I'm looking into getting the steering wheel and door cards restored on my 63. Are there any recommendations other than SMS upholstery?
Out of all the members in here, not one of you has had their steering wheel or door cards restored?
Russ,
I think the question may have been a bit open ended. FWIW, I’ve done both and neither requires a high level of skill. I used Eastwood’s steering wheel restoration epoxy with great results, lasting seven years and counting. You need to clean out all the cracks with a Dremel using a dental bit that can undercut the cracks for best adhesion. Pack the epoxy into the entire crack. Don’t be concerned with filling it with on application. You’ll have to use several coats. Once hard, you have to sculpt and shape the surface.. When the contour is correct, finish sand the surface and prepare for paint. I’ve found the standard interior paints will likely have a closely matching color or you can have something specially mixed using the wheel for color match. Remember to do this before repairing the wheel.
The door boards are easy to reproduce with a box knife and some carpentry tools. Any upholstery shop should have the compressed carboard stock. I can’t recall the proper name but it’s about $20-30 a sheet. Carefully strip the old upholstery and chrome trim off the board. You’ll definitely need the chrome trim and may need the fabric for patterns. Use the original board to trace the pattern on the new board. Keep the lines tight so you have proper fit. You can cut the straight lines with multiple scores with the box knife and straight edge or cut with a jig saw. Circular holes can be made with a hollow punch or drill. Power tools will leave rough edges that will need minor clean up.
HTH,
Ralph
The 50's and 60's steering wheels suffer from shrinkage of the plastic material, and rusting metal rings. I want to have it stripped and redone, addressing the problem at its root cause. Sanding, filling, and painting the steering wheel looses much of the beautiful detail. Although it works, it is not what I want to do.
The door cards and dash have a vacuum process for the molded foam. That is something that the average DIY or local upholstery shop doesn't have the equipment for.
Gary's Steering Wheel Restoration in Carlisle PA seems to get high marks from a few people I've spoken with.
http://www.garyssteeringwheel.com/
Hi Gang:
This topic came up yesterday.... try this company:
http://qualityrestorations.com/cadillac-steering-wheels/ (http://qualityrestorations.com/cadillac-steering-wheels/)
Location - San Diego, CA
I have no knowledge of the quality, but it looks interesting.... Will be doing this someday.
Randy Bergum
26162
Quote from: Thor on August 20, 2017, 05:53:35 PM
Hi Gang:
This topic came up yesterday.... try this company:
http://qualityrestorations.com/cadillac-steering-wheels/ (http://qualityrestorations.com/cadillac-steering-wheels/)
Location - San Diego, CA
That's who I was looking into. Expensive, but the steering wheel is stripped and recast as a new piece.
I went through Hemmings and called 1/2 doz people. Qualityrestorations was in the list and was the highest price. For my 1956 was about $1.6K. There are others that start around $600. The other factor for me was turnaround time. Some say 4-5 weeks, others 6 months! Some have spare wheels you can use on your car while waiting, others suggest you buy an Ebay "roached" wheel to use while your waiting.
Without someone telling you about their work, it's a crapshoot. This is a crucial part of the restoration for me. It's the main tactile interface point between man and machine. The old advice says "you get what you pay for"? Maybe so, but experience is the best teacher and this forum offers the best you can find.
I think I have a nice 63 steering wheel or 2, What color do you seek?
Quote from: V63 on August 21, 2017, 06:10:28 PM
I think I have a nice 63 steering wheel or 2, What color do you seek?
Tilt wheel, black & white. Has to be perfect or near perfect.
If wheel's not terrible with chunks missing, I bought a leather steering wheel wrap, about $80, that you sew on. It takes about an hour or more, but covers up the cracks and looks nice. Plus you're not out of commission while it's restored. It's a chore to epoxy and paint a wheel to get it to look right and the guys that blast it and recast are pricey but can do a factory finish. So you can take your pick.
There's another place beside SMS, LeBaron-Bonney that supplies vintage factory GM interiors and materials.
But any competent upholstery place and the right fabric should be able to do your doors. It's not that difficult, if you have the originals as patterns for DIY. If the fabric is OK and just the card is ruined, then maybe you're getting moisture back in there and need to address that as well. Either redo weatherstrip on the doors/windows and/or replace the moisture barrier paper. Clean out the drains.