Morgan gets his mojo back
Spot repair on Moto-Lita steering wheel
Classic cars are built from moments as much as from their materials. Owners of a Morgan Plus Six know this feeling well: The smell of Connoly leather, the polished aluminium switches and, most important, the luxurious and tactile warmth of a wooden Moto-Lita steering wheel beneath your fingertips. Hand-finished mahogany hardwood, lacquered to a deep gloss, Moto-Lita wheels are a piece of high craftsmanship. But even the most carefully crafted steering wheel can suffer the occasional mishap..
Simple movement causes unfortunate damage
The damage on this particular wheel occurred during a routine moment familiar to many roadster owners; closing the soft top. Because the proud owner was accustomed to his previous Plus Four, whose hood frame uses a different construction and closing motion than the Plus Six, the top slipped through his fingers while putting the hood frame into position. Causing the handle mechanism to make unintended hard contact with the steering wheel. The result was subtle but painful to see: Several small chips knocked out of the lacquer and into the wood beneath.
A delicate rescue
The startled and slightly embarrassed owner called in Classic Steering Wheel Shop for the rescue. Looking like minor cosmetic repair work to some, in reality, chipped lacquered hardwood is deceptively more complex. Wood is organic, layered, and colour-rich; once the protective lacquer is breached, repairs must be executed with precision. What appears as a single mark can often contain multiple fractures in underlying finish layers. The repair must remain as small and controlled as possible to avoid disturbing the surrounding original finish.
Our spot repair process involved outlining fractures of the exposed wood, rebuilding missing material within the chips, levelling the repair area, colour matching the surrounding wood tone, rebuilding the lacquer layers and finally a meticulous polish & seal for a smooth, seamless transition.
Only original once
Preservation work is a matter of weighing the pros and cons of spot repair against a full-blown resto. We will always strive for spot repair because works-of-art steering wheels are only original once. The result may not always be invisible but steering wheels may show subtle signs of a life well-lived; Embrace your age, right?
Ready for the new driving season
With the repair work now complete, the Moto-Lita wheel looks smooth once again and uninterrupted by damage. And just in time, too. With the new driving season approaching, the Morgan Plus Six is ready to return to open roads! 🏁