Steering wheel repairs

[jhaase]

I am considering repairing the cracks in the wheel of my 54 Crestline, anyone tackled this job lately & what are the best products to use?

Thank You

[Daves55Sedan]

Go to your favorite chain auto-parts store and look in the shelving for tubes of goop for modern car bumper crack repair. That liquid plastic in those tubes is about the closest match to the "bowling-ball" grade plastics moulded onto steering wheels of the '50's.
You will hear other people recommending JB-weld or bondo or some other stuff, and that can be made to look nice initially, the dissimilar materials expand and contract at different rates causing cracks all over again and the repair to fall out.
I don't remember the name of the stuff I used (bumper plastic repair), but it holds up real well and if you usually store your car in the garage, your repair will most likely last past your lifetime.
Lemme put it this way. I used this stuff for crack repairs on two '55 Ford steering wheels, both of which sat outside in blazing sun and freezing cold for decades and the repair has still held up well.

[Daves55Sedan]

See this wheel in the picture. I repaired the numerous cracks around the top half the wheel and where the spokes meet the hub years ago and it still looks like this to this day. Picture was taken nearly 20 years after repair.
Speedo.JPG

[Daves55Sedan]

BTW, there are many other post on this site dealing with this type of crack repair offering good tips for tapering the cracked area using a Dremel tool and such.
Do a search located at top of web-page.

[mercman from oz]

Repaired Steering Wheel by Daves55Sedan

[fordor41]

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I used JB weld & body filler on our '41 and was good 25 yrs later.nothing ever fell out or separated.

[GLAmes]

I went the more expensive route.
https://www.eastwood.com/master-stee...w-instruc.html

[jhaase]

Thank You all!!

[jhaase]

Today I found a new problem with my elec system, 54 Crestline,239, converted to 12 volt, all lights work correctly when turned on. When I step on the brake pedal the Right turn indicator on the dashboard lights up. I thought I had a bulb shorted across, so I removed all the turn & tail bulbs, same problem! I used my ohm meter to check all grounds, frame to body, body to block, block to frame, dash to frame, all OK!!!
Am I missing something?
Possible turn signal switch short??

[fordor41]

sounds like in T/S sw. brake lights turn into turn signals so I'd start there. do all lights F & R turn on when you step on the brake or just the dash light?

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by jhaase

Today I found a new problem with my elec system, 54 Crestline,239, converted to 12 volt, all lights work correctly when turned on. When I step on the brake pedal the Right turn indicator on the dashboard lights up. I thought I had a bulb shorted across, so I removed all the turn & tail bulbs, same problem! I used my ohm meter to check all grounds, frame to body, body to block, block to frame, dash to frame, all OK!!!
Am I missing something?
Possible turn signal switch short??

The problem may be as simple as a couple accidentally swapped wires on the junction block for the turn signal switch. The turn indicator lights in the dash are normally connected to the wires for the front turn signal fixtures.

Attached is a turn signal wiring diagram for a '55 Bird, 'should' be 99% the same as what you have.
.

[jhaase]

When stepping on brake pedal, R dash light, left rear brake light & R front turn light all come on!!

[paul2748]

Did this start after new rewire or was everything ok and then it started doing it ? Are you using the factory junction blocks with new wires ?



.

Originally Posted by jhaase

When stepping on brake pedal, R dash light, left rear brake light & R front turn light all come on!!

[Alaska Jim]

could be a bad ground causing the power to "backfeed" to the wrong bulb.

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by jhaase

When stepping on brake pedal, R dash light, left rear brake light & R front turn light all come on!!

The White/blue wire for the right front turn signal is plugged into a connector block terminal for one of the brake/rear turn signal circuits.
Most likely the Orange/blue wire terminal from the turn signal switch for the right rear brake/turn signal. Double check the two connections closest to the added yellow arrow in this diagram. That connector block will be very close to the steering column.

[jhaase]

I got it solved, dmsfrr you were right, 2 wires switched, looking at the Ford wire schematic, from the turn switch to the front turn lights the wire color changes 3 times!! Hard to see color on 70 year old wires.

Thank You all!!

[dmsfrr]

You're welcome.
I've got 70 yr old eyes, they don't help either.

[ventport]

Another good product for fixing steering wheels is PC 7. Have done many wheels and they still look good.