[DeTomaso] Steering wheel values?

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

All,

Very weird--I never got any of the steering wheel messages except for 
Chuck's reply, which had the original messages embedded below it.   So I'll 
cut-and-paste and respond to each in proper order.   My responses are embedded 
within each of the messages below:

>  On Nov 21, 2015 1:35 PM, "Charles McCall" <[1]charlesmccall at gmail.com>
> >    wrote:
> >
> >      A  A Has anyone sold a stock steering wheel recently or does anyone
> >      have a
> >      A  A good guess as to value? The center pad is missing, and it came
> >      off a
> >      A  A '72 pre-L.
> >      A  A There are 2 on e-bay right now in a similar condition with
> >      asking
> >      A  A prices of $600 and $250. But asking prices and sale prices
> >      areA  2
> >      A  A different things...
> 
>>>The two things that influence the value of a stock wheel are the 
condition of the rim, and the center pad.   Most center pads are totally shot, but 
the Hall replacement is pretty decent (it's a bit too shiny, but beggers 
can't be choosers).

A stock wheel with no pad that is otherwise in excellent condition is just 
this side of completely worthless.   I have been given three of them for 
free over the years, and have given one of them away to somebody who wanted to 
cut it apart for an experiment.

The guys on E-bay are dreaming if they think somebody is going to pay 
anything significant (or anything at all) for a stock wheel missing the crucial 
center pad.

On Nov 21, 2015 4:32 PM, "Rob Dumoulin" <rob at dumoulins.net> wrote:

>    I gave mine away years ago to somebody on this list. If they sold it
>    for $600, somebody owes me at least bottle of good bourbon.

>>>HAHAHA!!!   Don't sweat it--you got exactly what it was worth when you 
gave it away for free. :>)

> From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of Michael
> Shortt
> 
> >Having recently sold a bunch of nos parts, of all the people I talked to,
> literally over 150, not a single request for original (Capri) steering
> wheel. The center pad is prone to basically falling apart, early plastic
> formula I guess, it dries out, warps and falls apart.
> 
>>>Yes, no matter whether it was on a car or inside a box, if it's 
original, likely it's junk by now.

> >Now if you had an early 2 spoke wheel with the Ghia logo, you could 
> almost
> name a stupid price and get it.
> Personally, they are four spaces to the left of ugly to me and cheapen the
> look of the interior of the car.
> 
>>>I presume you're referring to the Capri wheel again, and not the 
two-spoke Ferrero wheel?

> >Now having said that, if I had a bone stock, concours worthy car, I'd 
> want
> it and would pray nightly to find a NOS pad section.
> 
>>>IF it was in good condition, yes.   And in the meantime you'd run the 
Hall unit and likely be satisfied.   I just installed one of those on an 
otherwise-original car a few weeks ago.   It fit well and appeared to be good 
quality.

>From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of Joseph F.
Byrd, Jr.

My experience with center pad. 

I put the steering wheel with a good pad in non temperature controlled
storage in the mid 1980's.  the pad "look" good when I lifted the wheel out
of the box a couple years ago, BUT when I grabbed the pad it completely
disintegrated!  I mean there was no piece bigger than 00 shot on the floor.

>>>Yup.   It's amazing how they can appear to be in fine shape, but if you 
even lightly push or prod on them, they just shatter.   People just didn't 
know as much about manufacturing plastics back then as they do now.

(Having said that, if you ever spent any time inside a Ferrari 355, you 
will have learned that they didn't know squat either, and all the switches and 
interior bits have literally turned to slimy goo...)

In a message dated 11/21/15 5:45:49 PM, cengles at cox.net writes:

Yes, that was my experience with my two Pantera L wheels in
> the late eighties-early nineties.  That is the bad news.  That vinyl 
> plastic
> formula does not tolerate exposure to air for very long.
> 
>               That being the case, IIRC one of our Scandinavian owners had 
> a
> clever way to, umm, improve the remaining steering wheel with a relatively
> simple modification that concealed the unaesthetic central hub of the
> steering wheel.  Anybody else recall that with more clarity than I do?
> 
> >>>The car I was working on a few weeks ago had the center pad removed, 
> and the three spokes were wrapped with some sort of shrink-wrap material, 
> with a large wheel center logo in the middle.
> 
It was vile....

Mike
>   
-------------- next part --------------
   All,
   Very weird--I never got any of the steering wheel messages except for
   Chuck's reply, which had the original messages embedded below it.  So
   I'll cut-and-paste and respond to each in proper order.  My responses
   are embedded within each of the messages below:

     On Nov 21, 2015 1:35 PM, "Charles McCall"
     <[1]charlesmccall at gmail.com>
     >    wrote:
     >
     >      A  A Has anyone sold a stock steering wheel recently or does
     anyone
     >      have a
     >      A  A good guess as to value? The center pad is missing, and
     it came
     >      off a
     >      A  A '72 pre-L.
     >      A  A There are 2 on e-bay right now in a similar condition
     with
     >      asking
     >      A  A prices of $600 and $250. But asking prices and sale
     prices
     >      areA  2
     >      A  A different things...

   >>>The two things that influence the value of a stock wheel are the
   condition of the rim, and the center pad.  Most center pads are totally
   shot, but the Hall replacement is pretty decent (it's a bit too shiny,
   but beggers can't be choosers).
   A stock wheel with no pad that is otherwise in excellent condition is
   just this side of completely worthless.  I have been given three of
   them for free over the years, and have given one of them away to
   somebody who wanted to cut it apart for an experiment.
   The guys on E-bay are dreaming if they think somebody is going to pay
   anything significant (or anything at all) for a stock wheel missing the
   crucial center pad.
   On Nov 21, 2015 4:32 PM, "Rob Dumoulin" <rob at dumoulins.net> wrote:
   >    I gave mine away years ago to somebody on this list. If they sold
   it
   >    for $600, somebody owes me at least bottle of good bourbon.
   >>>HAHAHA!!!  Don't sweat it--you got exactly what it was worth when
   you gave it away for free. :>)

     From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of
     Michael
     Shortt
     >Having recently sold a bunch of nos parts, of all the people I
     talked to,
     literally over 150, not a single request for original (Capri)
     steering
     wheel. The center pad is prone to basically falling apart, early
     plastic
     formula I guess, it dries out, warps and falls apart.

   >>>Yes, no matter whether it was on a car or inside a box, if it's
   original, likely it's junk by now.

     >Now if you had an early 2 spoke wheel with the Ghia logo, you could
     almost
     name a stupid price and get it.
     Personally, they are four spaces to the left of ugly to me and
     cheapen the
     look of the interior of the car.

   >>>I presume you're referring to the Capri wheel again, and not the
   two-spoke Ferrero wheel?

     >Now having said that, if I had a bone stock, concours worthy car,
     I'd want
     it and would pray nightly to find a NOS pad section.

   >>>IF it was in good condition, yes.  And in the meantime you'd run the
   Hall unit and likely be satisfied.  I just installed one of those on an
   otherwise-original car a few weeks ago.  It fit well and appeared to be
   good quality.
   >From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of Joseph
   F.
   Byrd, Jr.
   My experience with center pad.
   I put the steering wheel with a good pad in non temperature controlled
   storage in the mid 1980's.  the pad "look" good when I lifted the wheel
   out
   of the box a couple years ago, BUT when I grabbed the pad it completely
   disintegrated!  I mean there was no piece bigger than 00 shot on the
   floor.
   >>>Yup.  It's amazing how they can appear to be in fine shape, but if
   you even lightly push or prod on them, they just shatter.  People just
   didn't know as much about manufacturing plastics back then as they do
   now.
   (Having said that, if you ever spent any time inside a Ferrari 355, you
   will have learned that they didn't know squat either, and all the
   switches and interior bits have literally turned to slimy goo...)
   In a message dated 11/21/15 5:45:49 PM, cengles at cox.net writes:
   Yes, that was my experience with my two Pantera L wheels in

     the late eighties-early nineties.  That is the bad news.  That vinyl
     plastic
     formula does not tolerate exposure to air for very long.
                   That being the case, IIRC one of our Scandinavian
     owners had a
     clever way to, umm, improve the remaining steering wheel with a
     relatively
     simple modification that concealed the unaesthetic central hub of
     the
     steering wheel.  Anybody else recall that with more clarity than I
     do?
     >>>The car I was working on a few weeks ago had the center pad
     removed, and the three spokes were wrapped with some sort of
     shrink-wrap material, with a large wheel center logo in the middle.

   It was vile....
   Mike