Plastic steering wheel?

[Carbuilder]

My car has what looks like a wood dash and steering wheel. But they are actually plastic. I searched and couldn't find any info on these being available. The dash does seem like something that can be made from a thick sheet of wood-grained plastic, but the wheel looks like the real thing. Anyone know anything about these? I am going to replace them, but just curious.

Rick

 

[65beam]

My car has what looks like a wood dash and steering wheel. But they are actually plastic. I searched and couldn't find any info on these being available. The dash does seem like something that can be made from a thick sheet of wood-grained plastic, but the wheel looks like the real thing. Anyone know anything about these? I am going to replace them, but just curious.

Rick

View attachment 18825

 

[65beam]

Harrington glued a piece of wood grained formica on the original dash when they did the LeMans conversion of the Alpine. Have you checked to see if your dash has a plastic wood grain piece glued on it? I have a wood grain dash that is all plastic. The problem is that it's for a right hand drive car. My understanding is that late in the production of Alpine series 5 GT production they switched to this plastic wood grain dash. The steering wheel may be from a sedan or some other marque. This photo is of my red Harrington dash with the formica over lay. This car has about 24K miles total since built.

 

[Carbuilder]

Mine is plastic right through. The dash and steering wheel look good, just not what I want. I need to make a new dash anyways, so a nice veneered one will look better.

 

[65beam]

Mine is plastic right through. The dash and steering wheel look good, just not what I want. I need to make a new dash anyways, so a nice veneered one will look better.

View attachment 18827

It appears that whoever made it did a nice job of cutting it out. How thick is the dash? New veneered dash are available. There are a couple vendors on the east coast but you would need to ask others for contact info. I bought my last one from Sunbeam Specialties.

 

[Austin Healer]

Sunbeam Specialties can no longer get them. The current Mk1 resto in the shop has one re-veneered by Madera concepts in Cal. It looks nice, but is book-marked in the center. Originally the veneer was one piece

 

[TAH_Tiger]

My car has what looks like a wood dash and steering wheel. But they are actually plastic. I searched and couldn't find any info on these being available. The dash does seem like something that can be made from a thick sheet of wood-grained plastic, but the wheel looks like the real thing. Anyone know anything about these? I am going to replace them, but just curious.

Rick

View attachment 18825

There are artistic people that can wood grain almost anything. That wheel may be a alpine black wheel that has been wood grained and possibly clear coated.

 

[Carbuilder]

There are artistic people that can wood grain almost anything. That wheel may be a alpine black wheel that has been wood grained and possibly clear coated.

I wondered about that. I'll have a really good look at it. Maybe do a little scratch on the back somewhere.

As for the dash, since I'm adding A/C I'll eliminate the ventilation controls at the top and probably move things around a bit. I'll make my own dash from plywood and then veneer it.

Rick

 

[65beam]

Sunbeam Specialties can no longer get them. The current Mk1 resto in the shop has one re-veneered by Madera concepts in Cal. It looks nice, but is book-marked in the center. Originally the veneer was one piece

Sunbeam Specialties can no longer get them. The current Mk1 resto in the shop has one re-veneered by Madera concepts in Cal. It looks nice, but is book-marked in the center. Originally the veneer was one piece

The vendor that made the dashes for Rick did a super great job. He made the dash for my last restoration. Being a LeMans it has a different font on the lettering and using the original dash as a pattern he aced it. He'll be missed.

 

[Agent 861]

There are artistic people that can wood grain almost anything. That wheel may be a alpine black wheel that has been wood grained and possibly clear coated.

I would agree -the way the spokes join to the wheel is like my plastic Alpine wheel . I suspect it has been woodgrained and clear coated -I wood grained my 1934 Fordor metal dash in burl- once you get the hang of its not that hard

 

[michael-king]

My car has what looks like a wood dash and steering wheel. But they are actually plastic. I searched and couldn't find any info on these being available. The dash does seem like something that can be made from a thick sheet of wood-grained plastic, but the wheel looks like the real thing. Anyone know anything about these? I am going to replace them, but just curious.

Rick

View attachment 18825

Rick,

That's the stock alpine series 3-V bakelite steering wheels that's had one of the photo dip/wood grain finishes applied to it.... Actually if you had a blacki line screened/painted around it ...it would look quite close to the stock GT/Tiger factory wood rim wheel.. which uses the same hub, inner wire rim as the bakelite item.

Your dash is likely a custom dash as the clock opening is the smaller 2" gauge size.

 

[michael-king]

I have a wood grain dash that is all plastic. The problem is that it's for a right hand drive car. My understanding is that late in the production of Alpine series 5 GT production they switched to this plastic wood grain dash.

The steering wheel may be from a sedan or some other marque.

The Series V GT Alpines used the standard bakelite dash and had the timber veneer applied directly to it. They also use the bakelite cubby box surround as they have the recess for the glovebox retainers per the ST.

The steering wheel is the stock alpine wheel, with a timber finish applied.. none of the Rootes saloons had a timber finished bakelite wheel...and it's clearly a rootes wheel by the hub, spokes and horn ring .. should be the same as the one on your blue SV Robert.

 

[65beam]

The Series V GT Alpines used the standard bakelite dash and had the timber veneer applied directly to it. They also use the bakelite cubby box surround as they have the recess for the glovebox retainers per the ST.

The steering wheel is the stock alpine wheel, with a timber finish applied.. none of the Rootes saloons had a timber finished bakelite wheel...and it's clearly a rootes wheel by the hub, spokes and horn ring .. should be the same as the one on your blue SV Robert.

Rootes did not sell series 5 GT's in the states so I've never seen one. I do have the dash hanging on a hook in my shop. Several owners have seen it and it is a Right Hand Drive plastic dash with a wood grain finish that is not veneer. I bought it from Ian many years ago. I base my statement on what he said.

 

[michael-king]

Rootes did not sell series 5 GT's in the states so I've never seen one. I do have the dash hanging on a hook in my shop. Several owners have seen it and it is a Right Hand Drive plastic dash with a wood grain finish that is not veneer. I bought it from Ian many years ago. I base my statement on what he said

A series V ?
Not sure what difference several people seeing it makes... Seeing something means it exists, it doesn't make it correct.

Often the original SVGT dashes have small areas of the veneer fail and it chips off in flakes leaving the bakelite finish visible.. usually with the remnants of the adhesive.

 

[65beam]

Cracks are also a common problem on the formica veneered Harrington dash. If the glue comes loose and the veneer breaks off it also exposes the plastic dash. That happened to the old Harrington race car that the wife owns and tells her reason for having the wood one made when we restored the RHD car.

 

[66TigerMK1A]

The Series V GT Alpines used the standard bakelite dash and had the timber veneer applied directly to it. They also use the bakelite cubby box surround as they have the recess for the glovebox retainers per the ST.

The steering wheel is the stock alpine wheel, with a timber finish applied.. none of the Rootes saloons had a timber finished bakelite wheel...and it's clearly a rootes wheel by the hub, spokes and horn ring .. should be the same as the one on your blue SV Robert.

MK is correct!! The steering wheel is

I wondered about that. I'll have a really good look at it. Maybe do a little scratch on the back somewhere.

As for the dash, since I'm adding A/C I'll eliminate the ventilation controls at the top and probably move things around a bit. I'll make my own dash from plywood and then veneer it.

Rick

 

[66TigerMK1A]

That wheel is from an Alpine and the dash is 1/4” aluminum…(I helped on the build). Sent you a PM

 

[Carbuilder]

After reading your post I was just about to send you a reply saying that the dash is definitely plastic. Then went out to have another look at it. The back certainly looks plastic. There is an area where the finish is scratched off for epoxy to bond better; new fuse box mount area. I scratched another area near that and yup, aluminum. Wow. It is fully coated, front and back, so really looks like plastic. The coating on the front and on the steering wheel is extremely well done. It does look like wood from even a fairly close look.

Thank you for clearing up one of the mysteries.

Rick