The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors steering wheel filler

The sun took its toll on the top of my steering wheel. Is there a good filler for this?

I may be wrong (I'm rebuilding a 60 YO truck), any epoxy should do. Eastwood offers a book and a kit on the subject.

Thank you. I found a better steering wheel but it could use some work too

I too will soon be attempting a steering wheel repair. I have heard you can use one of the kits like the above mentioned or, some folks have used JB weld and others have have even used bondo with good results. V out the crack, fill with the material of choice, sand/file and paint. Not to high jack the thread but what are suggestion for paint that folks have had with great results.

The Eastwood kit is good, as long as you stay on top of the project. I v'ed out the cracks and filled with the Eastwood epoxy. I left the filled cracks a little bit over filled , as I knew that I wouldn't get back to the steering wheel for a while. It filled the cracks great, a bit thick, but it worked well. Then it sat for several weeks. The epoxy hardened up to a very hard material. Now it is so hard I have to use a small file and work just the epoxy because if I stray off the epoxy it really eats into the softer original material. My suggestion would be to thin out the epoxy(not recommended by manufacture) and smooth the epoxy as close to the orginal as possible. Then sand, and prime and finish. In response to Bill Marlow I have heard that some of the rattle can spray paint for plastic works well. Because of the softness of the underlieing substrate you need a paint that will(flex) to a certain degree. That is what I have learned. People who know more and have more experience may chime in with differing opinions/ideas.

I am in the middle of restoring a 1959 Pontiac SW that had more cracks in it than I could count. After watching a demo video on YouTube, I purchased a product called NuMetal from JEGS. It was about $25 delivered.

I widened each crack with a cutting type bit on my Dremel. I made each crack as thick as a nickel and down to the metal ring if needed. It needs to be deep and wide enough to get the epoxy putty pushed into the groove.

Next you mix putty A and putty B in equal amounts. It cuts off of each stick like taffy. Only cut off a 1/4 inch, otherwise the putty will harden before you have had a chance to work with the full amount. Wear gloves and knead it together until the color is all the same.

Work it into the grooves and try to not leave too much extra on top. Let it harden 24 hrs. However, after about 2 hours, you can carve away a lot of the excess with a sharp knife.

Finally, sand the excess away. This takes a bit of skill so that you don't sand too much away or too little. It is not hard to sand.

I gotta say that the cracks are GONE, GONE, GONE. I will post some pics later. I am thoroughly impressed and I have no training or experience. This steering wheel will look great once I'm done.

I did this 1959 SW as a practice run. Next will be my 1966 Galaxie SW and then my 65 Chevy truck SW.

Oh yeah! I have used maybe one tenth of what came in the NuMetal package so that makes the repair of the cracks very economical. I could probably repair 10 more SW with what I have left.

Get some and try it.

I used the same technique as Lugnutz, but with Devcon epoxy putty bought at a local hardware store. Choose the working time that best suits your speed. (One minute is probably too fast for most folks.) Cost is about $5.

Bill

My chips and missing pieces are on the top outside? I beleive this was caused by simply sitting in the Texas sun and heat for years. I am not sure if my steering wheel is trashed or not?

Any thoughts?

Thanks

I can almost guarantee it can be restored to look like new again. The only issue will be how much time you are willing to invest in it. I personally like to see these older pieces saved from the trash heap. I hope to post some pics soon.
Meanwhile, just save the wheel and decide if it's worth saving after you've seen some pics of a completed resto.

Here are some pics to put extra emphasis on what I've claimed. Not bragging here, just saying that I watched a video on YouTube once, bought the stuff, and have results I am proud of and very satisfied with on my very first try.

See for yourself how bad this 1959 SW was and I am showing the same areas AFTER repair. It is really THAT easy!

http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt269/fastboatman29212/SW%20restoration/102_0179.jpg

http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt269/fastboatman29212/SW%20restoration/102_0183.jpg

http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt269/fastboatman29212/SW%20restoration/102_0221.jpg

http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt269/fastboatman29212/SW%20restoration/102_0181.jpg

http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt269/fastboatman29212/SW%20restoration/102_0223.jpg

Very nice job. You must be proud of your work. Thanks

I hope I seem helpful and not bragging. This NuMetal epoxy putty is just so easy to use that anyone can do a good job.

I took it the way you meant. Please accept my compliment.

I restored my Belair wheel with MarineTex Epoxy 25 years ago and it is till perfect.

Originally tried lacquer but it chipped. I shot a coat of acrylic enamel on it after that and it has worn well.

I assume the Marine Tex Epoxy is a primer and the acrylic enamel is the paint? I also assume the car is not stored outside when not is use. No daily sun

daily sun? what is that?

It comes with 100 degree temperatures

If, for some odd reason, it DOESN'T hold up for many years in the heat after you've restored it, then you're no worse off than you are now AND you had a few years of it looking good.

I was impressed with my steering wheel's condition. It sat in that same Texas sun for 45 years and only had some stress cracks. Wish I could say the same for me.

Give it a shot- the project can be a great source of pride, is fairly inexpensive to do, and if you don't like your results, you can buy a replacement.

Bill

Marine Tex is a brand of epoxy putty, not a primer.

Mike B

I bought the Marine Tex 25 years ago from Classic Chevy International- they sold it as part of a kit.

It was easy to use. I just ground out the cracks, filled and then worked through progressive grades of sandpaper - starting with 60 or 80 and finishing with wet sand 800 if I remember. It looks great and held up well.

Looks like what I am using has been around for 25 years in one form or another. Give it a try and let's hear about your results.

I used JB Weld on my 1955 steering wheel and it worked beautifully

what brand/ type of paint do you use? I was thinking of shootign mine with Epoxy paint but if acrylic does a good job I can just go that route and save the mess and expense...

I used 3M panel adheasive because when it sets up it's the same density as the original material, then sealed it with epoxy primer.

i used some of wal-mart's finest 88 cent black spray paint and haven't had any problems with it, and the steering wheel is in the sun most of the day. just my two cents