restoration of steering wheel

[67Catalina]

How would you go about repairing a baddly cracked and chipped steering wheel?

[Larry]

For the earlier Pontiac owners with the plastic and hard rubber steering wheels, fear not, for the Eastwood company has products-- and actual kits-- to properly restore cracks and other deterioration. Here we have a short "How-To" article from Eastwood on a steering wheel they restored using (of course) their procucts. It isn't as difficult as one might have thought, after reading this article.

Check it out in our On-Line Magazine at: http://www.pontiacregistry.com/members/online_magazine.php?view=1&article=273

Click on this link above (blue type) to take you directly to the article. It may not tell you everything, but it sure helps get you started in understanding how to do it (and that you acctually can do it yourself).

[duncan2plus2]

If the steering wheel is for a 67, there is a place in Poway,CA that at one time advertised they restore the clear and colored wheels used from about 1960 through about 1969 or so. The descriptions and pictures of the finished samples look very high quality, but I have no idea how much they cost.

They had a web page....qualityrestorations.com. I'm not sure if the service is still available.
Hope this helps.

[stucky2947]

I contacted Quality Restorations and inquired about the price to restore my steering wheel on my '62 GP. They are pricey, buy highly recommended from others I've talked to. Dennis was very knowledgeable and friendly. Below is a copy of his email to me from 6/07.

Hi Mike;I remove all of the old plastic, rechrome the frame and cast on UV stable urethane plastic in the original configuration. The urethane does not shrink, crack or turn yellow. The top and bottom halves would be water clear and the rest can be any color. I put the color in the plastic, it is consistent throughout and the finished product is polished plastic, not a painted wheel. The cost is $975 with a life time warranty.-- Best regards, Dennis

[Stu Norman]

About 10 years ago I was quoted $450 for a restoration of a 1963 clear wheel, so that seems about right.