Phillipe, Tracy;
I think that I know what you mean by the "Smell" of that plastic, sometimes
it makes you gag. Many 1940's and 50's radios and T.Vs had knobs made out
of some weird plastics and some started smelling bad while others actually
grew mould if they were stored in a damp area. I think that they were made
out of some kind of organic plastic, perhaps made from soybeans or casein.
The problem with many of these plastics, especially with the soybean based
ones, is they are not inert so age, sunlight, heat, and contact with skin,
would actually cause them to distort and break down.
This has become such a problem, with old Fords in particular, that there
is an industry dedicated to manufacturing reproduction plastic parts and
rebuilding steering wheels. There is a similar problem with many early
forties Philco radios so there is even a business or two making reproduction
pushbuttons and plastic dial bezels in a similarly swirled, but chemically
modern, brown plastic. There is an outfit called the Donaldson Company that
redoes old steering wheels but I don't know if they are the only ones. This
maybe your only route if you can't find a decent used one.
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport
Needing A Left side Taillight Bezel and other trim parts.
P.S If this is truly a widespread problem perhaps it would make sense to set
up a rebuild and exchange program with these steering wheels. If the 1957-59
owners could gather together enough cores in quantity for rebuilding they
may be able to cut costs through economy of scale.
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