Wood Grain Steering Wheels

[426HEMI]

What is the best way of repairing wood grain Steering wheels that have gaps in them?  Just wondered I have one that I had forgot about that came out of one of my 70 Challengers. 

[72hemi]

I generally use a 2 part epoxy and then repaint the entire wheel.

[426HEMI]

That is what I was thinking of doing also.  Thanks 

[plumbeeper]

What is the best way of repairing wood grain Steering wheels that have gaps in them?

Send it out to have it done professionally.

Dave

[Moparal]

I have been saving up for about 6 months for you to restore my rimblow on the price you gave me....almost got it saved now.  You do good work

[JayBee]

In case no ones aware of this, he's even tested his system & materials in extreme hot/cold enviroments to make sure they'll hold up to anything mother nature can dish out.

[plumbeeper]

Yea, we've tried a lot of materials and none of them would stand-up to any temperature extremes. The repair materials we use now are guaranteed to work and last for several years. We repaired a wheel, put it in the freezer for several days, then stuck it out on the deck in the hot sun for several days. I figured if it would go through those temperatures, it wouldn't be subjected to worse in your car. Now that does not mean that the wheel may not start cracking in another area. Since these wheels are 40 years old, they can become deteriorated and brittle. There's a reason they cracked in the first place.

Al, let me know when you've got enough saved up, or maybe we could do some parts swapping...


Dave

[duodec]

Plumbeeper,
     they look great, but for heat testing I think you need to do a little more.  I grew up in Las Vegas, and the Challenger was my daily driver from '81 through '86.  Even in white paint, the interior got _hot_.  Everything plastic/metal in the car was hot enough to be painful.  I didn't have an IR thermometer back then (no consumer models, that was high tech stuff) but the ambient air temp would get to 145 degrees; the surfaces were hotter.

     Does the material you use for filler hold up when it hits 150 plus?  Does the paint/finish not get sticky if the car has to get parked in the summer sun with the wheel in full sun?

     I imagine other SW folks have experienced similar conditions.   

     Please don't take this as a knock; its not.  I will be back in LV someday, still have family there, and I certainly hope to take the Challenger.  If it has to be in the driveway on a stinking hot day for a few hours I don't want to stick to the steering wheel like I used to to the vinyl seats

[plumbeeper]

 I don't think testing at 150 degrees plus is really necessary. You should not be subjecting your classic car to extreme temperatures unless you want it to deteriorate quickly. Like I stated earlier, there's a reason why these wheels get cracks, brittle, warped etc. Age and exposure to the elements.

 Most of the plastics that are still in your interior were made from the best technology Chrysler had at the time. We are working with the same 40 year old plastics in your steering wheel and repairing the damaged areas with new materials, we are not replacing the entire wheel with a new one made from modern plastics. Take proper care of your classic car and it will last for several years. Don't treat it like something you just drove off of the rental lot.

Dave

[bb71challenger]

That is why I love a/c cars so much. Does not matter what color the interior is even, it all gets smoldering hot in the summer. That is why our cars have such toasty interiors and vinyl tops.

[duodec]

I don't think testing at 150 degrees plus is really necessary. You should not be subjecting your classic car to extreme temperatures unless you want it to deteriorate quickly. Like I stated earlier, there's a reason why these wheels get cracks, brittle, warped etc. Age and exposure to the elements.....

True enough.  But take your car to a summer show in the desert S/W and it might very well _have_ to sit out on a bright hot day, whatever your 'druthers.  Even if long term survival under adverse conditions is no longer a driving issue for a protected classic, you still don't want to leave fingerprints while burning your hands on your unexpectedly tacky-to-the-touch interior pieces.

Please don't take this as criticism of your materials or work; its not.  Just living so long in Las Vegas seeing plastic things soften, tackify, dry out, and/or disintegrate has given me a very high level of respect (and annoyance!) for the effects that sun can have.  My poor poor chalky door panels....