This is the bracket that holds the steering shaft in place. Lower part of the bracket is body color as it is part of the body (in my case blue). The top half of my bracket has been sandblasted to bare metal, although the underside is a satin (looking) black. I'm guessing the entire top bracket should be a suspension "colored" black...maybe semi-gloss?
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No one will e we see it unless they are pulling the gas tank. I’d paint it black just to protect the metal. That’s what color is on my car.

Just clean & paint the thing with black semigloss Rustoleum. Life is short & some details aren't worth worrying about. BTDT. Happy new year!!!

Yes, it was semi-gloss black the same as suspension parts. I totally get it. Maybe nobody else will see it but you will know, and the steering will feel better as a result.

Perfectionism can be a curse. It's okay. I often think twice or many times about what I've done & whether I could have done it better. I'm about to put two consecutively sized Wheelskins on my stock steering wheel. I tested this & it should look & feel great!!! No stitching on the inside cover. This is actually a somewhat common thing to do on odd sized wheels.

Tell me about it! I caught crap for clamping the rubber bellow on the e-brake cable to retrain it to fold properly along the pleats.

I did something similar on my wheel. I wrapped it in felt then leather. Well worth the effort.

I really don't consider this "worth worrying about"...it's just that I am "in there". When I fix a rusted area on a resto, I have to do it correctly even if I am the only one that will know. The gas tank has not been re-installed, nor the washer reservoir, or the blower unit. I am forcing myself to NOT install the stuff that gives me satisfaction till I install the stuff that should be installed first...so that I don't get in my own way or have to un-install. This bracket may not be seen for another 20 years...but when it is seen, it will be correct. Now back to that "tie rod" question.

Amen brother And on a more practical note, if you are doing this level of resto, you are going to need the same color of paint for suspension parts that WILL show anyway, so why not spray to the correct color? And when you are done, you can have a nice picture like this to remember the good work you did.

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FYI, VHT Epoxy Gloss Black is a close match to the original suspension paint. Don't let the "gloss black" fool you. I don't think VHT knows what gloss is. It is a nice semi-gloss when dry.

Go for it. Right on!

Was this the stock leather wheel?

No, it was the stock hard wheel. I actually bought an "RS" kit from Alan Gun which I don't recommend because the hole punching is I managed to get a good result anyway. So it was a layer of felt over the hard wheel following by the leather cover. Details on my build thread starting here: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=2666924