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Hello everybody. I recently bought a leather steering wheel cover for my Tr4A. My wife thinks that we should sew it on the old worn leather. On the contrary, I think that we should first peel the old one off and fix the new one later.

Who's right?

Thank you for anyone's help

Alberto

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Not sure what is wrong with the existing cover.

 

The existing cover seems more like a proprietary cover

on an original steering wheel. I would be tempted to

keep it and fit the new 'cover' on top.

In fact, I would definitely fit the new cover on top - not

sure what you will find underneath!

 

Not sure of the origin of the original steering wheel but

it looks nice. I think Les Leston used to make one, also

the factory made one, for the Vitesse, I think (not sure)

 

AlanR

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Not sure what is wrong with the existing cover.

 

The existing cover seems more like a proprietary cover

on an original steering wheel. I would be tempted to

keep it and fit the new 'cover' on top.

In fact, I would definitely fit the new cover on top - not

sure what you will find underneath!

 

Not sure of the origin of the original steering wheel but

it looks nice. I think Les Leston used to make one, also

the factory made one, for the Vitesse, I think (not sure)

 

AlanR

Thank you Alan. The problem with the original leather is that when weather is wet it becomes really very sticky, otherwise it is still OK.

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OK, so it gets sticky in wet weather.

 

But - if that's the only problem, then I would suggest

some tlc to clean the original cover, plus some leather

oil/preserver or whatever.

This takes time to achieve a proper result.

Overnight success should not be expected.

 

AlanR

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Hi Alberto,

I also have a leather covered steering wheel.

I wear fancy 'leather' gloves when driving. They are actually a left and right golf gloves for 'wet' play.

They hold the wheel very nicely but with a degree of slip.

 

Yes, I have 'limited slip gloves' (sorry about that one).

 

A couple of years ago my son was co-driving with me. Before the run he tried the car and complained how sticky the S/wheel was.

I never noticed this with the gloves. So I had to try and clean it.

 

Warm soapy water and a flannel. It took ages but sort of worked.

 

I still prefer the gloves. Many stores n ow do them in L&R pairs apprx £20.

 

Back to your question.

If there is enough spare material on the new cover I would put it over the top of the old.

However that will increase the diameter of the rim and may take some getting used to.

 

Roger

Edited by RogerH
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Hi Alberto,

I also have a leather covered steering wheel.

I wear fancy 'leather' gloves when driving. They are actually a left and right golf gloves for 'wet' play.

They hold the wheel very nicely but with a degree of slip.

 

Yes, I have 'limited slip gloves' (sorry about that one).

 

A couple of years ago my son was co-driving with me. Before the run he tried the car and complained how sticky the S/wheel was.

I never noticed this with the gloves. So I had to try and clean it.

 

Warm soapy water and a flannel. It took ages but sort of worked.

 

I still prefer the gloves. Many stores n ow do them in L&R pairs apprx £20.

 

Back to your question.

If there is enough spare material on the new cover I would put it over the top of the old.

However that will increase the diameter of the rim and may take some getting used to.

 

Roger

Thanks Roger....I see it is a common problem!

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I recovered my plastic wheel rim with a leather kit from eBay at less than £25. The stitching takes a bit of practice but I'm very pleased with the result.

Edited by peejay4A
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I recovered my plastic wheel rim with a leather kit from eBay at less than £25. The stitching takes a bit of practice but I'm very pleased with the result.

Hi Pete, do you mean that if I peel the old/worn original leather off, I find the hard plastic rim beneath, isn't it? After that, I will fix the new one. Correct?

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Your wheel looks like an original plastic one with a leather cover added. It looks like the cover fits very well so I suppose it could be a factory fitted item but afaik it wasn't an option on the TR4/4A. If it were mine I would get a new one from ebay and remove the old one. I got my cover from these people: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-TRIUMPH-TR4-1961-1965-BLACK-BEST-QUALITY-REAL-LEATHER-STEERING-WHEEL-COVER-/260736236930?fits=Car+Make%3ATriumph%7CModel%3ATR+4&hash=item3cb5173d82:g:IJ0AAOxyzHxRNjHa

 

If you choose the low risk route and apply a new cover over the old one you can message the above supplier and they will ask you for measurements and make a custom cover for not much more money. I did that on a no-name 13 inch wheel that came with my car which I refurbished and now alternate with the old big wheel just for fun.

Edited by peejay4A
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Your wheel looks like an original plastic one with a leather cover added. It looks like the cover fits very well so I suppose it could be a factory fitted item but afaik it wasn't an option on the TR4/4A. If it were mine I would get a new one from ebay and remove the old one. I got my cover from these people: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-TRIUMPH-TR4-1961-1965-BLACK-BEST-QUALITY-REAL-LEATHER-STEERING-WHEEL-COVER-/260736236930?fits=Car+Make%3ATriumph%7CModel%3ATR+4&hash=item3cb5173d82:g:IJ0AAOxyzHxRNjHa

 

If you choose the low risk route and apply a new cover over the old one you can message the above supplier and they will ask you for measurements and make a custom cover for not much more money. I did that on a no-name 13 inch wheel that came with my car which I refurbished and now alternate with the old big wheel just for fun.

Pete, you are right. I cast a glance over the "Original TR" by Bill Piggott and eventually discovered that under my worn leather there must be the original black plastic rim. As I have already bought through ebay the leather replacement I will now remove the old one and subsequently my wife will sew it on the rim. Thank you!

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You're welcome. When your wife sews on the new cover you might want to leave the room - it's quite fiddly and you need to keep a lot of tension on the thread which can cut into your fingers, then when you miss one of the holes and have to unpick a whole section the air can go a bit blue. Also on balance if I should do another one I would do it with the wheel on the car. They are quite unwieldy and take on a life of their own if you do it on the dining room table.

Edited by peejay4A
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You're welcome. When your wife sews on the new cover you might want to leave the room - it's quite fiddly and you need to keep a lot of tension on the thread which can cut into your fingers, then when you miss one of the holes and have to unpick a whole section the air can go a bit blue. Also on balance if I should do another one I would do it with the wheel on the car. They are quite unwieldy and take on a life of their own if you do it on the dining room table.

 

Pete, I peeled off the old leather cover without any problems and in the attached pic you can see the original rim in perfect condition. Now, it is in my wife hands.

Best regards from Lago Maggiore

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