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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7206
  
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Just found this on Facebook Forward Look Site, using a product called Thermoworx to restore a 61 Plymouth steering wheel.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheSteeringWheelGuy/photos/?tab=album&al...
https://thermoworx.com/products/whitemorph%E2%84%A2 |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5006
| I did my steering wheel it wasnt bad. You can simply do you own if its not to bad. My wheel was black with cracking, and shrinking. I used 2 part epoxy... use 3m or JBWeld That is bad around the little grip bumps. I dremeled out the old stuff, used epoxy and built it up and then sanded. Paint and I was done. I like how that is a mold. To do the sparkle you have to do a whole molding process. that wheel looks a bit thick though.
Edited by mikes2nd 2018-12-20 2:31 AM
 (wheelpainted.jpg)
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 wheelpainted.jpg (163KB - 134 downloads)
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 827
 
Location: tailFinland |
I would'nt call that restoration nor pay for that. It has quite little to do with restoration. More like DIY custom steering wheel - what ever. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | "Restoring" a painted rubber wheel is like washing the dirt off a rock.
RESTORING a cast plastic wheel is serious work, requiring dedicated
tools and special skills. There is a reason the people who do this get
well north of $1K for doing this kind of work.
While I envy those who can go the cheap and easy route of filler and
paint, because that is what their car came with, there is nothing like
looking out over a really well done 2-tone cast wheel and the way it
compliments the interior.
 (steering wheel before.jpg)
 (steering wheel after.jpg)
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steering wheel before.jpg (58KB - 135 downloads)
steering wheel after.jpg (57KB - 143 downloads)
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5006
| yeah I will two tone my steering wheel I guess. it will be paint but still looks great. yes i went the "cheap" way i guess, but its perfect, mine just had about 20 cracks and some shrinking but it turned out perfect. I guess its just down to shiny(paint) vs dull. I like the shiny since it matches the interior.
Edited by mikes2nd 2018-12-20 12:36 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
Location: Whetstone, Arizona | If you look closely to that steering wheel on the FB page...he ruined a square see through Aero glitter wheel!...then go to his Own FB page and see how he does the "restoration" on that wheel....I've seen my kids smeer playdoh on at a better rate
Edited by arizona mopar gold 2018-12-21 2:22 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 298
Location: Kalispell, MT USA | And of you go to the link for the "product", https://thermoworx.com/products/whitemorph%E2%84%A2 , it is a low melting point (62 degrees C.) polymer, and after 1 hot day in the sun, you would find it all over the floor.
Edited by normsclassicradio 2018-12-21 11:08 AM
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Regular
Posts: 84
| 62deg C is 143 F so that's pretty hot but a shut up car in the sun could sure melt the wheel. I have done 8 or 10 wheels and have found that epoxies will re crack on both sides of a filled split. G2 epoxy from Eastwood is a steering wheel special putty that is easy to form and fill separations with but it will also crack on each side of the fill. The best I have found is JB Plastic parts weld epoxy. It has some flex in it. Its pretty easy just put good masking tape around the separation and leave a small opening fill the void up and let it set. Peel the tape off and then sand or file the tag off where it was open. Do all your spots and repaint. Living in the cold north I have 10 restored cars part of my winter storage is taking all the wheels off and storing them in the basement. I get tired of re-fixing them. The cold shrinks and cracks everything I have tried - even a professionally done one. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | My photo above does not capture the translucence/swirled pearlescence
in the green that really sets a cast wheel apart. I guess I am really "taken"
by the period interior details of late 50's cars and that little detail is worth
the cost to have it recast.
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Expert
Posts: 2519
Location: central Illinois | Got my wheel back from D and D. Projected time was 8 months with the final being 11 months. But it was a two-tone recast and looks amazing. It'll need to warm up before I mess with installing a new turn signal switch and the recast wheel. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 371
| The clear glittered steering wheels are the things nightmares are made of. I have though about making a 2 part mold and hitting hoby lobby for the plastic stuff. Have not quite got the nerve up yet. I have seen molds made and lense recast and I bet the folks that do wheels are using the same method. But you have to take all the old covering off the steel hoop down to bare. Hit that point and no going back. |
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Expert
Posts: 2905
Location: little rock, AR | D and D did mine and another FL guy before being sold to the current owner. My post showing my 1961 Plymouth Aero wheel can be found using the search engine. I hope the original owners taught the new owners the ropes. |
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Expert
Posts: 1489
Location: Lordstown, Ohio | the concept of the clear/glitter wheels in doing them successfully is the glitter has to be suspended throughout the clear, its not on the surface |
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steering wheel restoration
