Lagondaforum

Subject: Steering wheel spokes

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I have had some wonderful 2L, 3L, 16/80 steering wheel spokes made; exact laser-cut replicas of an original, made from the correct spring steel.
I fitted them to my own car and they are superb.
I therefore had a few extra made (to lower the costs - I have three left) and wanted to advertise them in the Lagonda Newsletter. However, for unknown (!) reasons this ad has not been placed; therefore I am offering them here, at £95 per double spoke - they are absolutely perfect and will save you months of time waiting for the established dealers. If you are interested let me know via this website and I will get in touch with you.

Subject: Re: Steering wheel spokes

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Folks,

These spokes look like very useful items. However, this is a very safety critical item, and yanking our fast heavy cars round a bend and having a spring steering wheel spoke fatigue and fracture could cause a fatal accident. Hence, before I bought one of these items other than from an established supplier. I would want to know what grade of spring steel was used and what the heat-treatment was.

Sorry to be a bit ulta cautious here but us old car nuts have to be very careful with all our safety crtical items. I was at the VSCC Malvern event some years ago when Sir James Briscoe was killed in his Vauxhall 30-98. Driving too fast and we think something broke. - Very sad. I knew him. I returned from this event driving my 2 Litre very carefully and reflecting that it is a very well balanced car in terms of performance and road-holding. This can not be said of a Vauxhall 30-98! Too much grunt and not enough brakes!

We have to be SO careful of safety-crtical parts. After all this is why I will only buy genuine parts for my Mercedes from reputable sources. Of course, I'm not suggesting anything else here with these spokes. We are lucky in the old-car movement that we are still largely self governing. I think we are still trusted - for example, If you buy brake cables from Speedograph Richfield you automaticaly receive a conformance certificate with their items. We need to hope that the EU does not try to force us to have all our replacement parts 'CE' marked. Or maybe we are required to do so, and this is not yet being enforced, and we are all breaking the EU Law!

So Oakley, tell us more about these useful items? What does 'correct spring steel mean'. Can you get your supplier to do something similar to what Richfield do? Otherwise, if it was me, I might be a bit nevous about selling them on the open market!

Folks, sorry to be so cautious but I am a Chartered Engineer (Eur Ing in Europe) and I pay huge sums of Professional Liability insurance every year so worrying about these things becomes second nature, and I intend to continue driving my 80-year old car around for many years to come!

Cheers, Colin M34.

Subject: Re: Steering wheel spokes

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These spokes have the exact correct size and thickness and are made of modern spring steel - rather better than the original. As many of us know, the lower spoke is often broken because one usually touches it when climbing in the drivers seat. Many Lagondas drive around with one broken spoke - my car did for 9 years; it didn't look good and was inconvenient but not really dangerous at all. Never failed the MOT. I have seen many Lagondas with a primitively repaired spoke (poor attempts at welding, ugly bushes and even tape).
A well-known steering wheel refurbisher in Britain is very good but takes many months to do it at an exhorbitant price.
These spokes will enable us to do the job ourselves (as I just did) quick and at a fraction of the costs.
I have three left at £95 - which is what I paid myself; no profit.
I wonder why the Newsletter did not publish my ad - I was promised that it would be put in. The fact that Arnold Davey does no longer handle the advertising does not seem to be an improvement.

Subject: Re: Steering wheel spokes

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Do you still have these spokes in stock if so please would you let me know or telephone Adrian Lead 01304614690