Got my hands on a 68 deluxe wheel last fall thanks to one of the nice folks here. Been working on it for the past couple weeks and am at the point that it needs paint. I shot a coat of high gloss black on it last night and am not crazy about the look. Were these wheels shiney from the factory or more of a satin finish? Any way here are some pics of the progress.
The way it looked when it arrived:





First step was to open the gaps enough to pour 2 oart epoxy in the cracks and use clapms to pull the housing back into shape. I used masking tape to make "forms".

Next I used 2 part epoxy putty from POR to fill the big cracks. They have already been ground down to rough shape in these pics.


Next I used a glass infused filler to get closer to shape. Looking back now I think the epoxy putty was easier to shape. I followed that with a good thick coat of primer filler. Sanded that smooth and then filled the small imperfections with some premium quality filler and final sanding. Here is what it looked like before paint.


I didn't take a picture or it with the gloss black cause I didn't want to take a chance on knocking it over. I will before I wet sand it for satin black.

Thank you so much for posting these. Looks like your wheel's condition is VERY similar to mine...very large cracks and spacing. Helps me visualize the process if I tackle mine someday. Looks like you have done very nice work.

I do not know the answer about "correct" color, but I agree that true gloss black would NOT be what I would want, nor would I expect that to be correct.

I do believe some type of satin black would look much better. If I do mine, I will be striving to match the gloss level of the rest of my plastic steering column parts, or if I can't get close enough I'll just shoot those in the exact same steering wheel satin black that I settle on as being "close enough"...whether gloss level is exactly correct or not, the wheel has simply gotta match the column IMO.

Larry,

The original finish on my '68 'vert is what I would call a "dull" gloss. Definetly not satin. Maybe somwhere in the range of 90% gloss? But that may be from the 40+ years of use.

Isn't your interior turquoise? I didn't think you had a black interior...

My car has parchment seats, door panels and head liner. Dash is black. The tilt column I installed probably has the original finish on it and I would guess 80 - 90% also. Doesn't Eastwood offer different degrees of satin black?

Hi all, What do you think caused the hub to crack like that? do they all do it? I have one that I bought after it had hit a power pole and just assumed the hub had cracked from the driver holding it during impact( I've seen this before). I have not checked to see if it spins straight yet and after seeing your post I might try to fix it. Neill

It seems they all crack. People have reported pulling a NOS steering wheel out of a box and finding the same cracks as we see here. The plastic coating must simply shrink & deteriorate over time and it gives out.

Another point about seeing it if "spins straight". Many of these steering wheels are NOT truly round...they are slightly oval shaped...wider than they are tall. Some have reported straightening the oval in a press prior to a resto, but I do not believe this to be a correct process...

I agree. I don't think they ever were round. Mine is slightly wider than tall.

Don't let me mislead you. I have a ton of hours into this thing already. Very tediuos work sanding all those finger notches.

actually, making honey out of dog%&#$ is one of my favorite things to do so "tedious" projects like this are ok.

That made me laugh. Good one!

How do you plan on painting the wheel?

Are you going to mix the paint with a hardner and shoot through a gun?

Originally I was going to rattle can it but I think that hardened paint will hold up better. Probably will use an airbrush to spray. Better control and less mess. My wife would probably toss me out if I shot it with my big gun in the basement!

Hey! This is a family site!

Tone it down!

Good one!

I promise to watch my comments.

I bought a small can of PPG Automotive 60% gloss black to do mine.

Going to use a small detail gun, as you know what they say, its not the size but how you use it!

I use rattle can and then used a 2K clear with hardener over the top(also out of a can). Worked pretty well. Only problem is getting the distance right because you have to get inside the wheel spokes to shoot the inside rim and try not to bump any fresh paint. Would be nice to be able to control the amount of paint coming out.

Looks real good for sure! That is opne of the better deluxe wheels to have as a starting point. I sprayed mine with Krylon gloss black and a satin clear and it has been holding up pretty well after almost 2 years of Florida heat. Congrats and you won't regret restoring that wheel for sure.

That's awesome work, thanks for posting more infor. and pics!

I had the same as yours when I had 1st '67 Firebird modified since 1987-1990. Nobody have no idea if it's original to '67, I told them that came from a '68 Deluxe car. They're very interesing it! I've seen some factory colored Deluxe steering wheel with the same Bird horn button to matches colored Int., that was very rare colored ones... Is it?

Thanks. Not sure on the colored ones. The ones I have seen are black but I don't see why the wouldn't have been available in colors. Update - I shot some gloss paint on it a week ago and hate the way it looks so it has been "baking" over one of the heat registers in our family room (makes my wife happy). I want to let it site for a couple weeks before I sand it back down and apply some satin black. My wife also loves it when I spray paint in the basement.

Yes, all deluxe wheels came in the colors to match interiors. Black, red, ivy gold, teal, blue, green, etc.

Horn caps came in the matching colors as well.

Not all of us go there.
I thought he ment 44 magnum revolver

They're not too happy when you use their oven to bake parts either(trust me on this one). I haven't tried the dishwasher for cleaning parts yet but I'd bet she would get all pissy about that too. She can be such a buzzkill sometimes.

I tell my wife "Don't harsh my mellow bro"

And THAT makes her really happy.