Having established what is correct to an original wheel and determining that a reproduction wheel was not acceptable to our needs it came time to have our own wheel restored. Let me tell you that this is no easy feat. The single greatest problem is finding someone with the skill and experience to properly re-cover a steering wheel. This is a VERY specialized art and is not the domain of the novice or casual artisan. It is reserved for those who have been doing it a very long time and who have a special attention to detail. After an intensive search we found someone who fit the bill and who gave us a bill that matched the magnitude of his work. Wheel re-covering is not cheap which is why I still recommend the reproduction wheel to all but the most picky owners.
In addition to a skilled craftsman another big hurdle was the leather itself. It was very time consuming to find leather that matched that used by MOMO originally. Every re-upholstered wheel we ever saw used a more modern leather that looks too charcoal and does not match the finish originally seen. Eventually we discovered a tannery that still made leather that was a dead match to original.
With the right materials and people in place the result was just outstanding. Our last two posts explained exactly what to look for so I'll let the photos speak for themselves. We are thrilled with the result.
could you recommend a shop to repair an original Dino wheel. I have one but the metal rim needs repairing then recovering..
ReplyDeleteI would suggest sending it to Luppi in Italy for restoration. Expect to pay north of $2000 for the job. We restored our wheel locally but the person who did it does not want to be known.
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