Moss Motors, Ltd

Has anyone tried filling in the cracks that have formed in their vintage MG steering wheels with colored epoxy? Are there any professional outfits that do this kind of repair?

Yes...I have. I used 2 part marine epoxy. Since it's a putty, it's easily molded and stays in place. I built it up just a tad higher than I wanted, and then sanded it down to perfection once it cured.

Since the only color I had in stock was a burgundy, I colored the final product with a black sharpie. Although the patches are not perfect to the eye, they are to the hand.

Perhaps there is a better way, but this worked for me.

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On their death bed, nobody ever said, "Gee I wish I'd spent more time at work!"

'68 Sprite 1275
'76 Midget 1500

Contact Ben Cordsen at sculptart@aol.com.  He's a professional artisan and MG TC owner, who has restored TC steering wheels for customers.  I have no idea as to the costs involved.  The one wheel I've seen looked better than new.

Dick, Thanks for the information. I've sent off a request for information. Dave.

The use of Marine Epoxy seems like a good solution. I wonder how difficult it is to adjust the color of the epoxy prior to application. I know that counter top fabricators fill voids in marble with tinted epoxy.

When I got my TC the wheel was a bit loose on the three spokes.  Removing the leather cover I found that there were some cracks previously repaired with epoxy.  I added new epoxy (JB Weld), sanded and painted.  It worked great for a few months and then was loose again.  Eventually I stripped down the wheel and did it right.  I tossed out the leather cover (which was there to hide the DPO's epoxy job) and now run with the original looking wheel.  I just got back from a week long trip down to Death Valley and Las Vegas in the TC, the wheel looks and works great... even in 110° F sun!

I welded the rim back onto the spokes, then brazed the voids.  I then carefully sanded and ground it to a nice shape.  The final fix was some JB Weld to make it perfect.  I took it to a powdercoater and it came back looking fantastic.

 My short answer is "yes I have filled cracks in a vintage steering wheel with epoxy".  It only works for a short time and then you have a worse mess on your hands.  It turned out to not be worth the effort or the $3 cost of epoxy.  I strongly recommend just repairing it right the first time and be done with it!

 

Terry 

 Repaired wheel seen just after desert trip.

 

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