Inviting The Driver's Hands

The steering wheel is arguably the most intimate interface between car and driver. The seat must comfortably support the driver's weight, but that's about it. The throttle and brake pedals also share the driver's attention, but they go largely unseen. It is the steering wheel with which the driver interacts most deeply. It is visual, it is tactile, and (when using the horn) it is audible.
6 months ago, the steering wheel on the t-bird was a mess. Most people wouldn't want to even touch it.




Uncle Cord offered to fill the cracks for me. After his success restoring the windshield dogleg, I had confidence that he could do it. Within a few weeks, he returned the wheel to me with no cracks and a new coat of primer! Pretty amazing! I sanded it a little, and overcoated it with my favorite black epoxy primer. This stuff is tough and silky smooth!




In this enthusiasm, Uncle Cord was eager for me to choose the color and get the wheel painted. I had to delay this until I finalized the color scheme for the interior. Eventually, I decided to use the original dark green color for the dash, garnish rails, and carpet. It made sense to paint the steering wheel this color, instead of the original turquoise. I got the paint store to color match the original dash in acrylic urethane. This is a base/clear paint, and requires special mixing with hardener and reducer.






I painted two coats of base and sanded them before I realized that the clear needs to go on while the base coat is still a little tacky. Finally, I think I got it right.

The three coats of clear went on one after the other. I got the last coat just a little thick, and got two runs that I will have to sand and polish out.

Here it is on the car. The color matches much better than this photo indicates.

Having this repainted wheel on the car is a surprising encouragement to me. I enjoy the way it feels in my hands, cool and smooth. At 17", the wheel is much larger in diameter than a modern wheel, but the grip is also much thinner. The texture is hard and smooth, where modern wheels are soft leather or foam rubber. The finger ridges on the back, and the ribs along the bottom give it a very different, but satisfying feeling. During my two brief drives around Grandma's driveway, I got a taste of what driving this car was meant to feel like... with that big, hard, narrow rimmed wheel... and I really like it! I'm glad I didn't follow the temptation to trade the wheel out for something more "modern"! The wheel is inviting me to touch it, to grab on and drive the car. This change from its previous state happened with help from Uncle Cord. He is both a craftsman and a cheerleader, and I have needed both.
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I believe there are other people in my life who have the desire, skill and enthusiasm to transform me. To transform me into something that invites a pleasing relationship with my creator. I'm starting to realize that this doesn't happen all at once, nor is it the work of only one person. It requires clarity of intention, and a willingness to take risks. And, occasionally, the need to sand and polish out drips.

My goal is not perfection, as I see it. My goal is simply a pleasurable experience for the driver. I'm hopeful that this is what is happening.

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