Steering wheel choices

[oneshotkyle]

Originally Posted by 1969stepside

can you restore a oem steering wheel or change the color?

Ou heck ya. I watched a couple vids of guys grinding out cracks and filling with jb weld. Re-sanding and painting. Thats what keeps me wanting the oem regardless of how large it is

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by 1969stepside

can you restore a oem steering wheel or change the color?

Yes. If it's not too rotted away. You begin by sanding it down all around. Then where there are deep cracks on the spokes, and in the rim, you make deep grooves with a triangular file. When you've found and grooved all the cracks, you fill each one with a two part filler epoxy. JB Weld is one brand. Make the patch bigger than the groove or pit filled in. After it's hardened -- you file and sand the wheel back to original shape.
To Paint:
You shoot it with a pre wash like PRE. When dry shoot a few coats of primer.
Sand down any flaws. Reshoot primer.
Shoot your preferred interior color.
Seal it with clearcoat.

The '67-'68 wheels are made from what they called Composition. It was a paste of various nutshells and glue. Its natural color is kind of a putty/neutral.[ It was also used in 1st generation skateboard wheels -- before silicone.]They all were painted.

'69 - '72 Wheels were cast in Cycolac -- a very hard plastic. Also used in bowling balls. The plastic came in the individual colors GM ordered. People have restored the Cycolac wheels using the same method as Composition, but a few have not had best results. I'd be interested in hearing how '69-Later Wheel Restorers have fared.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Yes. If it's not too rotted away. You begin by sanding it down all around. Then where there are deep cracks on the spokes, and in the rim, you make deep grooves with a triangular file. When you've found and grooved all the cracks, you fill each one with a two part filler epoxy. JB Weld is one brand. Make the patch bigger than the groove or pit filled in. After it's hardened -- you file and sand the wheel back to original shape.
To Paint:
You shoot it with a pre wash like PRE. When dry shoot a few coats of primer.
Sand down any flaws. Reshoot primer.
Shoot your preferred interior color.
Seal it with clearcoat.

The '67-'68 wheels are made from what they called Composition. It was a paste of various nutshells and glue. Its natural color is kind of a putty/neutral.[ It was also used in 1st generation skateboard wheels -- before silicone.]They all were painted.

'69 - '72 Wheels were cast in Cycolac -- a very hard plastic. Also used in bowling balls. The plastic came in the individual colors GM ordered. People have restored the Cycolac wheels using the same method as Composition, but a few have not had best results. I'd be interested in hearing how '69-Later Wheel Restorers have fared.

Interesting, same as a bowling ball. 69-72 aren't exactly restorable on some level, due the grain on top is usually gone. Perhaps someone has had success restoring the grain............Hmm. Doesn't seem that likely.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

Interesting, same as a bowling ball. 69-72 aren't exactly restorable on some level, due the grain on top is usually gone. Perhaps someone has had success restoring the grain............Hmm. Doesn't seem that likely.

I never tried. If I were to, I would have to forget about grain, I think. Slip a perforated vinyl cover over and lace it down.
Not impossible to carve in grain on a JB Weld surface if you're an Art School type, but so few of them are also mechanics.