Steering Wheel Repair (Deluxe or Custom?)

Q: Steering Wheel Repair (Deluxe or Custom?)

Hi Group… I have a 1968 bird with te Custom interior. This of course includeds the dreaded Custom steering wheel that cracks on virtually every car I have ever seen… Does anyone make a replacement wheel or do I have to send mine to one of those rebuilders in Hemmings Magazine.. Thanks!

A: Do you refer to the Colored Wheel (Deluxe) w/the ‘Bird’ Horn Button ? The simulated wood-grain (plastic) Wheel was the Custom Sport Wheel. Either way, you’re right- most all plastic steering wheels will have some sort of cracking, splitting. The result of the plastic shrinking over the years. NOS wheels show up every now & then but figure on spending several hundred dollars for them. I know of a dealer who has (2) NOS black Deluxe Firebird Steering Wheels; he wants $500 ea for them. As for the ‘Wood’ Wheels, those don’t seem to crack and split as bad as the Deluxe wheels; still.. mint or NOS ones command big $$$.

Fortunately, there are ways to repair these wheels. PY and other companies have been ‘remolding’ certain ‘wood’ wheels for a few years. They strip the old plastic off, mold a new rim and tint it to give it that woodgrain effect. Cost is upwards of $300-$400 ea. There are many companies in Hemmings that advertise Steering Wheel Repairs. Again, costs will be in the $150-$400 range. Another alternative is to do it yourself. Eastwood sells a kit for doing just this. I’ve had good success with a few different materials over the years for fixing cracks. PC-11 is one. Doing it yourself requires patience and attention to detail if you’re looking for a ‘show finish’ but you can save yourself hundreds of dollars.

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