Steering Wheel Resto, any references?

Looking to get a 1940 wheel restored, and it's in pretty rough shape. Does anyone have a recomendation? Thanks

 

How about giving it a whirl on your own. A little JB weld in the cracks and lots of sanding will do the trick. I've restored several that way. You can do it sitting in front of the tube and have 'family time' while your getting some important stuff done. Now if its missing large chunks, that could be another problem.

 

Someone also said bondo...man, there are so many cracks in this thing.

 

Take your time and spread the filler thin. Do it in coats, and use tooth picks. The wheel I did for my 56 was cracked to death too. I think you'll be ok just as long as the plastic isn't powder yet.

 

Call Bob Koch in Valencia he does it and it hold up well
If you need a numember pm me
Or look up Kock's VW he deals in that as well

 

Would regular acrylic (a liquid/powder system) work or is the JB Weld best?

 

Good question. I've only used JB weld. Remember, it has to stand up to the sun, high temps, and a little abuse.

 

i'll second koch. his stuff always looks good, you'll pay for it though.

 

I just did my 62 impala wheel for my truck.

I started with JB weld in the cracks and there was one dime sized chunk missing from part of it.

I mixed the JB and filled all the cracks including the missing piece.

Sanded with 60, 80, 200, etc. using scraps I had in the cabinet.

I primed with rattle can engine primer and painted with Duplicolor metal flake blue and finished with Duplicolor engine clear.

I then taped the blue part off using masking tape and aluminum foil for a quick job.

Did the center section the same with Duplicolor metal flake silver.

I havn't driven the car yet so I can't vouch for duribality but it looks great.

I'll post before and after pics later.

 

There's a guy named Steve that lives in Northern Ohio that does a good job. Not sure if he's taking any on, but he goes by Village Idiot (or a very similar spelling variation) on here.

 

Thanks fellas , I'm going to need a lot of JB weld

 

Eastwood sells a kit... comes with a 2 part epoxy and instructions... I have done several with the same stuff they sell.. works good... It is time consuming work.. That is why it is expensive... Jason.

 

Ive done a few with JB weld,They seem to hold up better if you use lacquer paint instead of enamel. You might see a few hairline cracks over time.

 

They make so many excellent fillers these days. Like BearMetal, I've used the 2 part epoxy stuff- but that was ten years ago. I'm sure it's gotten better since then.
Honestly- I would grind out the cracks and bond them back together with one of the newer epoxies, and then soak that thing with a few coats of sprayable polyester. Obviously, stay away from any fine scallops or ribbing you don't want to have to sand with a matchstick head- it will level them right out.

 

Koch does some RECASTING on wheel all new stuff. I see him do some od the morpor wheels that are clear and has sprikles in them as well

 

I've done several, this is the first one. JB Weld, then worked it with a half round file, then a wet sanding bolck, then wet sand paper... EZ and casual fun...

 

I've heard guys have good results with PC-7 epoxy. No personal experience myself but bought some to try it on my spare wheel.

 

Ive done a bunch with PC. Used bodyfiller for small cracks or spot fill stuff, but not BIG cracks. High build rattle prime, paint and clear. Held up for me.

 

Here's what I started with.

Ebay steering wheel. I think I paid $20.00 and drove to Kansas City to pick it up from the same guy I bought the brand new tailgate from for $25.00.

Swap meet Flaming River stainless column $125.00.



I originally thought it would work in the truck with the orange wheel but then I found the duplicolor rattle can in blue at Autozone and had used it on my front shocks.





This is the blue on the truck from Kirker paints. It's a 91 chevy/gmc ultra blue pearl.



Lower steering mount made from a piece of scrap and a slip collar.



Upper mount from a slip collar and piece of scrap metal.



Saginaw steering box from a 77 chevy truck my brother wrecked.










http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y133/orange54/54SteeringWheelProject008.jpg









Sorry for all the pics. I have hairline cracks where I put the jb weld but I did the job in a hurry because I'm ready to drive the truck and pulling the steering wheel and redoing later should be easy since I used a rattle can product that's available anytime.

Tim

 

I used fiderglass resin to fix my banjo wheel. It had a thousand little cracks in it about as wide as my fingernail. I packed it into the larger cracks with a toothpick and for the smaller ones I used a wire from a long bristle brush. I wasn't sure about it at first, (I was worried about shrinkage but what guy isn't right) but it seems to be holding up pretty well so far. I would have used JB Weld if I had had it on hand though.

 

i shot mine with rattle can appliance black epoxy from home Depot and it has held up great for the last 7 years of daily driving and looks like the day i shot it.

 

I'm working on the buterfly wheel for my '51 chevy right now, it's missing "BIG CHUNKS" of bakealite in a few places... and cracks galore, I'm gonna try and save it using J-B weld and marine tex... and then do the aerosal over hall with krylon ...I'll post pics of the progress. (I can use the $300. on some other parts instead of a new wheel).

 

The wheel in my 50Chrysler was just the bare steel ring on the top half when I started mine. I kept building up several layers of marine tex and "kittyhair"fiberglass filler. then sanded to shape and painted the whole thing with gloss white rustoleum.Some hairline cracks have shown up, but they're in the bottom half of the wheel and still the original plastic {under the paint}

 

I've done a couple.

First, undercut the breaks with a file or sandpaper. I used the epoxy metal, hand mixed stuff from the Depot.(pc-7 and 9, also metal from O'Reilly's...I love this stuff) It comes in a small tube and you break off a chunk, squeeze it with your fingers til it's mixed and then put it in the cracks.

Sand off the excess.

Follow with ICING. Use a thin coat and completely cover the wheel. Remember, use a THIN coat. Let ICING dry. Sand it smooth using increasing grit paper.

Prime it. If you have cracks, bad spots, do another coat of icing.

Prime it again. Paint it. They turn out great.

 

I've always used PC-7. You can find it at most Ace Hardware or Home Depot stores around here. Use a file to cut the cracks down to the metal, fill with PC-7 and sand, sand, sand.

 

I repaired a 1953 Chevy wheel for my truck in 1995. I used pc7 and it has held up well. No problems with the repairs at all. The rattle can paint job didn't hold up so well. It is rubbed through in some places. I read a repair tech in hotrod mag sometime in the sixties about repairing a steering wheel and back then they recommended PC7 2 part epoxy. This stuff looks like the rest of the material and works into shape fairly quick.

 

ICING? What do you mean by that?

 

All done with PC-7. I like it because it seems to sand and feather the same as the old wheels making it easy to hide the repair. The black 39 banjo was done over 10 years ago which included replacing some missing chunks.

I did a 40 std. wheel also but the fine ribs on the spokes can be a bitch to get right. Recasting a wheel has always been out of my tax bracket.

I covet the Cadillac butterscotch wheels of the 30s-40s but I'll just have to dream about them because they require recasting to get that look.

 

there have been at least 2 HAMB Tech posts on the topic in the past 2 years

 

My wheel is covered in hairline cracks, most you can't feel but along the upper curve, you can 'hear' them with your fingernail. There's none you can slip a piece of paper into, tho (1959 wheel). What's the recommendation for this scenario, anything other than just paint and being thankful?