5 replies to this topic

[mk=john]

Hello
I would like to restore my Mk1 mini steering wheel. It is the origonal one for my 1960 Mini 850, being the one with the shiny hard black paint or enamel.
Most of this hard black paint over the years has worn away, and over the hot weekend just gone, I could feel the rest of the wheel was sticky as it got very warm. This tuff, whatever it is, was sticking to my hands!

Has anyone restored this type of wheel before? If so, what type or equipment and paint do i need? Is it better to entrust this to a specialist?

Thanks
John

[Midas Mk1]

Check out the latest ' keeping your mini alive' mag, this has a feature on how to repair / refinish the original Bakerlite wheel :)

[mk=john]

Hi
Well, the steering wheel isnt chipped or damaged at all. just that most of the hard black paint has been worn away over the years. I heard that using gloss black POR15 paint works well. Does anyone know if this is true?

Thanks

[jpw1275]

Hi, a guy at my local paint shop advised me to use 2 pack black , which i will be using as ive got 2 steering wheels in bakerlite to do

Hope this helps

Cheers james

[Cooperman]

John, I think I might have a good Mk.1 steering wheel I don't want. I'll take a look in my workshop shortly and if I have one you are most welcome to it. I'm near Huntingdon in Cambs.

[dklawson]

John, POR is not necessarily a great choice for coating hard plastic. It needs a rough surface for the paint to bond to. Treated rusty metal provides such a surface, smooth plastic does not.

I have not seen the magazine article referenced above. However, I suspect the method they describe will be similar to what is shown in the kits sold by Eastwood for wheel repair. (Frost sells some of Eastwood's products.)
http://www.eastwood....-w-instruc.html
They discuss using a self etching primer over a sanded wheel but they do not mention the top coat. I suspect the 2-Pack black that James recommended would be a very good choice.