Steering wheel repair. Come on then, what actually survives...

[Paul Y]

Morning All,

How my 'simple' upgrade to Woody has turned into an interior restoration I am still not sure, However....

After spending quite a few hours reading the multiple threads on repairing cracks in steering wheels there does not appear to be a conclusion on what lasts and what should be avoided.

@Lugnuts65 blog on repair has been invaluable but his comment about the longevity of the repair putty had me questioning what should be used.

Searching across this forum shows a similar question asked in 2017/18 but nothing since.

So, before I break out the Dremel and JB Weld, what lasts and what doesn't.

P.

[pdxhall]

I've done 2 wheels now and I think you're on the right track. It bonds great to the plastic and is super strong. I've used the JB Weld for other things with excellent results. Make sure to go all the way to the metal core of the wheel when drilling the cracks and I even drilled out the end of the crack when necessary. If you have a lot of spider cracks I don't know. I've been lucky enough to have wheels without them.

[theastronaut]

I've used PC-7 epoxy with good results. I always use a die grinder and carbide burr to completely grind all of the material around the crack away, down to the steel inner rim. Use rough 36 grit paper to leave a course finish for the epoxy to grab to, and form a "V" shape where the crack was for more surface area.

I've done wheels 10-15 years ago that are still holding up well in the repaired areas. With that said, the steel inner core expands and contracts in hot and cold weather. Depending on how brittle the original plastic is is how well it'll hold up in the future. Some wheels are going to crack again no matter how well they were repaired if the original plastic is brittle.