The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Cracked Steering Wheel

Hello,
I am working on a 58' and the steering wheel is cracked on each of the three braces near the center. It looks as though there is metal inside of the plastic which is fine and seems to be the support. I am thinking about using some type of epoxy to fill the cracks. Has anyone repaired these before?

Thanks,
brian

Brian,
Lot of posts on this,however I used JB Weld on mine. Vee out the area if possible. It sands a little hard but looks OK. Still haven't totally finished. I'll finish with Icing prior paint. Other options I've heard of are Eastwood makes a product,POR 15 epoxy bars, and super glue works on hair line cracks. Pics below.

Dan
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2036333900071274430HANLJn

Dan,
Thanks! I will vee out the areas to make it easier. Can you tell me more about what Icing is?
Thanks,
B

Here are some pics of my repair with JB Weld - that stuff works great! :
http://alanhorvath.com/54chevy/steeringwheel_new2.php

B
Icing is just a 2 part glazing/finishing compound. It can be purchased at NAPA.
Dan

Thanks Dan and Alan (thanks for the pics!!) I knew I did not want to buy a new one.

Brian

por 15 product has a two part putty
http://www.por15.com/prodinfo.asp?grp=PU&dept=10

Hello Dan,
So does the icing act as the final finish? Can I paint the wheel?

B
Icing is a two component catalyzed finishing putty I purchased at NAPA part # 765-2697. Very similiar to spot putty or glazing putty. It finishs very smooth. I have used in bodywork and I think it sands easily and seems to self level. I haven't used on a steering wheel but believe if you follow basic painting procedures should be OK. I don't think the oils in your hands should effect the paint. As stated above I haven't made it that stage yet. Good luck in whatever you try!
Dan

Chances are, it'll crack out just a little after you finish. I V'd the cracks, applied JB in some and a 2 part in others, sanded, primed, and painted with plain old plastic paint.

Started with this (click to enlarge pics)…

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Avette4me/My%2058/Steering%20wheel/th_new-tome.jpg[/IMG]

Sand the entire wheel and V out the cracks

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/alb...%20wheel/th_grooveoutthecracks.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Avette4me/My%2058/Steering%20wheel/th_groove2.jpg[/IMG]

Save yourself a little sanding and smooth the epoxy or JB with a little spit before it gets hard – kind of like caulk..

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/alb...20wheel/th_smoothitoffwithspit.jpg[/IMG]

I sanded and painted with a simple can of Krylon plastic paint – been on close to a year now and the paint is still excellent.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Avette4me/My%2058/Steering%20wheel/th_closeup.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/alb...teering%20wheel/th_driversside.jpg[/IMG]

While you're at it.....run a tap down through the 2 (or possibly 3) holes in the wheel to clean out the threads so that the next time you need to pull it, you can use a steering wheel puller, and you won't crack the repairs.

Secondly, I found that plain old vinyl spray paint, like the kind you use for changing colors on vinyl upholstery, works great for finishing off the color coat on a steering wheel. I prefer a brand called SEC which comes in a variety of colors and is found around most every body shop. I've had my wheel repaired (JB Weld)for a couple years with no cracks or paint flaking.

Dave

Nice tutorial Avette4me but I think we could do without the spit picture ... but on the other hand there's no faulting you for being thorough

Luckily, the shortcut didn't require poo...

I think most of the cracks in these wheels were caused by old men of all ages using them to pull themselves up into the cab. I noticed that my wheel really flexes when I do that. Its tricky to remember, but I grab the seatbelt instead of the wheel to get in now.

Brian, I think you and I are at similar steering wheel stages. I've already v-notched and filled mine with an epoxy putty. I've been very pleased with how well it is holding up for the last 4 months. I haven't yet worked beyond that since I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get re-cracking immediately after repairing it. Now I'm ready to go to paint.

Eastwood Company sells products that look to be well-suited for steering wheel repair. First, they recommend using a plastic prep to clean and etch the surface. Next, they recommend a black interior paint specially formulated for flexible plastics. This is my intended approach when I paint my steering wheel when temperatures are a little warmer.

Please keep us updated on your efforts. I'm interested in knowing what you did and what results you got. I'll do likewise.

Bill

Thanks Bill,
I used JB weld and sanded them down. I learned that a file works quicker and even better if used prior to the JB weld completely setting.
I currently may need to re-do a few cracks because I noted that with significant pressure on the wheel the cracks open a fraction.

I am looking at redoing with a 2 part expoxy and re-sanding.

Thanks for the Eastwood links, I have currently moved onto other projects as I can not afford to buy any new products, parts or materials.

That is just the way it goes

Someone posted previously that "super glue" is good to fill in fine cracks and crazing. Just a thought.

For my cracks, I used a tube putty. It is an extrusion of the A and B parts- you knead it together to blend the colors then mash it in the cracks. I was pleased with the results so far. Like you, I tried to do most of my smoothing shortly before setting.

Santa must have read my wish list because he brought me the complete Eastwood products to repaint my steering wheel. I borrowed a steering wheel puller from the FLAPS yesterday, but didn't realize it contained the wrong bolts. Today I buy bolts so I can pull the wheel. We're having unseasonably warm temperatures this week and I'm hoping to get the wheel painted by Sunday. I'll try to take some pictures for posterity.

Bill

Bill,
Are you planning on using a clear coat over the Eastwood paint on that steering wheel? Urathane or Epoxy Resin...what do you think would hold up best to sun, heat/cold, stress and more.

Eric

Nope, I'm going to use Eastwood's vinyl dye paint product that is specially formulated for hard plastics. I have a concern that clearcoat could craze and crack if not high-elongation. Black colors, in my limited experience, tend to be pretty good against UV damage. Since this product is suitable for vinyl seats and tops, I believe it should be UV-resistant. At this point, I see no need for any other coating besides the paint over the etchant on top of the cleaned wheel.

I'm no paint expert, Eric. I bet others could offer some suggestions, but for me, I prefer to skip the clearcoat.

(Removed the steering wheel last night and found some cracks that I missed when it was mounted on the car. Tonight I hope to get these missed areas filled.)

Bill

Thanks Bill,
Have painted the steering wheel I have with black pastic paint also, but want to add a pearl paint coat over it to give depth then a clear coat. Good luck with your steering wheel. Will post a pic when done if it is worthy.

Thanks,

Eric

I love seeing so many five 8's

Yeah, me too Brian!! Isn't it great?

indeed...I am hoping you post a pic of that gold beauty

UPDATE:

I wanted to report my steering wheel restoration results for future reference to other members considering the same work.

My wheel was in 50 year old condition- you'd get black stuff on your hands if you rubbed it too hard, lots of cracks, discoloration, etc. I took a triangular file and opened the cracks, then filled them with epoxy putty. Afterward, I sanded the whole thing down with 220, followed by a solvent wipe. I used the SEM products sold by Eastwood company (cleaner, Sand Free, and high elongation Landau Black paint) and coated the steering wheel.

I'm VERY pleased with the appearance of the color. The shade and texture seem spot-on. I'm rather disappointed with my sanding ability. You can see the ghost of the fills because I didn't fair the epoxy out very well at all. Can't blame Eastwood/SEM for that. My bad.

No word on toughness until next January and a few Januarys after that. But for now, I recommend the products, and strongly urge anyone else considering this to be meticulous with their sanding. It isn't easy sanding a very hard epoxy fill so that it blends into the softer parent material.

My SEM products were a gift- I look at this as "practice" and a spruce-up. Can't call the results of my effort a restoration!

Bill

So it's probably better to use the epoxy putty to fill the cracks but leave it "low" and then come n with bondo for the finish contouring. Sanding and shaping something like a steering wheel is definitely not a simple task... especially on the inside of the radius.

I'm always curious to know how well paint stands up to use on a steering wheel.

I used the JBWeld on my 54's cracked wheel, and it looked great short term, but the wheel flexes enough that the cracks soon reappeared after a few hours of use. My body shop friends tell me that they've had similar results. Given my less-than-stellar results, I would recommend trying something else, possibly the POR15 product.

So, everyone is using the JB Weld putty stick and not regular JB Weld 2 part? I've already got regular JB, maybe I'll give it a try and see if it works.

The wheel on my '46 has minor cracks but also some odd grooves in it that look like someone intentionally sawed on it with a V file or something! I thought about just searching for a better one but epoxy or putty is cheap and I guess I can give a try to repairing. Did anyone try an epoxy rattle can type primer before painting with the Krylon plastic paint?

Dremel tool is really nice for this work if you have one or you are looking for a christmas gift idea to give yourself!