I had the same problem with the wheel on my 52. I bought a steering wheel puller and popped the wheel off. Then scrubbed it really well with a strong cleaner (I used about 1/4 cup of TSP in a gallon of hot water. Spic and Span is the same thing). After about twenty minutes the water was turning light gray instead of black. After letting it dry really well, I spray painted it with a couple coats of clear lacquer. That was last spring, and 3000 miles ago. It's still doing the job - No more dirty hands on humid mornings.

My dad always told me, "Don't force it, get a bigger hammer".