Thanks for the feedback folks. The rubber hose around the rim is certainly one I'd not considered. Leonard Dornbush, thanks for your thoughts too. I too have used Momo wheels (not Nardi's) and like them, but also really like the idea of keeping an original element of the wheel. Decisions, decisions...

Hi folks. Thanks for all the replies. I had found them at Moss Motors and others actually, but they only had them with the top ring being in black and I need them in chrome. However, good news! I learned that Veteran Company in LA sells them. Ordered a pack of 100 on Friday and they arrived today. Great customer service from those guys, as always.

The Singer material is indeed from Spinneybeck, I have used it on an old Alfa. It is made on a per-order basis and the minimum order is 55 square feet and I believe it's about $50 per square foot. With shipping, tax, etc... the minimum order was in the range of $3,000. Beautiful stuff, and beautifully made. Bonded onto a cotton backing and not a single join to be seen anywhere from what I could see. Aint cheap though.

Thanks for the kind words Andrew and Nadeem. To answer your question Andrew. The parcel shelf (which is readily removable in this car) has a thin layer of landau foam bonded to it. I then cut four reliefs out of it where the ribs were planned before covering with the leather. I then made the ribs out of aluminum sheet which again had landau foam on it and then leather wrapped. These were then glued into the recessed portions of the parcel tray. Hopefully that makes sense.

Here are some shots of a 1961 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale that I completed fairly recently. A beautiful car and I was grateful to be able to work on it.

For what it's worth: A number of years ago I attended a week-long summer class at McPherson College in Kansas. If you all aren't familiar with the school, they are the only (or perhaps very few) schools in the country which offer a 4 -year degreed auto restoration course. One of the blocks in the course is focused on trimming.

In addition to the 4-year program they also do summer classes in a variety of subjects from upholstery, to metal work, to body and paint, engine building, etc... I had a really positive experience there and would certainly recommend it for others interested in these types of learning opportunities. These classes are suitable for teens, adults, you name it.

Thanks so much for the input both, I'll give it a shot!!