dalorzo_f
Well-known member
Anyone have tips tricks and experiences on redoing the woodgrain and the mylar stripe?
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COMMUNITY
1968 GT/CS & HCS
2007+ GT/CS
1966-1967 HCS
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1968 Restoring a deluxe steering wheel
- Thread starter dalorzo_f
- Start date
dalorzo_f
Well-known member
Yep, but at $500-700 (prices I've seen) for the restoration, plus shipping between the US and Oz (3 times, here, there and back) at $100+ a pop I'm interested in trying. Plus the sunk core cost ($300+ seems to be the going rate). $1000, over the core cost, seems kinda spendy for a steering wheel to get, basically, painted.
Looking to try it myself, testing on and old beaten regular core, as some paint to do the rim, 5 feet of mylar tape and some clear coat would hopefully cost a bit less than $1k.
Looking to try it myself, testing on and old beaten regular core, as some paint to do the rim, 5 feet of mylar tape and some clear coat would hopefully cost a bit less than $1k.
nikzack
Well-known member
I hope to get some good ideas off this thread i need to restore mine also.
dalorzo_f
Well-known member
Yep, but it provides no real details. The Mustang Monthy article referenced is a typical 60% "how to". A good starting point but limited... (and using duct tape for the silver strip?)
Was looking for other inputs/experiences, but it appears this is black art.
On a semi-realted question I got a good shape used wheel today. The stripe is gold. Not sure if it is due to age of clear, or if some got silver and some got gold. Saddle back color so wondering if maybe the Shelby's (AFAIK a lot were saddle interior) had the gold ring and regular Mustangs silver. ???
Was looking for other inputs/experiences, but it appears this is black art.
On a semi-realted question I got a good shape used wheel today. The stripe is gold. Not sure if it is due to age of clear, or if some got silver and some got gold. Saddle back color so wondering if maybe the Shelby's (AFAIK a lot were saddle interior) had the gold ring and regular Mustangs silver. ???
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dalorzo_f
Well-known member
Thanks, that is kinda what I thought. Just aging.
On the crack repair, I have done a few standard '68 wheels. On the repair, here's my take (which may or may not apply to your fixes).
Most of the write-ups I see show cutting the old crack at 90 degrees to the wheel. This leaves the bonding face right along the same area that originally cracked, high stress, and the area is as small as possible as a "donut" around the steel core.
I cut back the crack at a wide "V", say the crack is 1/4", I'll go 1 1/2" -2" wide at the top making a wide "V" (yes, a lot of removal, freaked me out the first time I did it, but the results are good).
Use a high quality body filler. Fill the gap, sand to recover the shape. The finger grooves are tricky, but not too hard.
Sand, prime and paint. I have done 2 I still have, one 8 years old, and gone thru serious heat here in Brisbane, but not freezing cold. Perfect. Same for a 5-6 year old one I did.
The big groove puts the strain on the patch over a far larger surface area. And puts the forces in some shear across the bonding surface, not direct strain. Which makes it less likely to recrack. And the high quality body filler has some "give" to it, so not a 100% rigid item as with some other fillers, more likely to crack the less give they have...
Small areas on the backside are harder, but again I grind out a fair bit of material to get as good a surface area as possible...
HTH
On the crack repair, I have done a few standard '68 wheels. On the repair, here's my take (which may or may not apply to your fixes).
Most of the write-ups I see show cutting the old crack at 90 degrees to the wheel. This leaves the bonding face right along the same area that originally cracked, high stress, and the area is as small as possible as a "donut" around the steel core.
I cut back the crack at a wide "V", say the crack is 1/4", I'll go 1 1/2" -2" wide at the top making a wide "V" (yes, a lot of removal, freaked me out the first time I did it, but the results are good).
Use a high quality body filler. Fill the gap, sand to recover the shape. The finger grooves are tricky, but not too hard.
Sand, prime and paint. I have done 2 I still have, one 8 years old, and gone thru serious heat here in Brisbane, but not freezing cold. Perfect. Same for a 5-6 year old one I did.
The big groove puts the strain on the patch over a far larger surface area. And puts the forces in some shear across the bonding surface, not direct strain. Which makes it less likely to recrack. And the high quality body filler has some "give" to it, so not a 100% rigid item as with some other fillers, more likely to crack the less give they have...
Small areas on the backside are harder, but again I grind out a fair bit of material to get as good a surface area as possible...
HTH
dalorzo_f
Well-known member
Quick sketch, as can be seen by going out about 3/4" each side you about double the surface area for bonding...
And I just realized the calc is off, the ratio should be even higher, that is based on a single flat-cut surface, not the entire rounded area of the material, but I'm too lazy to do that calc...:wink:
And I just realized the calc is off, the ratio should be even higher, that is based on a single flat-cut surface, not the entire rounded area of the material, but I'm too lazy to do that calc...:wink:
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