Steering wheel restoration

[defender1619]

I'm trying to restore my 59 seriesII and I was wondering if anyone knows how or where to restore the steering wheel.

[Les Parker]

The guys that POR15 make this :-

http://www.por15.com/STEERING-WHEEL-REPAIR-KIT/productinfo/SWRK/

[jac04]

How bad is it? If the rim is cracked, you can repair it with PC-7 or JB weld epoxy, sand smooth, then repaint it. Another option would be to install a leather steering wheel cover (check the Pangolin 4x4 site for the cover).

Edit: Saw Les' post, and that looks like a very complete kit, but you could certainly do it for less $$.

[Sputnicker]

A timely question - I am currently in the process of restoring the wheel of my 60 Series II. Eastwood also sells a kit (for about $50) that uses PC 7 epoxy as the filler. PC 7 is readily available in hardware stores, so I picked some up for $12.00. I had also read that good old JB Weld works well. I did a web search and found that there were more recommendations for PC 7 than JB Weld and I didn't see a need for the metal in the JB Weld (for this application), so I went with the PC 7. So far, I have ground out all the cracks with a fairly course hand file (and a Dremel in some places) and applied the PC 7 in all the cracks. It seems to adhere well and the wheel is already much stiffer than it was with all the cracks. I have filed and sanded out the first application of epoxy and now must fill in a few low spots with a second application. My plan is to feather out the second application, sand to 320 grit and then paint with gloss black epoxy spray paint. I also removed the paint from the cast aluminum hub and polished it.

[4flattires]

... I have filed and sanded out the first application of epoxy and now must fill in a few low spots with a second application. My plan is to feather out the second application, sand to 320 grit and then paint with gloss black epoxy spray paint. I also removed the paint from the cast aluminum hub and polished it.

Pics please......

Paaaalleeezze?

:)

[Sputnicker]

3038

3039

3040

If my first attempt at attaching photos succeeded, here are some pics of my steering wheel. The first shows the cracks ground out. The second shows the PC 7 epoxy filling the cracks, after a lot of filing and sanding. The third shows the finished wheel with 4 coats of gloss black epoxy paint (VHT from Pep Boys). It looks pretty good - now we'll see how long it holds up.

[4flattires]

OOOOooooHHH!

Nice job! :thumb-up:

[kels]

Hey all,

I tried something similar a few years ago - it looked great for about 3 months. I found that the flex in the wheel (not helped by heavy steering) meant that the paint started flaking off after a while. It still looks better than when I started, but its at the point where I've ordered a Pangolian wheel cover for it (excellent bloke to deal with by the way).

If anyone can recommend a paint that keeps some flex, without being sticky, I'd appreciate it.

BTW - I like the polished centre. I painted mine black and it still looks good, but having seen the polished effect I may strip it back...

Cheers,

Adam

[bkreutz]

You might try "bumper and trim" paint, I used it on some stainless oil and fuel lines because I didn't like the flashy silver color and regular paint flaked off like crazy, the trim paint has been on for a year and looks as good as the day I put it on.