wtb WTB: 57 Star Chief Steering Wheel

[WASHTUBMAN]

Would like to buy a nice original (or restored) black or white steering wheel for my 57 Star Chief.  Not interested in one that has to be restored, since I already have one of those.  LOL

[Frosty]

Care to give us a picture of what you are looking for?

[KiwiStarChief]

Jerry, from what I have seen '57 Star Chief wheels are like Unicorn's teeth. When I replaced the awful wheel on my one, I fitted one of the 15" '57 Bel Air ones from a reputable seller on eBay (if there is such a thing) as the stock one was simply too big for me. There are some Chinese ones around that don't have the steel ring in the circular plastic rim, but thankfully mine did. 

I then sourced a centre cap with the Pontiac name and Chief Pontiac logo from a member of Canadianponcho.com, as the 1957 Canadian Pontiacs were basically Chevys with a Pontiac front and rear end.

Edited January 5, 2022 by KiwiStarChief

[64 kiwi boni]

Thats one nice looking Wheel Russel👍

[WASHTUBMAN]

This is my wheel now.

[64 kiwi boni]

wow! what's wrong with that Jerry? if your concerned about the cracks...i have been there done that ! and fully refurbished my frontal impacted car's wheel...and it was a complete mess!! not only was it cracked, it had had the jaws of life cut it clean through!

i can copy and paste the part of my rebuilding 64  thread if your keen to fix it your self? 

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

the one thing i am going to do is get my upholstery guy to make me a nice leather lace up rim cover... i kinda like cow hide steering wheels...it justA has a nice feel. as opposed to manufactured plastic steering wheels 

[Frosty]

I'm with Kiwi on this one. That is a very repairable wheel. It just takes some time and patience.

[WASHTUBMAN]

Kiwi Boni, I would like to see the procedure you used to repair your wheel.  I have watched a couple videos on it, but thought if I could find another wheel, I wouldn't bother with it.

The leather cover is a secondary option, but would like to keep it original.

[64 kiwi boni]

here you go Jerry

this was what my wheel looked like.... if you go to page 4 of my thread you will see what i had to do to do too it

the one key ingredient to the whole restore is patience lots and lots of patience!!!!  

[WASHTUBMAN]

How do I find page 4 KiwiBoni?

[64 kiwi boni]

 

Hope the above works .... I have never tried to paste a thread page before !!! 

[WASHTUBMAN]

Thanks.  You did good!  I'm going to attempt mine next week.  Not sure what to use as a filler but I think I'll do Marine Tex.  Lots of good reviews.  Or maybe just try JB Weld.  Any advice on epoxies?

[64 kiwi boni]

I think any good 2 pot sandable resin would work 

[Frosty]

Call your local body and paint supply shop. See what they have as far as sandable epoxy resins. They may have a recommendation based on the age or type of material you are bonding it to. Acrylic vs normal plastic will probably make a difference in what they recommend. I'm guessing the steering wheel is acrylic.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Frosty

[Wrongway]

That is classy looking steering wheel bro. Can wait to see pics of your progress!

[WASHTUBMAN]

Well, the fun has begun!  I feel I should have my dentist license after the grinding LOL.  Monday will clean it up some more and then try JB Weld on a couple of the cracks.  If that doesn't go so well, will try something else.  Someone has worked on this wheel before.  The "bumps" on the back side are quite smooth.

[KiwiStarChief]

Jerry, you are a braver man than I am. I had this with my '56 Bel Air wheel, but I sent it away to be repaired and painted. It lasted the 10 years I had the car, and still looked like a new wheel when I sold her. Was expensive though if I recall.

On 1/5/2022 at 11:39 AM, 64 kiwi boni said:

Thats one nice looking Wheel Russel👍

Thanks, it feels nice to when driving, not too small, but not large like the standard one, especially as I have power steering.

[JUSTA6]

On 1/8/2022 at 7:30 PM, WASHTUBMAN said:

Well, the fun has begun!  I feel I should have my dentist license after the grinding LOL.  Monday will clean it up some more and then try JB Weld on a couple of the cracks.  If that doesn't go so well, will try something else.  Someone has worked on this wheel before.  The "bumps" on the back side are quite smooth.

Thankz for sharing.  When our members share their projects, like KIWI  Boni repairing his wheel, many times lead's to some one else getting the courage to take on their project. (sometimes this involves liquid courage, we sure seem to like Beer N pictures round here)  Always nice to know there is someone to ask questions and helpful hints, if needed.  Look forward to watching your progress.

Edited January 10, 2022 by JUSTA6

[64 kiwi boni]

5 minutes ago, JUSTA6 said:

Thankz for sharing.  When our members share their projects. Many times lead's to some one else getting the courage to take on their project. (sometimes this involves liquid courage, we sure seem to like Beer N pictures round here)  Always nice to know there is someone to ask questions and helpful hints, if needed.  Look forward to watching your progress.

yip i for one certainly agree with JustA 

 i am interested in how Jerry gets on with the jb weld... i have never sanded it before... it may work very well being so hard!!🙄

Edited January 10, 2022 by 64 kiwi boni

[KiwiStarChief]

18 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

yip i for one certainly agree with JustA 

 i am interested in how Jerry gets on with the jb weld... i have never sanded it before... it may work very well being so hard!!🙄

I used JB Weld to fill in the hole in the middle of my wife's mixing bowl, which used to have a blender through the bottom, as she liked the glass bowl to use. After filling the hole in (about ½" diameter) over several times, I then ground it smooth with some grinding stones in my cordless drill until they were super smooth to touch. This was five years ago and it's still going strong.

 

 

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, KiwiStarChief said:

I used JB Weld to fill in the hole in the middle of my wife's mixing bowl, which used to have a blender through the bottom, as she liked the glass bowl to use. After filling the hole in (about ½" diameter) over several times, I then ground it smooth with some grinding stones in my cordless drill until they were super smooth to touch. This was five years ago and it's still going strong.

 

 

Very good test for jb weld Russel 👍👍😀

[Fitzy]

First of all...Washtubman??? There's got to be a story behind THAT moniker. I also endured what Kiwi went through and brought my terribly battle scarred steering wheel back to life with epoxy putty, sandpaper and lots of patience. Once set, that stuff will last forever. I also fitted a quality leather cover over it to make it a bit thicker. Believe me, your original wheel was in fine condition compared to our mutual shared horror stories. Good to see you gave it a crack and stepped up to fix it yourself. Kiwi is the master here and it's always fun to see what new drama he's immersed himself into.

[WASHTUBMAN]

FIRST UPDATE:  I'm not proceeding with the JB Weld.  It's too runny to build up above the cracks, and I don't want to apply multiple layers.   So am going to try something else, not sure yet what!

FITZY, There is a story behind Washtubman.  We used to own a car wash called the Wash Tub.  My daughter penned me as Washtubman!

[Fitzy]

Love it! The Washtubman lives on. Perhaps you could wear a cape with WTM on it and wear your undies on the outside.

I also used fibreglass resin to go over the entire rim (after the epoxy putty) to build up the rim thickness and to make everything nice & glossy smooth. Epoxy putty shouldn't be 'runny.' You form a paste using your fingers and when it starts to get physically warm (epoxy chemical reaction) push it into the cracks. It will work a treat.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Fitzy
Forgot something