Steering wheels: more

[HughMiller]

Update on rebuilding steering wheels (and reply to the post about a replacement 400 wheel).
Thanks for all the information and advice on the 'rebuilding steering wheel' thread - and there's comment there, Billy, about Myrtle, Pearlcraft and 400 wheels.
As far as my 403 wheel goes, rebuilding the rim myself, as Bellerophon suggests, is certainly the most economical and satisfying way of doing it – but I’m not sure I have the skill or the patience. Also I’d be worried about getting rid of all the rust: my rim seems mainly to have fallen apart under the pressure from rust underneath, as Geoff suggests.
I have managed to get hold of another wheel for a pattern, and I’ll be sending it to Myrtle. So, when they’ve done mine, they should have a mould for 401 (and later) steering wheel rims for anyone’s future rebuilds. The pattern wheel I’ve got is the early 401/402 clamp fixing type, so if anyone needs one of those (this has a good rim, and an OK hub, but torn leather on the spokes), that will be available eventually.
Hugh