Steering wheels are an addiction. Now that I have a hub on Bucky, the addiction just grows. In the last 6 months, I think Bucky has worn every steering wheel in the collection. I’ve had too much fun swapping around.
I found this lovely Nardi Gara Sport on yahoo Japan for a nice price. I bought, waited a few days, and it arrived on my doorstep all eager to be installed. I’m a sucker for D-cut steering wheels.
I’ve never had a plastic Nardi horn button before. I’d honestly never seen one. The metal style like is used on my Classico is much more common. But this one is in pretty good shape, has a nice shine, and matches the wheel well. I will use it!
The wheel itself had some leather wear. Not bad wear, just some of the dye being rubbed away after years of use. The leather itself was in great shape. So… I did my thing.
I’ve now restored a handful of steering wheels. I’m up to four as of this posting. It’s pretty easy work and quite enjoyable. Nothing like buffing the leather after applying fresh dye and watching the shine come out.
The restoration steps were the same I used before – strip, dye, seal. The Nardi leather is a lot softer and thinner than the Momo leather I’ve encountered. Sealing it produced a very glossy surface. After a couple days use, I didn’t like it, so I re-stripped and re-re-dyed. This time, I didn’t use any sealer on top. The results were great!
I really dig the D-shape. And the anatomic hand holds on the wheel are perfectly placed. 3 and 9 have great hand holds that assist you in NOT locking your thumb around the wheel. It feels great.
Not sure why I’ve not seen more of these. I don’t believe the Gara Sport is a rare wheel at all. It just seems like they’re not often installed on Miatas.
Did you notice the gauges peeking out from behind the wheel?
I last changed out Bucky’s gauges in March of 2013. That’s nearly a year and a half! That’s an eternity for Bucky. The previous year, I installed FOUR sets of gauges.
Anyways, this set, called Version Circuit, is one that’s been percolating in my head for a while. I saw the red wedge on something… a Spyker? and was impressed. Then I spent a few weeks drawing different gauge scales and swapping number styles around until I was happy with them.
It’s really all about that red wedge. It’s huge, bright, easy to see, and starts slightly before the 7000 mark. That lets you get into it a bit before shifting. They’re designed for maximum usability on the track, but with some modern style.
No need for bland gauges in your track car. And they’re up on the store for ordering.
It’s a bit of a change, buying parts especially for Bucky. Designing gauges for Bucky. Thinking of upgrades for Bucky. Ignoring the whimpers from the other garage bay. (Sharka is displeased with this whole paragraph.)
This little car is becoming more than a daily driver. Is that a good thing? Probably not, but I sure am enjoying this little car lately.
Bucky only had to wait 11 years for it to happen.
You’re still infected with Doge!
HA! I noticed that myself.
I’m almost ready for new gauges for my 99NB. But, i’m having a hard time deciding . Which gauges is Bucky currently wearing? And, what color bulbs? Thx , I really enjoy reading all your posts and ive read every one of them.
I changed them yesterday actually. Bucky has the Redline gauges now. I need to do a blog post about it.
White LEDs + white lighting is my current fav combination.
Hey ,Adam i’m in the middle of installing my circuit gauges on my NB. if i understand the directions correctly im to remove both partitions on the tact side and only the left one on the speedo side . And to cut off about 1/4 inch off the circular tube. Is this correct? Thanks
Do you have to condition the steering wheel more with no to coat? What do you use to condition the wheel?
I’m looking at what I need to order to restore my nb Mardi wheel and keep it looking good.
Thanks for the great content.