Steering wheel restoration

[ford35lh]

Has anyone restored a truck steering wheel ???

Do "you know a guy" ???

[Karl]

Easy Dremel or file out the cracks to a deep "V" to allow the filler to grab well Make sure everything is clean - I used thick 2 part West's epoxy glue with masking tape to keep in in place. Following that its just filing sanding filling more sanding and painting - Not difficult just time consuming. One of my 34 steering wheels was probably only 70 % complete and you wouldn't know to look at it now . The advantage of epoxy glue over car filler is shrinkage is minimal if any also it behaves pretty much like the original material when cured (ie in terms of thermal expansion etc) - unlike some fillers -Karl

[donald1950]

after sanding and finishing, what can the wheel be painted with?

[TJ]

Primer first and then use a good automotive enamel with a hardener. You can get it in a spray can and activate the paint by pushing a button on the bottom of the can. Be sure to wear a good mask as it's not good for your lungs.

[RKS.PA]

I had good luck with PC 7. Nice to work with and no shrinkage or cracking. I used epoxy primer and then finished with "shaky can" spray paint to match the original color as closely as possible. PC 7 gives you plenty of time to work and sands to a perfect seam.

Dick.

[19Fordy]

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The wheels shown in the first post may be at the stage of and age where a complete recast is needed. There are professionals, but fill your wallet with plenty of Benjamans
first.
Here's a start. https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

It would be fun and lots cheaper to recast your wheel yourself. Fill in the bad spots with Bondo, make a rubber mold and pour it yourself. Then you could do others.
https://www.alumilite.com/PDFs/Print...ring-Wheel.pdf

[ford35lh]

I am thinking that I should sandblast the crevices and remove as
much rust as possible.
About 30 years ago I used Stycast epoxy to restore a handle on
an industrial power supply rheostat.
I just searched and found it is still made(Loctite family).
It cures to about the same hardness as the old rubber wheels(85Durometer).

[sunshine]

PC 7 works great . Sunshine o

[Cecil/WV]

PC 7 works for me, also!

[Ken Crans]

Try keeping the blasting to a minimum..it will erode the original bakelight away creating even a more extensive resto on the wheel ala lots of hours.

[FlatheadTed]

Soak the wheel first in a rust remover ,its rust that expanding it ,

[fordor41]

ditto on the PC-7. after finishing I had it painted with auto primer and BC/CC. has lasted for 10 yrs or so and no cracking

[Willit Stop]

Baking soda and super glue MIGHT work for filling cracks.Do a search on youtube....pretty amazing.

[Lawson Cox]

I use PC7. Works great. A lot of work sanding etc but when ready to paint use plain ole Alkyd paint with a hardener. Use a coat or two of the top coat as a primer, that way you don't have to worry about sanding down to the primer, Looks good, lasts a long time.

[Rand]

Im thinking of going the PC -7 route...but how do you file/sand all the finger groves to be consistent?

[Lawson Cox]

Originally Posted by Rand

Im thinking of going the PC -7 route...but how do you file/sand all the finger groves to be consistent?

VERY CAREFULLY. Really, just go slow and easy. You can build it back up if you cut/sand too low.

[skidmarks]

As pc7 sets up, water on your fingers can get the finger gooves pretty close then finish with sandpaper.

[rotorwrench]

Many of the original wheels were cast with hard rubber which was a form of plastic that was common in the 20s to as late as the 50s. Most of the recasters use a special form of urethane. I don't know if anyone uses hard rubber anymore. The process with urethane is complicated and includes a tempering process. It's expensive but it's a product that will last longer than the OEM materials and a lot more colors and variations from clear to black are available. If there is a lot of corrosion on the steel inner structure then it has to be treated to stop the cancer growth or the wheel will continue to crack and come apart.

[supereal]

Regardless of the care used, almost all steering wheels will show a return of cracks. This is due to the ongoing shrinkage of the hard rubber material bonded to the steel core. The epoxy commonly used is non-elastic, and will not follow the change in the rubber. I paid a high price for a NOS steering wheel still in the original box, and even it developed a couple of hairline cracks over time.

[bbook]

I used KBS NuMetal epoxy on my 36 1.5 ton steering wheel with good results. It is easy to work with.