

Iā€™d get a piece of aluminum and do some test polishing

11

Make sure your test aluminum is not anodized as is commonly available in the hardware stores.

A good piece of 5052 alloy Alum I believe would be what you want.
Metal recyclers will have it. Fabricators here can advise better perhaps.