Chapman Wheel - Signature Detail

[ElliottN]

Am restoring a Chapman signature wheel and have a question on detail....

Was/is the signature on the lower spoke highlighted (e.g. infilled with black paint) or just left in it's natural engraved state (as mine was when I recently acquired it)?

thanks.

[reb53]

Bought my Sprint in 76 and definitely haven't touched the signature since then. Just checked to be sure and it is filled in with black paint. Looking slightly spotty now but looks like black paint is the way to go.
If you want top quality really dense paint for little jobs like this then Humbrol from model shops is good.

Ralph.

[trw99]

Yep, I concur, the Chapman signature was blacked in on the steering wheels in Sprints.

Tim

[rgh0]

My August 68 S4 Chapman wheel had no sign of paint in the signature when I purchased the car in 1975. Sounds like at some time Lotus changed to black paint in the signature, another undocumented change. Time to go though all the old road test photos to see if anyone can identify the change or whether it was random depending on how the steering wheel builder felt on the day.

Rohan

[hatman]

Further statistical evidence - mine's a 1970 model and it has black paint.

[prloz]

Have new wheel, never been fitted to a car.
Signature is filled in with black paint.
Regards,
Peter.

[curly type 26]

Yep def black paint.

[pereirac]

And I thought it was just a bit of dirt Perhaps I should repaint it..

[ianf]

'71 sprint - black paint

[106500]

Does anyone think such wheels may be reproduced sometime. My S4 is great but lacks that final touch of authenticity (I've fitted a Motalita - its fine but I like things to be original). Surely producing one would be profitable ? (I'd part with a reasonable sum for sure).

[M100]

I think this has been mentioned either on here on on one of the Lotus lists in the past year or so although I can't immediately find it in the archives. If I recall correctly the costs would be somewhere above about GBP500 even with an order of a few hundred.

I also think that the cost of product liability insurance would need to be added to this, and I'd guess by the time the lawyers got on boards the design would probably need revising to meet modern standards with a padded centre and a bloody airbag.

[elan4me]

I have a 69 s4 #8564 no paint or very good cleaning job.
Stan

[ElliottN]

Interesting - well, black infill it is for me.

While we're at it, I'm curious about one more question.....

In all the photo's I see of the later Elan steering wheels (e.g. s3, s4 or Sprint - 3 spoke with holes - with/without the signature) I see two different types of horn boss/push.

My wheel has the "smaller" 2 piece aluminium boss (screws together through the 3 spokes) with the Lucas horn push that you snap in to the top over the contact spring/pencil. The other type I see in photos (but have not yet seen in real life) has a "larger" (diameter), flatter horn push which I think is (at least in part) held on by a 3 finger clip which you bolt under the steering wheel nut.

Is there any history as to which types of Elans had which of these two types of boss/horn push?

[trw99]

The steering wheels on later S3 SEs and S4 SEs were three spokes, with four holes each, leather rimmed and had the protruding wheel boss. I believe the Chapman signature was introduced sometime during the S4's production.

On the Sprint, the steering wheel was changed for a slightly less dished version, the three spokes retained, the smallest hole of each being covered by finger tabs (actually vinyl covered metal clips) and the leather was replaced by the dreaded vinyl, which can split with age or over exposure to the sun. The boss became flatter, with a smaller Lotus emblem and is retained by three screws.

Tim

[ianf]

Tim,

As with all things Lotus I believe there is some overlap. My sprint is an April '71 and has the 4 hole earlier wheel. I have mainly seen the wheel you refer to on later cars. Some of the very early sprints apparently had the "stromberg" bonnet until they were used up as another example.

Ian