Just did a search for refurbishing an old steering wheel and got some good information. Just wondering if anyone has a good step by step on repairing one. I've seen some excellent techs on other things, but not a detailed one on repairing a steering wheel. I think I'll try my hand at it anyway. Maybe I'll put one out there if it turns out ok.
bump for the weekend crowd. Wanting a good tech on repairing a vintage steering wheel. I don't think it will be that hard, but curious if anyone has ever thought the same thing and made a bad steering wheel look worse.
Do a search, while there hasn't been a definative, picture laden, how-to, there's been LOTS of info, techniques and materials on doing it.
My wife's 61 Sunbeam had some serious cracks (some over a 1/4 inch wide) in the steering wheel. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures, but it's pretty easy to fix. The more damage, the more work you'll have to do, and it's slow going, but worth it in the end. First I cleaned the wheel to remove any wax or grease. Make sure the steel inner structure is in good shape. Grind all the cracks into a "V" shape with a dremel tool. I ground them all the way down to the steel ring to give the epoxy plenty of surface area to bond with. Try to go slow speed if you have a variable speed dremel. The plastic will melt where you grind into it, but those areas will break off easily. After the serious grinding, I did some hand sanding to touch up. The "V" shape allows you to "feather in" the patches. After the cracks are prepped, apply some epoxy filler. I used PC-7 which you can find at any good hardware store. I think got mine at Ace Hardware. Follow the instructions on the cans (two part) for mixing. Apply generously and allow the epoxy to fully harden. At this point, the wheel was a mess. Now comes the tedious part... File, dremel or sand the repaired areas until the repairs are flush with surrounding areas. Be careful to blend the repairs into the rest of the wheel and take your time shaping curves and "finger nubs" on the back side of the wheel. Once you get the shape close, switch to progressively finer sand paper to remove scratches. A second application of epoxy may be necessary if you have any low spots or craters. When you're satisfied with the shape, prime and paint. Think of it as small scale body work. My repairs came out GREAT and have lasted several years. Take your time and make sure you fix any blemishes since you're going to be looking at the steering wheel EVERY time you drive the car. (I know this from experience...I left a tiny little divot unrepaired since I didn't notice it until the wheel was primered and didn't want to wait for another epoxy patch to dry, so I just continued to paint. I notice that little divot EVERY time I get in the car now). Other than my impatience to finish the job, the wheel looks brand new. The guy we bought the car from thought we replaced the steering wheel when he saw it after the repair. And one final thought... I figured with all the cracks in the rim, I might as well attempt a repair I'd never done before since I couldn't make it much worse. Nothing to lose and everything to gain. Now I'm always glad I tried it because the steering wheel looks 10X better and it was easy to do. GOOD LUCK!!!
Sure there has. That all depends on your talents for filing sanding and painting. If you can handle that, then you should do just fine after reading all the posts on the subject. I've seem some horrendous body work that was done with the proper materials. It all depends on you.
I have found a product that works as well as PC-7, but dries a heck of allot fast and is even more available. It's called JB stick weld. It's a two part, kneed together product that sets in five minutes. It has the same consistency as PC-7, and works equally as well, just a heck of allot faster
http://www.ozrodders.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=36213&highlight=steering+wheel+restore this is a pretty good one.
I would add that plain old Bondo works fine for the final, small pits. It's a LOT easier to sand than epoxy. DO NOT use Glazing Compound!!!!!! Also, steering wheels get pretty hot, sitting in the sun. Of course, heat causes expansion. If you do your epoxying when the wheel is hot, the cracks will be smaller. When it gets cold, the wheel contracts, which can cause the cracks to re-open. I've found working at 60 to 70F works best for longevity.
I found this hiding in one of the F100 groups... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=4803
Plastic (and every material I can think of) EXPANDS when heated. If there is a void between two plastic parts, the plastic expands, lessening the void when heated.
Not looking for a pissing contest here, but I think you'll find that the steel core of the steering wheel is what does the expanding and contracting, thus opening the cracks when hot...
No pissing contest wanted here, either. While you are correct about the steel core, heat expansion occurs at the molecular level, within the atom. Different materials expand and contract different amounts, depending on their composition. The steel core in most all steering wheel repair, remains constant. The "trick" then becomes trying to find a material similar to what you're replacing, which in most cases is the plastic part of the wheel. Bondo, (a brand name for plastic filler), seems to compare favorably with the plastic used in the manufacture of your wheel when it was new. Epoxies are much stronger than Bondo, so I use them first to replace big chunks that may be missing, or cracks. I use Bondo as an outer layer to prevent future cracking. I am going to try "Bondo-Glass" on my next, personal wheel, but for my customers, I stick with what is proven to satisfy us both. http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae40.cfm
PS_ I haven't figured out how to post photos yet but I changed my avatar to a wheel I'm almost finished with (1 more coat of clear). The customer didn't want to pay the big bucks to re-chrome the horn ring, so I filled all the damaged areas with LabMetal and shot it with chrome powdercoating. (It's from a '55 or '56 210 Chevy).
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