Leather Steering Wheel cover for 1939 Wheel?

[hudson29]

My old steering wheel is cracked all over. It looks awful and the segments can painfully pinch the hand when cranking it hard during parking maneuvers. I know they can be rebuilt but this is expensive & time consuming and I'm looking for a way to make a nice improvement now.

I'm thinking of buying one of the DIY leather steering wheel wraps. Can anyone recommend one that fits the large but thin steering wheels that Cadillac used in 1939? I'll bet some owners fitted them back in those days before air conditioning. Sweaty hands on a slick plastic steering wheel would have been just as much a problem when the cars were new as they are today.

Vintage Paul

[35-709]

Try these folks ---
http://www.wheelskins.com/

Wheelskins Inc.
2821 10th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
For further information, call (800) 755-2128
or email us at info@wheelskins.com

They show their products for more modern cars but can and will custom make most any size you want, just measure and tell them what it is --- many colors too.

[35-709]

Should also say that you will still need to fill the cracks and openings in the steering wheel and smooth the filler before using the leather cover.  Otherwise the leather cover will pull down into the cracks and wide openings and it will still look ugly and be uncomfortable.  Use something like body filler, JB Weld, or the like. 

[hudson29]

Thanks, that does look like a good place to try. I have already wrapped heavy wire in some of the cracks to try to immobilize them. I'm thinking GB Weld might be too liquid to work here but Bondo might be just right. I have both in stock. How easy are these covers to install?

Vintage Paul

[lou-q]

 To fill the cracks and voids there is an epoxy product called Marine Tex. It is a structural epoxy that  can easily be sanded, shaped drilled and tapped and it is thick enough to be used upside down.
We use it where heat is not a factor.
Good luck,
Lou Quirch

[joeceretti]

I agree, you should be using epoxy. Carefully applied, sanded well and then painted it should look very good. You won't have the original look of the plastic they used which allows some light transference but it should look very good. Bondo or something like that will shrink after time and want to re-crack and come out ruining all your hard work refinishing.

[hudson29]

That sounds like great stuff. I just had a look and didn't see it at McMaster-Carr. Do you have a good source?

I see that you too have a 1939 6127. What sort of shape is it in? I have never seen another one of them except in pictures.

Vintage Paul

[hudson29]

I wasn't thinking of using this to restore the wheel but just to fill the cracks before covering it with the leather cover. There is a place that will recast the wheel with new plastic. I haven't seen the result except in pictures but that sounds like the best way to go. They are spendy, something like $1000.00. Someday when I hit the lotto . . .

Vintage Paul, looking to improve what I have now

[35-709]

Just Google Marine-Tex.  Amazon sells it ----

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=marine-tex+epoxy&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=28654645407&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=245758482232945109&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_6wycpgwgjp_b

Probably find it at a marine supply store too.

[Raymond919]

Hello Paul,
I recently came across this product offered by POR 15 which makes rust-stopping chemicals which can then be painted over. They also sell a kit for under $100 to fix your steering wheel. It contains an epoxy to fix the gaps and cracks in steering wheels and also the different grades of sand paper to then smooth it out, high gloss polishing compound, primer with hardener and a detailed instruction book. If I had your problem, I'd definitely look into this. Their toll-free number is 1-800-457-6715. Give them a call and request a catalog and ask them questions about it.
I have never bought their products but noticed that POR 15 is included in lots of Rustoleum spray paints to stop rust. I'd suggest giving them a call and ask for their catalog - costs nothing!
Ray Schuman
#26141

[hudson29]

Yes, these wheels are certainly restorable on some level by such methods. There might be odd spacings between the raised portions which the fingers grip but they can look pretty good. The problem I worry about would be paint. It would take take a pretty good paint to last very long on a steering wheel.

Vintage Paul

[lou-q]

That sounds like great stuff. I just had a look and didn't see it at McMaster-Carr. Do you have a good source?

I see that you too have a 1939 6127. What sort of shape is it in? I have never seen another one of them except in pictures.

Vintage Paul

Paul,
Our 6127 is in great shape and we use it often in the Summer. There aren't many around (only 1,023 made). I have not seen another either. Where is yours at? Ours is in Indiana. You can get Marine Tex at any boat store.
It hardens in 3 hours at 70 degrees or much faster with a light bulb for heat.
Lou Quirch

[Warren Rauch #4286]

 On my 1939, I used a leather wrap for a while, but cord that held it on was a problem. My solution was found at a closeout store they had large truck rubber wheel covers that fit right on. It almost looks like leather. Warren

[hudson29]

Our 6127 is in great shape and we use it often in the Summer. There aren't many around (only 1,023 made). I have not seen another either. Where is yours at? Ours is in Indiana. You can get Marine Tex at any boat store.
It hardens in 3 hours at 70 degrees or much faster with a light bulb for heat.
Lou Quirch

I'm in SoCal just about 5 miles north of Disneyland. I am planning to make the Southern California Chapter meet at the Lakewood Country Club next Sunday, February 9th. I have never seen another 1939 6127 except in pictures online. Sadly, most of the ones I have seen on eBay have been converted into hot rods. That is really too bad as these were such beautiful and good performing cars stock that it is easy to forget the car is now 75 years old.

It would be fun some day to have a run in a 1939 Buick Century with the same body to compare the differences. The Buick is supposed to be the speed champ but I have to think the Caddie would give it a run for its money. Mine whispers along at 75 mph and will go MUCH faster. The poor shocks keep me from trying to go any faster not the power.

Vintage Paul