Stumbled upon this on eBay. Seller had 5 for sale and 3 were gone. It came yesterday and it looks real good: tamo wood grained,edged with silver and slightly domed plastic covering (hope this can be seen in the photos). Seller is a '70 Eldorado owner who handmakes them and is working on other '70's model inlays. It'll take me a while to install since I need to clean out the groove of what remains of my cracked up and yellowed current inlay but I held it.up against the wheel and I'm quite satisfied. Could mean the end for those flawless interiors with the ugly leather wrapped steering wheel.
Rob
Here is my '74 wheel that I did with that sellers insert. I had to modify it slightly to get it to sit flush but I'm satisfied with the results.
(https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjelloslug.com%2Fcaddy%2FIMG_7520.JPG&hash=71b5ab2e7036033fd7da90ee8f5d823c06cd307c)
I owned a couple of those cars many years ago. Those wheels were falling apart when those cars were just a few years old.
I am truly impressed! Was it very expensive?
Quote from: Alan Harris CLC#1513 on April 30, 2020, 11:07:11 PM
I owned a couple of those cars many years ago. Those wheels were falling apart when those cars were just a few years old.
I am truly impressed! Was it very expensive?
A bit pricey but an almost order of magnitude less than sending your wheel of to be restored. IMO a great option for a DIYer.
I installed this on my ‘70 Eldorado. I am 100% satisfied with it and think the price is very reasonable especially when compared to a wheel overhaul or to an eBay seller who wants $2500 for a crappy wheel.
I was able to remove the old inlay and install this one in about an hour and a half.
The most difficult part of the process was removing the old inlay. While some pieces literally fell off, some of the pieces were tenacious.
Once they were all out, I used alcohol and q-tips to clean the recess prior to installation. Then I blew it out with one of those cans of keyboard duster.
I have driven the car several times since the install and no issues with adhesion.
The one caution is that the joint at 6 o’clock is a challenge as the inlay has a small amount of excess that needs to be trimmed square to form the butt joint. This is intentional by the seller as it’s one of those ‘you can always cut, but you can never add’ or ‘measure twice, cut once’ deals.
I tried a razor but the material is tough and while the razor gave a good score mark, I had to cut it with a snip. A very delicate operation to get the butt joint right.
Quote from: wrench on May 01, 2020, 09:51:03 AM
I installed this on my ‘70 Eldorado. I am 100% satisfied with it and think the price is very reasonable especially when compared to a wheel overhaul or to an eBay seller who wants $2500 for a crappy wheel.
I was able to remove the old inlay and install this one in about an hour and a half.
The most difficult part of the process was removing the old inlay. While some pieces literally fell off, some of the pieces were tenacious.
Once they were all out, I used alcohol and q-tips to clean the recess prior to installation. Then I blew it out with one of those cans of keyboard duster.
I have driven the car several times since the install and no issues with adhesion.
The one caution is that the joint at 6 o’clock is a challenge as the inlay has a small amount of excess that needs to be trimmed square to form the butt joint. This is intentional by the seller as it’s one of those ‘you can always cut, but you can never add’ or ‘measure twice, cut once’ deals.
I tried a razor but the material is tough and while the razor gave a good score mark, I had to cut it with a snip. A very delicate operation to get the butt joint right.
I had the wheel off of my car when I was installing it so I was able to use a belt sander to get the ends perfect.
Does this inlay only work for Eldos? I want to refurbish the steering wheel on my '70 Deville.
I'm 99% certain the Eldorado and deVille use the same steering wheel.
I'm 100%...
Does that make it 199%?
So... what's the complete contact info for the "seller" ??? And what's the cost?
Quote from: MaR on May 01, 2020, 01:54:50 PM
99 44/100%
I'll raise that to 100% ;)
Charles Fares
If you come across more, please let us know...I've got a chunk out of mine (the car came that way) and it's cracked all throughout.
The seller is on the Facebook pages "1965-1970 Cadillac Collective" and "Cadillac Cars and Parts For Sale".
I reached out to him for a sample, and it looks like it will work. Around $350 as I remember but
taking your time installing is required. Go to those pages and search for 'steering wheel inlay'.
The seller is John Brankin and he can be reached at bdamc@comcast.net . I spoke with him today and he will probably pop in here shortly to answer questions.
Quote from: Dan LeBlanc on May 01, 2020, 12:29:27 PM
I'm 99% certain the Eldorado and deVille use the same steering wheel.
Hi
Do you know if that applies to 71 as well? I bought one from DeVille to replace bad one in Eldorado, and the shapes in the back of the ring are kind of sharper in Eldorado. That is where you keep your fingers during driving. Eldo wheel feels thinner, but the outer diameter is the same.
Hello everyone, I make the wheel inlays. Most on this page already know me but to those who don't.
I've got the 69-70 Tamo, and the 76-78 Walnut inlays. I'm working on the 71 Light Tamo right now (Matti, did you get that sample?!)
I have a few other things going too.
One is the chrome outline on the 69-70 instrument panels. Mine, as most was well worn and bad looking. I created a pre cut sheet which when carefully installed gives factory new results. Initially it's quite a difference looking at your dash, mine looks fantastic now. It takes some definite skill and patience to install though.
I can make any design from factory to custom. If you have any questions let me know.
I forgot to mention I've dramatically streamlined the installation process. And I'll shortly have a quick install video.
Quote from: JBrankin on May 29, 2020, 03:20:27 PM
Hello everyone, I make the wheel inlays. Most on this page already know me but to those who don't.
I've got the 69-70 Tamo, and the 76-78 Walnut inlays. I'm working on the 71 Light Tamo right now (Matti, did you get that sample?!)
I have a few other things going too.
One is the chrome outline on the 69-70 instrument panels. Mine, as most was well worn and bad looking. I created a pre cut sheet which when carefully installed gives factory new results. Initially it's quite a difference looking at your dash, mine looks fantastic now. It takes some definite skill and patience to install though.
I can make any design from factory to custom. If you have any questions let me know.
I have a chrome paint pen that is used for model making that I used on the chrome trim on my '74 with great results.
Quote from: JBrankin on May 29, 2020, 03:20:27 PM
Hello everyone, I make the wheel inlays. Most on this page already know me but to those who don't.
I've got the 69-70 Tamo, and the 76-78 Walnut inlays. I'm working on the 71 Light Tamo right now (Matti, did you get that sample?!)
I have a few other things going too.
One is the chrome outline on the 69-70 instrument panels. Mine, as most was well worn and bad looking. I created a pre cut sheet which when carefully installed gives factory new results. Initially it's quite a difference looking at your dash, mine looks fantastic now. It takes some definite skill and patience to install though.
I can make any design from factory to custom. If you have any questions let me know.
Hi John,
Not received yet.
Regards,
Matti
Quote from: JBrankin on May 29, 2020, 03:20:27 PM
One is the chrome outline on the 69-70 instrument panels. Mine, as most was well worn and bad looking. I created a pre cut sheet which when carefully installed gives factory new results. Initially it's quite a difference looking at your dash, mine looks fantastic now. It takes some definite skill and patience to install though.
I am interested in both the steering wheel inlay and the chrome outline. I have to first repair the cracks in the steering wheel itself before I install a new inlay. I have patience, but don't know if I have the skills for the chrome outline. The original had a thin layer of chrome (tape?) over a thin piece of plastic which was glued to the panel. When I restored the dash, I attempted to save that plastic piece, but it was very brittle and broke into small pieces when worked.
I have a 71,73, and 76 that need the wood inlay.
I’ll be anxious to see the video and the products.
Was the video posted on youtube?
Yes, it was.