Glenn:
I have three NOS steering wheels; red, black,& beige. I displayed them at a Cypress Gardens NCRS regional a few years back and also had a red and a black RESTORED pair of wheels for comparison. MOST SERIOUS CAR ENTHUSIASTS who compared thought the restored wheels were original and the original wheels were restored. I'd guess that about 60% made the wrong call. At the time, my professional wasn't putting a casting seam around the circumference of the grained rubber-plastic rim. Now he does. That casting seam was the ONLY detectable difference between new original and restored!
Some professionals are a catastrophe to deal with but they don't stay in business long. There was a guy in Georgia who took in wheels for restoration and wouldn't send them back. He was finally arrested for theft by deception.
Anyway, not all professionals are wheel-ruining incompetents. Likewise, not all neo-purist serious enthusiasts can restore a steering wheel worth a pee! Life's grey, not black and white.
Your suggested approach (technique)to restoration is interesting. I've had great luck with DP 90 as well as DP 40 which is more color neutral. PC 7 epoxy putty is not durable. When the heat expansion-contraction cycle hits the stainless the PC 7 will just crack again where the stainless joins the rubber-plastic rim and you have a restoration to do all over again.
Dale Pearman (varooom) NCRS 8889
I have three NOS steering wheels; red, black,& beige. I displayed them at a Cypress Gardens NCRS regional a few years back and also had a red and a black RESTORED pair of wheels for comparison. MOST SERIOUS CAR ENTHUSIASTS who compared thought the restored wheels were original and the original wheels were restored. I'd guess that about 60% made the wrong call. At the time, my professional wasn't putting a casting seam around the circumference of the grained rubber-plastic rim. Now he does. That casting seam was the ONLY detectable difference between new original and restored!
Some professionals are a catastrophe to deal with but they don't stay in business long. There was a guy in Georgia who took in wheels for restoration and wouldn't send them back. He was finally arrested for theft by deception.
Anyway, not all professionals are wheel-ruining incompetents. Likewise, not all neo-purist serious enthusiasts can restore a steering wheel worth a pee! Life's grey, not black and white.
Your suggested approach (technique)to restoration is interesting. I've had great luck with DP 90 as well as DP 40 which is more color neutral. PC 7 epoxy putty is not durable. When the heat expansion-contraction cycle hits the stainless the PC 7 will just crack again where the stainless joins the rubber-plastic rim and you have a restoration to do all over again.
Dale Pearman (varooom) NCRS 8889