New member needs Belvedere steering wheel!

[rogerh]

Okay, I have one lead...www.qualityrestorations.com
The website did come up. and it DOES show a re-cast 59 Plymouth deluxe wheel. I don't see sparkles (am I wrong to expect sparkles.. am I remembering the 1960 Dodge I once had?, and it looks a bit off-center.
The contact name is Dennis. If someone contacts him and gets a price, please post it here for the benefit of all.

[hawkeye999]

Thanks Roger. I sent Dennis and email late Friday afternoon so am crossing my fingers, although I have seen on other posts that he is quite expensive. It is nice to at least see what the wheel/horn ring is supposed to look like. Also, since I found a brown horn ring pad, I'll follow up with an email to let him know that. Will let you and the forum know what I find out.

[Dick Koch]

Jim - Problem solved, I was rooting around in my garage this morning and I found a green delux steering wheel, factory original except the plastic which is intact has yellowed a little, I'm willing to let it go for 40K plus shipping of 1.2K. The only problem is it's attached to a Green Sport Fury. See Pictures.
Don't you just hate monday morning smart ass friends. Well, I guess a friend up until now?
Dick.

[hawkeye999]

Oh Dick, you playful bastard you......... I'm about to the point where I either laugh or cry about this whole steering wheel thing and then you made the decision an easy one this a.m. I can't believe that those steering wheel profiteers can command such a handsome price. I'm not saying that there isn't some degree of craftsmanship and perhaps even "artistry" involved, but c'mon this isn't the second sculpting of the Venus de Milo is it? Now, granted there is certainly some overhead in ramping up with a molding/casting machine, but I get the feeling that the free market system might be taking a back seat to a select few vendors who gather in a smoke-filled room once or twice a year and have little "chat" about how good life is after preying on those of us who simply love classic automobiles. I'm not saying we should all get torches and pitchforks at this point, and maybe you and I should just join the club so that you can make your next million and blow it on more toys. Speaking of which, that Fury is drop dead gorgeous!!!!!! You just had to spin the seats out too for the photo, didn't you. All right, enough of the playful banter. I'm drilling down deep today and hopefully will be able to find a happy ending.
By the way, D&D Automobila out of NC just gave me another one of those $1,200 quotes this morning, and graciously offered to hold onto the finished product until I could make payments sufficient to put me in the poor house.......
Jim

[Dick Koch]

Jim - Thankfully I've lived long enought to start working on my second million now. I gave up on the first.
Dick.

[hawkeye999]

Touche'

[rogerh]

If only I had a spot of land... and a garage...I'd be sorely tempted to learn resin mold casting, or whatever it's called.
The guy who did my wheel lived in Texas, and he told me he cast it twice. the first time the chrome bar got off center.Second time went better, and he sent it out for buffing, if I recall correctly. He quit the business soon after doing mine. I am still sort of waiting to hear from matthew Keij as to if the steering wheel has sparkles in it...
A person needs a near-perfect wheel in order to make a mold, then has to have experience in pouring? resin without trapping air bubbles, etc. That's the extent on my knowledge on re-casting!

[hawkeye999]

I have been emailing with Matthew about this and trim topics also. He thinks maybe I could do a partial restore for now and leave the resin coating over outside chrome until later. I might just try that and cover the chrome with clear plastic hose similar to what some other clever guy did. D&D pointed out that there is also a small trim piece missing from the center spoke, however

[rogerh]

okay, I'm gonna hand this off to the two of you then. I am happy you are in contact with Matthew, but not pleased it is "private" and kept from the rest of us

[hawkeye999]

No secrets here, Roger. Please don't bow out as I would very much appreciate your continued assistance. Matthew sent me an email on Sunday asking about pics of the new member's car and offering to help decode data tags, etc., and it was just simpler to hit reply to the email. More importantly, I never even thought about suggesting to him that we switch from email to forum posts -- one thing about being the newbie (and never having been a member of any message board forum before) is that I am not in tune with the cyber-social etiquette that goes along with being a member. I actually hesitated at the keyboard this morning for a moment when responding to Dick Koch's friendly ribbing about me acquiring the steering wheel on his SF for $40K. But since Dick saw fit to openly refer to himself as a "smart ass" (and correctly so ) I felt OK in referring to him as a "playful bastard". I must admit that when I hit the submit button I had a little buyer's remorse for even doing that -- again being socially awkward in these matters. In any event, please let me fall on my sword on this one. Lesson learned.

Thanks,

Jim

[Dick Koch]

Jim - Never ever be remorseful for telling the truth. PM's are OK, a lot of times members request you send them a PM.

A little further on the cost of the interior from SMS.

6 - Door Panels. $795.00 These panels are made in a machine, I can't remember what the process is called but local upholsterers can't duplicate the original factory look. My upholsterer who is quite reasonalble wanted $150.00 more.
2 - Rear Armrest/piston covers $100.00 normally they charge $195.00.
2 - Front armrests $50.00.
Shipping for the above $75.00

I have already received the following.
The seat vnyl - $245.00
The seat cloth - 346.00
Windlace - $45.00
Shipping - $40.00

Dick.

[Dick Koch]

Correction: 4 door panels.
Dick.

[hawkeye999]

Thanks, Dick. Roger says that SMS has a computerized loom to weave the fabric to factory spec. I had thought NOS strictly meant the part was produced at about the time the car was manufactured. Weaving new material sounds like "replacement" fabric to me and not true NOS. Since all classic car aficionados seem to agree that SMS is really the only good source for interior materials, does this mean that the vinyl is true NOS, and that the cloth is made today? If so, what does that mean for a guy's ability to say his restored car didn't use any replacement parts? Maybe the OEM label applies here and that is just as good as NOS?
Thanks in advance for the education.
Jim

[Dick Koch]

Jim - The fabric and vinyl are not NOS, they are of recent manufacture as close to factory specs as possible. If you call or email SMS with the trim code of your car they will send you samples right away. Finding NOS fabric and vinyl is next to impossible and who would want to install 50 plus year material in thier car anyway. The only way it would last at all would be to cover it with clear plastic covers. My green car drivers seat is pulling apart right now from my big heavy butt twisting and pulling the cloth everytime I get in and out. I'm not smart enought to use the swivel seat feature. I'm going to have the seats redone including new foam and then cover them with clear plastic covers I got from J.C. Whitney several years ago. I let a friend talk me into not putting them on and now I have a costly problem.
Dick

[hawkeye999]

Thanks, Dick. I'm learning more and more all the time. I should have the trim code tomorrow and will likely have SMS take care of as much of the interior restoration as they can, with the rest done by a local upholsterer using SMS materials.

By the way, I accept your offer to buy the steering wheel and attached vehicle for the sum of $40,000.00 US, provided that you are willing to let me pay it off at the rate of $1.50 per month from now until the end of time, interest free of course. No need to ship, I'll come pick it up this weekend.

Jim