Steering Wheel Restoration

[Dan in Pasadena]

PC7 huh? Thank you for the information I will look into it. Best, Dan

[Dan in Pasadena]

Found it! For anyone else who reads this, here's a link:

http://www.homedepot.com/PC-Products...atalogId=10053

[K-TEN]

That's what it was. PC7. But it is really hard. Probably good for more modern wheels (47 and up) but it's much harder than the material in the 41-46 wheels. That means that it's hard to sand down and you'll remove more of the wheel than the repair. If you use this product, put it on thin and smooth on the first shot. And maybe finish it up with another (softer) product for the final finish.

[magicoolbus]

I used two part epoxy from the local hobby shop and mixed with microballoons. Made a very stiff mixture that was very easy to work with and smooth out with a finger dipped in isopropyl alcohol. I used a high build primer, wet sanded, primed again and 3-4 coats of black with 4 coats of clear. We'll see how well it holds up, but I only have about 10 bucks in it?!

[Dan in Pasadena]

magicoolbus - VERY nice work. Since I started this thread I found my steering wheel was the incorrect one for my truck and have acquired a correct one. It's not too badly cracked but the surface is very rough. It looks like it had a coating on it that has sort of crinkled up.

Did you grind whatever cracks you had wider to accept the epoxy mix? Why were the microballoons necessary Very wide cracks? What kind of paint? I assume NOT rattle can? But if not, how'd you get away for $10?

[Muleman100]

I bought a repair kit to restore a steering wheel and that is what was in the kit PC-7 ( A & B ). I did a 66 Suburban steering wheel and it came out great, I painted it with the same interior single stage paint as the rest of the interior. I picked up a 41-46 steering wheel at Hershey for $50. When I got home after careful inspection the wheel is warped. I am now trying to figure a way to straighten the wheel.

[magicoolbus]

Yup, I did use a rattle can. I am running the wrong steering wheel on my truck on purpose. I'm running a 55-56 wheel on a 57 steering column, it gives me an additional 4 inches of budda belly room!
I used the microballoons to stiffen up the mixture, regular two part epoxy was too runny, and when it starts to set off, the temperature goes way up making it even more runny. I v-grooved the cracks and worked the epoxy (putty consistency) in the grooves.
I'm a long time R/C modeler and have imported many of my building techniques into the automotive hobby, especially painting and finishing. Most rattle can paint for the model hobby are very sturdy, hold a shine very well and are impervious to many chemicals. Once curred, model paint can withstand 20% nitromethane, tough stuff! I'm thinking that my palm oils and sweat aren't as corrosive as nitro, but who knows. This is just an experiment and we'll see how it goes.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hmmm, hadn't thought of RC airplane modeler's type spray paint. An excellent idea for the reasons stated. I am in process and have been using Rustoleum but I can clearly see why the modeler's paint should be superior.