Hello,

I have been a member 2014 but this is my first post. Bought my '56 Super 88 that year. Had to finish putting engine together (fresh rebuild) and some interior work had to be done. Trans was freshly rebuilt when I bought the car also. Previous owner painted it the way it is now. Hope to repaint some day. Its a nice driver that still needs work. I drove it to Kalamazoo NSRA Nats North in 2015. I have been looking into replacing or fixing my steering wheel as it is badly cracked. I have found restoration to be very expensive, more than buying a re-pop wheel from Fusick. Does anyone have one they would be willing to sell that is in good shape or possibly have a line on one that is for sale?

 

I don't know how to provide a link, but there's one on eBay now for 175 with the column. Maybe the seller is willing to break it up. Check it out

 

What did you use for a search on ebay. I don't see one with the column

 

Try item/auction # 141714665525

 

I have repaired a couple that were very cracked and quite ugly and they came out presentable.Unless parts are missing it's not that hard of a job. There is a kit available through Eastwood but I just used like products I had used before or had experience with and had no problems. I at one time had a series of pictures of how I did this if you are interested I'll see if I still have them and I'll post them up.... Tedd

 

I would be interested in seeing your pictures. I watched one video on you tube but he only had a fraction of the repair that my wheel needs. I do have material missing on the top half of the wheel, and there are cracks around the entire wheel about an inch apart.

Steve

 

I haven't come across the pictures as yet (they were stored on a computer that I had three computers back) . They should have been saved to this computer but the folder may have been combined with other folders and is now mislabeled. Poor attention to detail on my part.

Could you post a picture of your wheel and I would be glad to walk you through the process I used. Missing parts will make it a lot harder or impossible if to large to duplicate, cracks are not as big a problem even if there are a bunch of them.... Tedd

 

I used PC 11 to repair cracks and missing pieces on my steering wheel and it came out great. PC 11 is off white (PC 7 is black). Home Depot has it, among other places.

Frank

 

I also used PC 11 and the white color was closer to the color of the wheel so there wasn't as much contrast. I also enlarged any tiny cracks with a dermal cutoff tool because you need to be able to get the epoxy into the wheel or the cracks will reappear later. The most time consuming part is the sanding to match up the contour of the wheel so there aren't any seams or bumps where the crack repairs are. If you can sand while the epoxy is still somewhat green and soft and that will save you a lot of time. I paint it with with a auto epoxy primer and finish with polyurethane with hardener. If you use a can of spray bomb paint to finish the wheel the sweat off your hands will eventually soften the finish and make a mess, I did that on my first attempt and had to do it again with the proper paint.

There are probably many other ways and products that will work but this worked well for me. Hope it helps.... Tedd

 

 

Here are some pictures of the wheel. I worry about doing a repair because sometimes pieces of plastic come off in my hands when driving. Would the repair be stable is my concern. What do you think of the condition?

Steve

 

I think it is worth a shot you don't have much to lose but a can of epoxy. That wheel though is just about as bad as I've seen .

If mine and I couldn't find a better one(first option) I think I would super glue anything that looked unstable first including all the cracks trying to keep the original shape and contour the best you can.Then apply the first layer of epoxy over the voids and deep cracks. sand any lumps and bumps then apply another thin layer of epoxy probably over the entire wheel. There is a product called Feather Fill that might work as your next step if you need it. It works somewhat like a liquid Bondo that is sprayed and will fill in many imperfections You will be sanding for sometime with that rough a wheel. Prime and finish as described above. All this happens with the steering wheel off the column and in your shop or garage. I think it could be saved if you work for free and you have the time.... Best of luck...Tedd