I lurk more often then post but thought I'd contribute something as payment for info I've picked up from here in the past. As each steering wheel is made differently, and each wheel can be modified in endless possibilities, this can't be a universal tech but maybe to get some ideas at the least?? I started off with a stock VW steering wheel (just in case... VWs ****s, blah blah blah... this ain't the post for that so skip those comments please) Going for a mono-spoke design like Citroens. I cut off one of the spokes. Took some POR-15 putty (great stuff, highly recommended BTW) and replaced the removed plastic/resin and started reshaping the squareness of the spokes to more of a rounded shape Comparison of the stock square spoke and the newly rounded spoke: More sanding/shaping and more POR-15 putty A coat of paint to get everything in 1 color again, helps to see where the flaws are and what areas needs to be worked some more:
More POR-15 and sanding. Another comparison shot, stock wheel vs modified. Also the stock horn bar mounting holes redrilled to new locations so it'll mount on it's new direction (90 degrees from stock) Another coat of paint. Also used a wrist watch, drilled the stock horn to the appropriate hole for the watch to slip through. Now I have a watch horn ****on without the $$$ cost of the original accessory That's it so far, but pretty much everything else is your basic wheel resto (final body work and final paint of choice). Maybe adding some accent pieces flush mounted onto the spokes like this: Possibilites are endless and now have more choices of wheel design for out cars without the need of adapters, etc.
Neet idea, and way more common to source than the Citroen wheel it resembles. There's a guy around here with a '59(?) Ford covertible with the whole dash removed and the steering wheel cut down to just one arm and a "T" of the rim. He locates it at about 10 o'clock so it is right in his hand when he's got his elbow hanging out the window.
Citroen wheels (if you can find them) will be hard to use on other cars since the steering shaft is part of the wheel itself (as far as I know fo at least) thanks for the comments!!
man i friggen love tech week! this should shut up all the new guy bashers!!! killer man and thanks for sharing! danny
Nice tech. Even if you had just rounded the spokes it would totally change the wheel. What did you use for the shiny accent pieces? and how did you mount them?
Excellent post! What type of paint did you use? Primered first?? i'm heard many a story about paint not sticking to steering wheels.
The blue stuff is just primer, not yet painted. I scuff sanded the original surface before applying any paint. I haven't decide on the paint yet, most likely semi-gloss to make it look factory. http://www.dealsonwheels.com/parts/garys/ these guys use 3 coats of primer sealer, 4 coats of sealer, 4 acrylic urethane then polished and buffed to restore wheels... just to give you ideas on how others repaint wheels. The trims, they're not there yet, those 2 picts are photoshopped just to get ideas in the meantime. I just bought a nickel plating setup so I'll make the trims from steel, shape it into the desired design then plate it. Probably weld some pins/rods under trim that will poke through the resin of the wheel to keep it in place.
I love the clock idea. i have a 56 caddy wheel i cut down to run in my a but did not like the caddy emblem in the center. not i need to find a good clock for the center.
Very stylish Nicanor. A great way to make a cool wheel from humble origins. Opens up alot of possibilities to get creative. I just used regular old plastic filler to fill the cracks in my mid 50's wheel. Then sprayed it with the same color primer/sealer as the outside of my car. Then I sprayed clear urethane with some pearl paste mixed in to give it some shine and sparkle. So far - 3 years later - it's holding up great. If I'da know about the POR paste - I'd have used that instead of filler. Good tip.
Just a hint for the horn clock, I was looking around for a good sized clock as well in the past, looked at travel sized clocks, etc. But the obvious didn't hit me until later on, just get a normal wrist watch. Tons on ebay cheap with endless designs. Also if you want a clock with a special twist, look for "jump hour" watches. That's where the dial spins around while the arm stays still. Tons if different types of those and can be a bit more cl***ier then your average watch (but depends on the style you're going for). Here's an example of one (the time reads at about 8:38 o'clock) More info here http://alanwatch.homestead.com/page8point5.html My next wheel will be converting a similar style wheel to a banjo wheel.
Very funny, Here in europe, those Citroen steeringwheels are for GAY! LOL... If you American guy's look for those Citroen parts, we have tons of those **** citroen parts down here!!! lol lol lol lol
You make it look easy! It looks like alot of work, but not as hard as getting that damn citroen wheel and column out. How the hell did you get the citroen wheels out? Cut the car out around them? There's a couple sitting in a yard around here that I gave up on. Good work soldier!
nick, thats awesome but does not compare to the amount of pure skill that went into that car of yours. I want to see that car finished before I die some day...hehehe.
And everybody except the most detail observant are going to be scratching their heads saying "what the heck did that wheel come off of?"
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