FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

could someone tell me where i can send my steering wheel to repair cracks and restore it and how much it might cost to do. i live in north qld.

thanks paddy

                 www.pearlcraft.com.au

ta

paddy

Sorry to drag up an old thread but i figured they had already been mentioned :D

Has anyone used these guys at all for repairs or can you recommend someone that can touch up my steering wheel for the FC???

Cheers Ben

Why not give it a go yourself, I started with a poor condition wheel, (I should have taken pics) A few hours cleaning out the cracks, sanding it back and 2pac paint it looks fantastic.
Easy really.
cheers
Grant

Hey Grant,what did you use to fill the cracks?Does bog work or does it move around too much?I have been considering giving this a go as I have a few very average wheels and thought it would be worth a try.What about paintable/sandable silicons?.Cheers,Jamie.

Hey Jamie, thanks for pointing that out I forgot to mention , I used a two pack resin, lock tight brand, they all smell like araldite though, it sanded easy, you can then use a light filler etc to smooth.
It seemed to paint fine, I suppose time will tell if it lasts, the car won't be out in the sun much though  ;)
cheers Grant

Hi Grant

i was going to have ago at repairing it myself but after talking to a few people they were all of the same opinion that i couldn't use normal automotive bog on the wheel nor could they really suggest anything 100% that would be suitable.

I have emailed/phoned a couple of places they do this and none of them were all that keen to point me in the right direction (i can understand as that is the basis of their business) but to not even throw a guy a hint i thought was a little rough...

I will give it a crack and try and find some of the lock tight resin that you used and see how i go.

Any chance you wanted to post a quick DIY of what you did with yours ;D

Cheers Ben

 :)  Paddy

I gave it a go with the steering wheel from my Blue car and it came up very well. I have a series of photos .I'll send them if you wish.It's not hard.

Cheers Rusty

rusty, could you put the photos on here, and tell us how you did it ?? I reckon more than a few of us would be real interested
cheers jack

Ditto Jack...

Ditto also

Keith

hi, if you check the latest Just Parts guy has fe-fc steering wheel restored as new changeover $120 ph03 52430498

paddy

That is cheap, but honestly there is nothing to it, get an air blower, clean out the cracks (someone decided silicon would be good to use on mine which was a pain) , I spent a few minutes a day putting several coats of resin  over the cracks (I even had a whole piece around the centre come off  :o)
Let it harden for a week, spend an hour or so sanding , and its ready to paint.

Grant

I did mine with araldite and it was pretty badly cracked. It took a lot of filling but came up great with a bit of filing and then some sanding. I then had it painted in two pack white and it looks real cool.
Bazza

 8)
Hi all,
Firstly I'm not to good at uploading multiple pics.

Anyway, My steering wheel wasn't in very good condition to start with.
This is what I did,
. I took a hacksaw and cut each crack.This made the cracks slightly larger but a lot easier to clean out and gave each one  straight edges.
. Next I cleared them with a blast or 3 of air from the compressor.
. Then I mixed a batch of "Septone" Body filler and filled each crack. Sanded the whole wheel and applied a coat of Etch Primmer and a couple of coats of Surface primmer.
. The Car is Lark Spur Blue with Silver Flake so I took the paint numbers to "Out West Auto" Paint suppliers Penrith and they mixed the paint in pressure pack .
. I applied the paint to the wheel until it ran out and the result speaks for itself.
. One point though. I removed the metal ring from the under side of the wheel to clean and paint it.If you do that as well make sure you replace it before you fill any defects . This ring is a press fit and it expands the wheel and it will crack the wheel.
I hope this makes sense.
Her come the pics I hope.(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SteeringWheelResto_0222.jpg)   

(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SteeringWheelResto_0224.jpg)(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SteeringWheelResto_0228.jpg)

(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SteeringWheelResto_0236.jpg)(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SteeringWheelResto_0240.jpg)(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SteeringWheelResto_0243.jpg)(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SteeringWheelResto_0245.jpg)

Looks good Rusty.
I think the body filler will crack with flex and sun. (I hope I am wrong!!)
I picked up a wheel the other day that needs lots of work.
It is missing the metal ring from inside the hub though......anyone have a spare before I start repairs?
I plan on doing the same, but with Araldite, or maybe 'JB Weld'.
Regards
Alex

What is wrong with "NEAD IT" to do the repairs, it sticks to any thing and is very strong and does not shrink.I have used nicki many years ago  to repair steering wheels and it did not last. I have been panel beating for 35 years  FC427

Hey Mark
Tell us more about this 'Need it' product.
Regards
Alex

x2 im getting ready to buy what i need to do mine and any help appreciated  ;D

Likewise.  I have a few steering wheels to repair very soon.

Keith

 :)

Yep Mark tell us all more about this "Nead It". I too have another wheel to do for my Wagon. And yep Alex, the one in the sedan is starting to crack again because it is used every day of the week.

Cheers Rusty

''KNEAD IT'' Auto Fix By Selleys Get it from hardware store spare parts shop etc. IT IS A FAST SETTING CO-EXTRUDED EPOXY CAN BE USED ON FUEL TANKS , RADIATORS  ETC. WORKING TIME 2 TO 5 MINUTES  ONCE CURED  CAN BE DRILLED, TAPPED . OR THE OTHER ONE I HAVE FOUND TO BE VERY GOOD IS ''QUICK STEEL''  steel reinforced epoxy putty it does a lot more than the name implies also suitable for ceramics and plastics and a hole lot of other jobs both are around $12 from memory  FC427

Just another thought good idea to " V  "the crack out before filling to increase the surface area for bonding ,use the back of a hacksaw blade to push the epoxy deep in to the cracks and when it comes paint time, the addition of the flexable additive to the paint . [ is used when painting plastic bumpers and other flexible part . Just ask your paint supplier when you buy your 2K for the steering wheel FC427

I found this link from Selleys re the Needit product http://www.selleys.com.au/Selleys-KneadIt-Steel/default.aspx
Sounds very impressive.
Cheers,
Graham

Another product although poss a bit expensive is Q-Bond
http://www2.blackwoods.com.au/infoBANKProduct.aspx?SG=2000165&S=28&G=2004226&P=2027380

Got most of what i need to start the new life for the steering wheel ;D