Who is doing our woodgrain wheels now?

I have a pair of steering wheels that need restoring: a '71 E-Body rimblow and a '69 Sport wheel. Who's "the man" on these right now? I don't need "Nats quality" but I do need "Hey, that looks bitchin'" at a reasonable price...
I will NOT accept "painted-on grain".

I sent my rimblow to Doug Lepak - www.stwheelz.com - I am very happy how it came out - a real quality job - just looked for some pics on my computer and can't find any - can't believe it lol - but he was recommended here on moparts and he answered all my questions and concerns and kept me informed on the progress - 2

Plumbeeper who's on this site & also Steering wheels by Mike have
done great jobs on my rimblow & rallye wheels.

Wasn't happy with the original man..lost his touch i guess..went with Doug ..awesome job..to the point I dont want to scratch it..

Not cheap, but Doug Lepak is in Edmonton, AB, www.stwheelz.com. Here's photos he made of a non Mopar wheel.

He can convert Mopar colored (non-wood grain) wheels to wood grain. To duplicate the metal band he glues chrome stripes around the rim and clear coats over it. He simulates wood grain with an airbrush.

Lepak's resto cost is about twice as much as a new B/E&A wheel that has incorrect shiny spokes:

link

And international shipping is about double. Estimated cost to mail a steering wheel to Canada via USPS and package weighs 10 lbs is $54 online.

Thanks for your replies! I will check them out.

Alrighty: I am plenty pissed-off with the prices I've gotten: $425 and UP for one-half of one wheel. There's no metal work needed, the back of my wheel looks amazing... I just need the front plastic piece re-done.
THIS is price-gouging, and I would rather pay for a new repro wheel than pay THAT much for the little bit of work my '69 sport wheel needs.

NUTS! Don't drink the Kool-Aid!

Looking at the steering wheel in the link, seems to me some flattened clear sprayed on the spokes would give the satin look of the originals.

I've used Mike Tarkington out of Katy, TX for over a decade (dozens of wheels) and his work is terrific. He is Also a member here.

Right! Easy-peezy, and a whole new wheel for the price of a resto... and then sell the original wheel to get a "rebate" on money spent.
I like that!

Hey Frank! Long time, no see. Here are my observations regarding rimblow wheels.

1. The new repops are probablythe quality of original but don't look correct, especially with the plating of the spokes which is apparently the hardest look to reproduce. It's that "milky" look.

2. For dead-on authenticity, I haven't seen a restoration that exactly replicates concourse NOS original.

3. Restorations are going to be way better looking than original and will last much longer.

4. Restorations take tons of hours and expensive materials to get done right. They are expensive and worth it.

Doug Lepak did the resto my rimblow. I gave it to Doug because I wanted an over-the-top custom centerpiece for my interior. Doug came through in spades. One of his wheels will set you back 2-3 times what that reproduction wheel costs, but that's what you pay if you want that OMG!!! factor.







Do you still own that Convertabee? I've posted pictures of it on the 70 b body Facebook group. Your car has some huge fans.

LOL. No kidding. I told Doug I was going to take my rings ans wristwatch off and wear white gloves when I drive. He assured me that the Rat Fink Mobile steering wheel has taken years of abuse and still looks awesome.

Hi BigBad! Thanks for the comps on my car, and YES I still own it
The problem is... ME. I'm not a cheap [censored], but I just refuse to pay for anything I think is stupidly priced. The thermoquad on my Cuda needs to be rebuilt and replated... that's gonna cost about $425, and I can see it costing that much for what is involved, no problem!

I'm just not going to pay that much for one-half of my sport wheel to be re-done... and I can imagine I'm just flat screwed when it comes time for the Cuda's Rimblow to get rehabbed

I think the wheels are like bodywork. A person has to try it himself and see how many hours are involved to understand why it costs so much.

Sheldon