Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I'm considering buying one of the reproduction rosewood steering wheels for my 69 Z11. Has anyone had anyone bought one of these repro wheels? Is it close to original or just garbage? Thanks, NJSteve

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

From 10 foot at a glance it looks right,but up close you can tell.I did see one that had been sanded and buffed yes you read it right,that really makes the repo look much closer to original.Why dont you buy a cracked original one and repair it your self because its not that hard to do just some time and a little efford and the savings are great.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Depends on how much you want to spend. If your resto. is basically made up of repro. parts then go for the repro. If you have basically an original interior: seats, door panels, headliner, dash parts, etc. go with an original. Leave the original wheel unrestored to match your 33yr. old interior. I have an original interior 69 with a very nice original walnut wheel that I am going to install. They both compliment each other because they aged together in different cars. Buy good used, if your car warrants it. You will never loose! (JMO) sam

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm considering buying one of the reproduction rosewood steering wheels for my 69 Z11. Has anyone had anyone bought one of these repro wheels? Is it close to original or just garbage?

[/ QUOTE ]

Every one I've ever seen looks nothing like the origianls. I was skeptical when they first appeared and still am today.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I have a couple NOS Rosewoods and the Repos look kinda like em. As the orig. ones age they get redder and smoother. I will try to take a good pic of a NOS one.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I have a couple NOS Rosewoods and the Repos look kinda like em...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, the similarities are A. They are both round, and B. They both have 3 spokes. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Seriously though,all of the originals I have had, both used and NOS alway have a much more "orange" look to them than a reproduction... The repro ones are way to "maroon" looking IMO. Just like with about any other repro part, they will do the job, but anyone who knows what they are looking at won't have too much trouble telling the difference from original. Personally, i'd rather have an original with a half dozen cracks than a repro. Although a cracked real one is STILL gonna cost you more money than the reproduction.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

The NOS ones I have don't have much Orange in them. They get lighter as they wear.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Charlie, are you sure thats not an early 69 walnut wheel? The pic is pretty dark, but it looks more like brown in the pic...

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Yes I'm sure.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

hmmm. that sure doesnt look like any rosewood I have ever seen. Can you post a pic with some more light on it?

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Joe...I think you are used to the ones made out of hemp

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I'll get you a daylight tomorrow.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

BelAir,
Did you section the whole car or just the license plate??????


[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

-Sam

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

For sale on www.heartbeatcity.net right now

1969 Rosewood steering wheel, (Nice) absolutely mint and complete $950.00

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

and another.....

1969 Mint rosewood wheel complete with original, no cracks minor scrape $850.00

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I have the one on this Z and another that im sure came on my RS from the factory and has never been off and it has always been a garage car survivor and the wheel is much darker.I have another cracked one put up somewhere and will look at it. http://www.fototime.com/77D35E2754F866F/standard.jpg

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Are the Camaro rosewood wheels the same as the Corvette wheels? I've been looking at a couple on eBay and it seems that the Corvette wheel has a deeper offset. Am I just imagining this or are they two different wheels? Thanks, NJSteve

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

The Corvette wheel is Teak Wood not Rose wood. I am not 100% sure but just by the name - they could possibly be different woods?

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Chevy made a bunch of different simulated wood wheels and even a real wood wheel. The 67 Corvette ìwalnutî wheel with two piece spoke was used on 67-68 Camaro and is darker and has deeper offset. I think 1966 Corvette and down did not have the two piece spoke design. The 69 ìrosewoodî wheel has a reddish tint to it. The material looks like some sort of resin or epoxy and may have not all been the same color all its production life depending how close they held color inspection tolerance.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I'd buy the real deal,cracked or not......The repop wheel just looks cheap.I really like the Std. wheel anyway.It is very hard to find a nice orig wheel with correct grain an shroud.Again the repop does the factory wheel no justice.This is one of the first things I look at on a car.You spend most of your time holding it if you drive it.I'd much rather see the correct wheel whatever car it may be in.It adds to the character of the car not taking from it.In my opinion,don't take the easy way out and settle for second best... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Steve

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Does anyone have the offset dimensions between the two wheels so I can be an "educated consumer"?

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

It is about 1 inch differance with rosewood about 3in and walnut about 4in

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I lightened up your pic some Charlie...

https://www.yenko.net/attachments/62474-charlie.jpg

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Walnut 67-8 sitting on the NOS Rosewood

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Rosewood

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Walnut

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Wow, you guys are great. I managed to locate a wheel on X-mas eve, though it looks somewhat dark in the pictures I've seen, it has the proper 3" offset, it's not glossy and has no cracks. Hopefully it will look as good in person. Do the wheels have any part numbers stamped on them? The seller couldn't find one but he indicated that the horn button parts had the numbers 3901314 and 3874640 on them. Thanks again for all the help. If you need any 426 Hemi info, I'm here to help (that was my specialty in a previous career). -NJSteve

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Hi guys; I believe this image in this attatchment( the one Im responding on here) is missing the correct lighting but that one appears correct. The following attatchments Charlie provided show a much better example of the sun affected typical discoloration normally found on these. I have an orig uncracked Rosewood off my PaceCar, it has plenty of the correct grain left and compared to another one I have that is cracked, side by side you can definately see the diiference from the initial issue vs. the aged sun exposed wheels on used ones. I will attempt a pic but Im unsure my Camera images will fit these posts... I actually after shooting this pic didnt realize how close the coloring is on my 2 here; The one on the left up close is a small bit more redish and the one on the right,uncracked one, is a bit darker in person..That was my best attempt here. Hope this helps some[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I'am a big fan of the original Walnut and Rosewood wheels.
However, unless they are installed on a 'Trailer Queen' sitting in a climate controlled environmet, they will eventuality crack or warp.

Whats the solution?

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I disagree with that, while I have heard that the new repros have had problems cracking as bad or worse than the originals did, i think any cracked original wheels you see have been cracked since they were nearly new. I have never had a perfect wheel develop a crack, nor have i ever had a wheel with a partial crack get any worse... I think all the cracks you see in old wheels happened back when the wheel was nearly new. I had a NOS shallow walnut wheel in cold storage last winter, and the temperature fluctuated between 70 degrees and -20 degrees, sometimes within days of each other...(one of those great PA winters! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]) I thought for sure the wheel would be cracked when i got it out in the spring, but it was still perfect. Maybe I just got lucky, but it seems that any cracked original wheels you see usually show evidence that the cracks have been there a LONG time. Has anyone else ever had a 30 year old steering wheel crack recently?

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

camarojoe,
you have a very good point, I have wondered the same thing for years, My car has what I believe is the orig Walnut wheel still in place and is in perfect condition, and From what I have gathered it sate in the Arizona heat for many years then Southern Cal for awhile, it now sits in a barely heated garage in Wash, where the temp is anything but consistent.

Bud.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

At one time I had 14 Rosewoods tucked away in a Gun Safe that stays at a pretty consistent temp. I was convinced that at least 2 of them cracked just sitting there so I sold them off over a period of time as I was worried more would crack. Not big cracks, but cracks.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Charley, could they have come from the same run of wheels??? the two that cracked??

meaning a bad batch of plastic, or the process was not done correctly by the workers??. does that make sense or am I crazy??

Bud.

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

[ QUOTE ]
At one time I had 14 Rosewoods tucked away in a Gun Safe that stays at a pretty consistent temp. I was convinced that at least 2 of them cracked just sitting there so I sold them off over a period of time as I was worried more would crack. Not big cracks, but cracks.

[/ QUOTE ]

At least its good to know I'm not the only packrat out there. http://host.threadshosting.com/~yenk...mlins/grin.gif

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

Hey whats wrong with pack ratting? If the Yenko's were not pack rats there would be no vin numbers or other cool Yenko stuff https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

------Is it possible that these cracked wheels suffer from a lack of power steering? Without PS you really tug and pull at these wheels. Maybe minute cracks that you cant see are made from this overstressing and these just get worse as time goes along? Am I off base here? Even a car with PS and a plastic wheel could suffer over the years from this kind of stress. One trip thru downtown Detroit can produce enough road-rage to ruin a perfectly good wheel........Bill S

Re: Opinions on repro rosewood steering wheel?
 

I think it's typically more of an expansion and contraction issue than actual hauling on the wheel. It seems mating molded plastic to a steel core just doesn't create a steering wheel with great longevity. Rosewoods and walnuts seem to always crack at the spokes. (3,6, and 9 o'clock) It seems to make sense to me that these wheels are most rigid at their spokes, and the plastic isn't, therefore the slightest shrinking or expanding of the steel core will create a stress crack in the plastic. The plastic seems to have a tendedncy to shrink, leaving gaping 2" cracks fully exposing the steel core in some instances. Take a look at '69 standard wheels, they seem to crack as often or more often than an N-34 type, and again, always where the bar meets the rim, and especially where the wheel mounts to the column. I think the design of these standard wheels is even less forgiving of an out of synch expansion and contraction of the core and plastic covering. It seems this was a common problem on similarly designed wheels of all makes and models, it's not just a Chevy or even GM thing. That's probably why the hard plastic wheel seemed to all but disappear by '73 or so, being replaced with the big squishy rubber wheels we're used to seeing in more modern cars. I agree that manual steering and excessive pulling on the wheels, especially from getting in and out of the car, can help a wheel that's ready to crack get strated, but I also agree with Camarojoe that I've never seen a vintage uncracked wheel crack, or even an already cracked one get any worse. I think most wheels cracked while they were fairly new, if they were gonna crack. Any original owners here remember their wheels cracking, or even going to a dealership under warranty to complain? It might be a neat experiment to try to make one crack by putting it in the freezer and then rapidly warming it up, although I don't think myself or anyone else has an uncracked rosewood they'd like to subject to such an experiment.