steering wheel repair &refinish

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

In AD7-1395 Robert Wells asks about his GTV-6 steering wheels on which the 
"black substance to be disintegrating. It just sort of comes off in granular 
pieces. On one of them it is coming off in chunks. Is this repairable or is 
replacement of the wheel the only alternative?"

One other alternative, if to one's taste, would be lace-on leather 
steering-wheel rim covers. They come in various qualities and prices; 
J.C.Whitney has them in good-better-best grades for $9.99, $19.99, and 
$23.99, but the more glitzy places (like Beverly Hills Motoring Accessories) 
have them in decent quality leathers in various diameters, grip thicknesses 
and colors- one USA catalog at hand offers them in domestic cowhide in nine 
colors, specify year and model of car, for $35, and a more extensive British 
catalog (Europa Specialist Spares & Motorsport) has high quality calfskin in 
various colors (up to turquoise!) for 37 pounds, to be ordered by both wheel 
diameter and grip circumference. If the deteriorated surface is excessively 
irregular, Bondo filling might be prudent. The covers don't cure any inherent 
design ugliness of spokes, etc, but apart from that the couple I used a 
couple of decades ago (on VW vans) seemed quite respectable.

In AD7-1394 JOlson1967 asked about "inexpensive wood steering wheels for the 
GTV-6?  I would like something that looks appropriate in the car, preferably 
3-spoke.  Any suggestions or wheels/hubs to avoid?" (No suggestions here, I 
like the stock spoke design just fine) and adds a "PS Is it possible to 
refinish the faux wood (plastic) GTV-6 steering wheel?" It should be 
possible. One which I have has faux grain grooves molded into the surface; 
this would have been filled with a dark filler (wipe on, wipe off) to appear 
as real grain after the surfce finish was applied, and an ordinary 
dark-stained wood filler, followed by polyurethane, should do it. In AD7-1289 
and AD7-1314 Derek Lund gave a good account of refinishing a (real) wood 
steering wheel which covers the subject thoroughly and well. In AD7-1290 
Brian  Shuler gave a rather different account of using an epoxy glue as a 
varnish on a wood wheel; that raised my eyebrows considerably (motor oil and 
maple syrup look about the same, but there is little reason to assume equal 
suitability for tasks) but he says it worked, and who am I to argue with 
success? But I will save the glue for gluing, and the coatings for coating.

John H.
Raleigh, N.C.

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