restore steering wheel

[Guest]

Got the headliner installed now am trying to restore the steering wheel. The paint is badly cracked and I have tried 2 different paint removers but neither one will soften the paint. Has anyone else restored a wheel and removed the paint? If so, how did you do it and what did you use?

[Alexander]

RE: restore steering wheel

That is very hard paint on the steering wheel. I used a spray on paint remover that I bought at Carlisle Pennsylvania car show. I think it was called Redi-Strip - but I am not sure.

Por-Q sells a similar product: http://www.prp-porstore.com/faqstrip.html.

The material underlying the paint on the steering wheel is hard rubber. The active ingredient in most paint strippers is Methylene Chloride . The Por-Q site promises this will not permanently damage rubber. You may need to soak the wheel for several hours. Don't use a wire brush as you will abrade the underlying rubber. Be careful with the paint stripper, as it is toxic and potentially carcinogenic. Wear a facemask and use rubber gloves made for the purpose.

If your steering wheel has cracks Eastwood makes a kit to repair them including a book of how to restore steering wheels at http://www.eastwoodcompany.com/itemd...96+Z&Dep_Key1= .

Alexander
1959 Hardtop
1960 Golde Top

[JohnG]

RE: restore steering wheel

hi
I watched a program on classic car restoration. The focus was an early 60s Corvette with the unique problems due to a fiberglass body. One of the things covered was that they now have a multitude of blasting materials made of things other than sand which can be used in "layered" situations like yours. In other words, the materials are softer and the control better so that they can blast off one layer of paint at a time and stop whenever they want. So where you are trying to get rid of the outside paint but retain the rubber layer, this might work. It would also mean no cleanup from chemicals afterwards. You could perhaps contact some high end body shops.

There are also outfits listed in Hemmings that specialize in steering wheel restoration - they must have encountered this problem before. The nice thing about the steering wheel is that you can pop it into UPS with minimal expense.

good luck!

John
'58 Hardtop