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Location: The Mile High City | I sent my '58 DeSoto steering wheel to Richard Garcia in Chino Valley, AZ for repair of several small cracks. I saw Mr. Garcia's advertisement in Hemmings Motor News for $195 steering wheel repair. It said fastest turn-around. I sent the wheel to Mr. Garcia in late December 2008 and it arrived today, March 30, 2009 - three months later. He charged me $250.
The cracks were well repaired. Steering wheel color is a bit off, but still looks good. All said, it is better for the consumer to under promise and over deliver. This was more expensive than advertised and considerably longer than promised. I am glad to have the wheel back, but I can not give a strong recommendation for this service. |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Mike, did Mr. Garcia give you any explanations as to why he had a cost over-run ("fancier-than-simple/standard steering wheel"?)
and/or why he took so long to repair it?
Can you post up some pics of his work?
You should have taken "before" pics of it, at any rate.
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Expert ,, George Passed away July 28th 2021, He will be Missed
Posts: 1295
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Be happy. That is a very reasonable cost. Many wheel restos cost from $650 to $1400 and take 3 to 6 months.... depending on the complexity of the wheel.
George
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1172
Location: bradenton florida | i plan on repairing the cracks myself and then getting it power coated at a local powder coating shop. |
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Location: The Mile High City | That's good to put it in perspective. I guess the thing that got to me a little was the advertised price at $195 and then the estimated time of one month. If the ad had said prices starting at $195 and Mr. Garcia had said this is going to be about four months, I would have been pretty happy at the outcome. All-in-all, you are right George pretty cheap in comparison and he did a much better job than I could do with a Black and Decker Whizzer and some two-stage epoxy.
Neil, the wheel isn't very complicated. Mr. Garcia just said that his father made the advertisement and prices had gone up. To this day, I think the ad still reads $195. I will post some pictures in the next few days. Once I read your post, I scolded myself for not taking detailed pictures of the before condition. What was I thinking? That is a very good idea before you send any part away through the mail!
Garry, I didn't know that they could powercoat plastic wheels! That sounds like the way to go. This one is painted and I worry that the paint may wear away sooner than expected. You probably have the same wheel that I do. It is probably that same pewter color that most '58 DeSotos had. I have always heard that powder coating is much more durable than paint. I wonder if they can do a two-tone power coat?
Edited by Lancer Mike 2009-04-01 11:46 PM
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Location: Parts Unknown | Mike ~
Your steering wheel is the painted rubber ?????
I am really surprised. I have seen Sweep ragtops with rubber wheels, but never a big body car. Hmmm ....
I priced out the steering wheel resto for my DeSoto from a couple guys. Both were over a grand. Both were highly recommended by some serious car dudes.
Alas, I am a few steps away from this point in the resto.  |
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Expert ,, George Passed away July 28th 2021, He will be Missed
Posts: 1295
Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | I am glad you are happy with the outcome. I do understand what you mean when they say one thing and it comes out another way and a lot longer.... very frustrating.
George
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Location: The Mile High City | Doc, no it is the standard color-impregnated hard plastic wheel. Mr. Garcia repaired it with a ruberized epoxy and painted it a light gold color. Yes, George - that is the one thing that threw me for a loop. When I set my expectations high and they aren't met, I am an unhappy little clam. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 636
| The translucent effect of the original plastic is because the wheel is "same surface" cast . . . the surface of the wheel is the same stuff as the core; there is no topcoat. To the extent that you paint over or powder coat (which I still don't think can be done to plastic) the steering wheel, you will lose the original translucence. The most expensive wheel restorations involve a complete recasting of the plastic, back to a "same surface" state.
Sometime in the 80's I think, they started to do away with "same surface" steering wheels (and other interior parts) so that after awhile the steering wheel would wear down to it's core color, usually black.
"Same surface" is always better than paint!!
Sparky |
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Expert
Posts: 3402
Location: Chestertown, NY ( near Lake George) | Did the 2 tone wheel myself on the 55 NY'er, with the Eastwood kit, came out great. My painter did the wheel when it was done, cost about 125. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | Since the chances of finding a good lavender / black 57-58 Chrysler / DeSoto wheel are slim-to-none, casting a new one is about my only option. I do have a perfect solid black one from my old NY'er as a "specimen".
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Location: The Mile High City | Hi Sparky:
That same-surface recasting is where you get up into the $1,000 + range, I am sure. As far as the look goes, there is no comparison. It is the age-old question: quality or value. |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Mike, that 'question' also comes back to : "How many cars are you maintaning and/or restoring"?
$1K is not cheap, but, if you're doing-up your one-true-love , as opposed to incurring the financial hardships of an automotive
polygomist , then what's 1,000-dollar-bills, to spend on something that you will forever caress, whenever you get to drive 'her'.....?
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Walter passed away on Jul 29, 2014. We will miss you, Walt!
Posts: 5358
Location: Heaven Above (Formerly Oklahoma City,OK) | Like Shep, I did my own steering wheel after pricing the market. Used the Eastwood stuff (only this time, I bought the PC-7 at the local ACE hardware.) It took a week to finally make it look paintable. Painted it when I painted the car body to match. Basecoat/clear coat with lots of clear. It looks decent. Walt |
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Location: Parts Unknown |
Have any of you guys considered the 10" foam Grant wheel ?
.... or the lowrider staple, the chromed chain ?
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 6203
Location: Big pimpin' | LOL, I used to love those chrome, link chain, steering wheels............NOT. |
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Veteran
Posts: 234
Location: Dallas,Ga. | Funny you should mention Grant wheels, Doc. I used to put one of the 12 to 14 inch (I don't recall the size exactly)three spoke ones, with the black padded rim, on EVERY car I bought. I even put one on my '81 Plymouth Horizon! The only car I didn't put one on "back in the day" was my '72 Buick Skylark. I put the factory three spoke "GS" steering wheel on it. I have a '58 Plymouth steering wheel on my '58 Dodge right now. It's the standard (?) wheel, not the "Christine" style wheel. I have repaired cracks in these old plastic wheels, but it seems like they always come back, in the same spot. I recall seeeing an article in Cars and Parts magazine years ago about a company that "recast" steering wheels. That seems like the best method to me. I fixed a small crack on my current steering wheel, and although it is slowly returning, the rest of the wheel is holding up nicely. I painted it with Acrylic enamel, to match the white on my car. I have under a $100 invested in it. ---Z |
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Expert
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Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | zachs58 - 2009-04-12 3:48 PM
I recall seeeing an article in Cars and Parts magazine years ago about a company that "recast" steering wheels.
That seems like the best method to me.
Yeah, and that company was used during the restoration series of "Peggy Sue", the '57 Chevrolet Bel Air.
It dates back to 1991, but I stuck to that idea of recasting a steering wheel ever since.
The company was : W W Motorcars & parts / 703-896-8243 in Broadway, VA
The price was $475 per steering wheel (in 1991).
EDIT : Just googled them and found them, they're still in business : http://www.wwmotorcars.com/
The phone has changed, though : 540-896-8243
Edited by Chrome58 2009-06-06 12:10 PM
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New User
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| I sent my 1969 GTO steering wheel to Richard Garcia in early December 2010 with the verbal agreement it would be returned by late January. It is
March 23, 2011 and I still have no steering wheel. I did talk with Mr. Garcia in early February and he said there had been a problem with his water pipes and he would "get right on it." Now Mr. Garcia will not return my calls. I agree his advertisement boasts fast turn-around service and I think that should be rewritten......After reading your post Mike at least I have hope I will still receive my steering wheel. Thanks Mike! |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Atlanta GA USA | wbower3 - 2009-04-05 11:47 AM
Like Shep, I did my own steering wheel after pricing the market. Used the Eastwood stuff (only this time, I bought the PC-7 at the local ACE hardware.) It took a week to finally make it look paintable. Painted it when I painted the car body to match. Basecoat/clear coat with lots of clear. It looks decent. Walt
Glad to see this thread still alive. I just got a good used steering wheel in the mail yesterday and was going to search for the information on what to use to repair the cracks. I'll be going to Ace soon. I'm not sure what tools to use to apply and shape the PC-7. Thought of going to an art store and looking around. Maybe Hobby Lobby. I'll give it a good scrubbing first. Powder coating is a possibility I will look into.
I'll hang on to the old one and try to get the plumber's epoxy off of it.
bg |
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Veteran
Posts: 118
Location: Nawth Kerolinuh | Old thread but the advice given above is absolutely true - get some PC-7 at Tru-Value or Ace Hardware. I used a Dremel tool to cut out the cracks, widen them out enough to be able to put the filler down into the groove. Use toothpicks to get it in there, then something like a small putty knife to smooth it to shape, or close to it. The hardest part is the back side of the steering wheel and getting the finger grips right.
I bought a cheap small assortment of files about 6 inches long. Let it harden up for a day or so then go to town and work the profile of the wheel. You'll probably go back at least once or twice to fill some of the low spots. Just let it harden and start filing again. The edge of the finger grooves, at least on my wheel, had a small lip. You can get close to putting that in there too with a sharp tip.
After you're done, paint it to match. Mine is body color on the bottom, while the top was an off white translucent pearl. We used a paint that had some pearl in it, put clear on top of it and it's a very close match to the original. You might be tempted to do a straight white but giving it a little tone with that pearl added and some clear is worth it.
I've got a few days of work invested, the filler cost less than $10 and my paint guy shot the color on it.
Just start with as good a wheel as you can - less work and a better finished product. |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Atlanta GA USA | Thanks for the tips, BSoto. This will be taxing my ability but I'm motivated to try and do it right. I'll start accumulating supplies today and begin cleaning it up. So, I'm off to get some PC-7 and toothpicks  |
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Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: Skaneateles,NY(summer)/Port St.Lucie,FL(winter) | Did the Garcia Ad in Hemmings state "repair" or "restoration"? I would venture that Mr Garcia "repairs" the wheel, rather than "restores" it. A restoration is literally a "frame off" on a steering wheel, rather than a patch and repaint... |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8948
Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | you gotta take into consideration that any REPAIRS to an old wheel is in short order going to dry and crack more , not to mention the flexing from driving , so that said cheep is cheap and 250 is a cheap repair---------------------------------------------------later
Edited by 60 dart 2011-03-24 7:11 PM
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Location: The Mile High City | Yep, after a couple of summers - I can see several hairline cracks. It is nowhere near as bad as it was - but it is definitely not the full monty restoration - just a repair. I used plumber's epoxy on my '58 Plymouth steering wheel and it turned out fine. For wheels with simple cracks, it is better to do it yourself than to send it to Chino. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 475
Location: Las Vegas, NV | I've been using these guys for years on all of my old cars. They are very cheap and the job will last for several years. 
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 774
Location: Atlanta GA USA | Working on mine. A good sharp round file cuts fast. The PC7 is interesting stuff to work with. It is a 2 part epoxy product.
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Regular
Posts: 74
Location: San Antonio,Texas | cool thread. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 499
Location: London, England | I need to do my '57 Plymouth wheel where the grips (or the rim) have shrunk. I think I'll try the epoxy and just extend the rim to meet the grips again. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 347
Location: Ocean Park, Washington | Spider, that is just wrong, but FUNNY!! I used those on newer cars in the past but seeing the wheel like it should is what I want to see. |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
Location: Melbourne/ Australia | just finished a buick 57 wheel here used a product called Q bond its a 2 part product glue and 2 colors of powder grey for very brittle plastic and black for everything else have repaired heaps of wheels with this . Its instant drying and you can sand with 180 grit paper just vee out all the crackes apply the powder and a dob of glue do a small area at a time . I even filled a half in crack with it by making a mould with tape and doing half a side at a time so far no come backs. when you put 2 pac spray putty if any small cracks apear which they will fill the again you will always miss a few .Hope you can get this kit over there you can also get it through snapon here. small kit should cost $40 can do 2 wheels with a kit
Edited by Paul1957 2011-04-18 8:01 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 774
Location: Atlanta GA USA | Re: Q Bond, Amazon.com has it. It sounds to me like super glue. What else cures almost instantly? I have used super glue and sawdust to fill cracks. Using it with powdered plastic or metal is a possibility.
To force it to cure, sprinkle baking soda on it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 499
Location: London, England | Indeed - the web site says it's a cyanoacrylate adhesive, which is indeed super glue. With some filler powder. Which is not to say it's a bad idea! |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
Location: Melbourne/ Australia | it is a super glue the king of all glues when you put the powder in the crack all you need is a small dob of glue and it sets asap it even smokes while it cures the fumes burn your eyes it is fully sandable and paintable the best thing is if you miss a pin hole or crack v and repair straight away it dryes in about 1 second no bs. been using this for over 3 years havent found any thing better and you dont need baking soda its all in one kit 2 black powders 2 grey and 3 glues anough to do 2 wheels if you use the glue by its self it doesnt work only with the powder ps i dont own the product just someone that has found something that works
Edited by Paul1957 2011-04-22 5:35 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 189
Location: Melbourne/ Australia | if any body wants to try Q bond pm me and i will send what i pay you will pay i will send invoice i dont want to make anything out of this hope i can help |
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Walter passed away on Jul 29, 2014. We will miss you, Walt!
Posts: 5358
Location: Heaven Above (Formerly Oklahoma City,OK) | Paul, do you know if Snapin markets the kits in the USA? From Ian's post, I assume the glue can be bought via Amazon, but doesn't say if it's in a "kit" or not. ............................ |
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Location: Parts Unknown | Let's take this another direction. The crack fixes are great for wheels you can paint, but not
so much for the clear or pearlized translucent types.
Anyone have good experience and photos of recast steering wheels ?
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8445
Location: Perth Australia | Good question Doc
I do not know if you saw the pics of the aero wheel I got from the states, But when it was "restored", they painted the clear parts
white with large metal flake.
The effect wasnt to bad but the execution and (unfortunatly for me) the preperation and repair was bad.
The wheel has been in my garage since I bought it and has started showing small cracks already without
even being used.
To get back to the thread subject, I am interested in the re casting myself. I think my wheel will end up
back over there but the costs to get it done properly are very high, so if there is a way that i could do it myself, that
would be good.
Mick |
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Veteran
Posts: 189
Location: Melbourne/ Australia | if you want to recast the wheel your self why not make a mould and use clear gel coat from a fibreglass repairer you can add any color you want just no more than 20 p s works the same as the clear on a boat with the metal flake but you need to mix the resin and hardner to the letter or it will crack speak to a boat builder ps if you want the rubbery feel just add 2k hardner with a 2k basecoat paint not the clear will take longer to dry but its just about spoton
Edited by Paul1957 2011-04-26 6:35 AM
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Expert
Posts: 2824
Location: Snohomish, WA. | You need to use a UV stable material that won't shrink over time and stays flexible enough to not
crack if moved a bit.
Also, you need to vacuum the pour to ensure the air is completely pulled out before it sets up.
Silicone molding material could be used, but to make a good master mold you need a good wheel to mold from.
Best way would be to patch the original up, sand and smooth back to original, and then take a mold from it. Once
the mold is done to perfection, you can strip all the plastic off and get it re-chromed etc.
The problems I forsee are getting the frame exactly back in place in the mold so the new pour encapsulates the frame
properly and evenly everywhere, and getting the right dispersal of the "sparklies" when doing the recast. Also, the rim is clear, but the center is black, so two different pours are needed.
It's not a simple project.
Mike
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Steering Wheel Restoration - Chino Valley AZ
