tires and wheels Chronical of the Bespoke Wheel

[joh99033]

Mark92131,

You bring up a good point. I"m not sure how far out the Momo hub putes the wheel compared to the standard 02 wheel. I think they do make spacers so I suppose if I find that the turn signal rubs the wheel I can extend it.

 

Dev02,

Correct on walnut.

[Gordon]

I have a Nardi Classic 390mm steering wheel in my parts bin that looks exactly like this pic that I found on the web. I had it rewrapped in new leather after a dog got hold of it and chewed it up (don't ask) but now it looks awesome. I do like the black Nardi wheels much better than the silver wheels.  I haven't installed it yet on my tii because I haven't found the right horn contact wires for this wheel. No hurry, I'm still enjoying my E21 S car steering wheel but that will come off soon.  i believe the E21 S car wheel is a 380mm wheel so the Nardi isn't much larger.

 

G-Man

[joh99033]

G-Man,

 

Those black Nardi wheels are indeed a beautiful wheel. Very cool. The rewrapped leather looks really nice. as well as the black spokes.

[JohnH]

Moto-Lita will make any wheel you want and also supply off the shelf wheels with '02 hubs. https://www.moto-lita.co.uk/default.aspx 

 

JohnH helping British industry.

[xferboy]

I went down this route as well.

 

I didn't use good wood on my learner/first one.  I used a plasma table, not laser or waterjet, so the edges weren't as nice.  And it was a little thick.

 

I was torn between holes and the slots, so went somewhere in between.  I also wanted the spokes below 9 and 3 so I could rest my hands at 9 and 3.

 

I got close to making my second one.  The metal was done and I added some dish, since I had to reach a little, but never got to the wood.  I was planning on bending wood.

 

Then I found a Nardi wheel/hub and that project is hanging on my wall. 

 

You've made a very nice piece!  Well done!  It's a great "garage time" project

 

 

 

[joh99033]

xferboy,

 

Excellent work making your wheel. I like how your spokes look and I think the wood looks really great. I like the grain contrast.

[xferboy]

xferboy,

Excellent work making your wheel. I like how your spokes look and I think the wood looks really great. I like the grain contrast.

That was the cheap pine shelving from home Depot. It did end up cracking.

That wheel was HEAVY when I compared it to the nardi that replaced it

[joh99033]

Well I've made a little more progress on the wheel. Unfortunately I'm still waiting on the spokes to get machined. I was told by my CAD guy that he'd be able to have the first one milled by this weekend. I'm hopeful but not holding my breath. 

 

At this point I'm really unable to make much more progress until I can get the spokes. As of now I've got a few rings bent and fit within the channel. (refer to the photo of me holding half of the wheel. You'll notice that there's a channel routed out.

 

Here are a few photos of my little progress. Enjoy.

 

The last photo attached is a piece of walnut which I treated recently. I think I like the level of darkness in the wood. What do you guys think?

 

Cheers

[Henning]

I like it, too. I think the wood shouldn't be too light because the wheel may differ too much from the rest of the interior.

 

My wheel isn't finished yet. I'm quite unsure about the color I should dip the wood in.

 

(This thread should have the title ,Post pics of your steering wheels'!)

 

Hen

[joh99033]

More progress today. I was able to work with my CAD/machinist guy in getting the first rough machining done. I'm very pleased with how it came out. There is a little bit of deburring and polishing to do but it'll come out great. All in all I'm supper happy with it.

 

At this stage I'm debating on finish. I'm waffling between a brushed metal look vs. powdercoat. What do you guys thing?

[jrkoupe]

Visionaut,

Nice observation on the bolt pattern not being aligned like a Momo. The Momo hub can mount at any alignment as long as the bolt spacing diameter is 70mm.

 

arminyack,

Very cool that you have CAD skills and access to a laser cutter. I'm not worthy (insert Garth voice).

 

Henning,

Nice work on remaking that wheel.

 

jrkoupe,

I'm intrigued that Momo entertained the possibility of remaking an older wheel.

 

so was I ..I was so psyched...but I couldnt get folks to step up w/ cash.  Nice work!!!..keep it up.

[PaulTWinterton]

Brushed  Dark metal and dark stain. As mentioned above unless you have a light interior, then a lighter colored wheel. IMHO.

Cool job. Thanks for sharing.

Edited August 26, 2015 by PaulTWinterton

[joh99033]

Slow progress put progress nontheless. I've finished rounding over 3 complete wheel sets and have begun experimenting with wood finishes. I think I like how that test piece turned out. On the metal end I did the first powdercoating in mate black and thought it came out quite nice.

 

Assuming everything goes as planned, when this project is completed I should have 6 wheels. Two of them will have aluminum spokes which are being annodized clear and 4 steel powdercoated in mate black. Exciting! Enjoy the photos.

['76mintgrün'02]

Nice.

It makes so much sense to do multiples, since so much of the time is in the setup.

Will you be adding 'finger grips'?

If so, how will you be machining them?

 

I think I would prefer an oiled look, to the high gloss polyurethane finish which is typically used.

Especially on something as beautiful as black walnut.

A penetrating oil mix would allow you to feel the wood... like a gun stock.

My wooden Momo felt like plastic.

 

Don't get me wrong, a shiny clear finish is pretty in its own way.

I am eager to see the finished products.

Thank you for the update.

[LimeySteve]

Very cool stuff , I'm eager to see the finished wheels too.