1954 Chevy Pickup | 1975 Cadillac Steering Wheel Repair

January 9th, 2007: Moose Leather Steering Wheel | Part Two

When I removed the old steering wheel cover from my '75 Caddy steering wheel, I discovered another project that had to be dealt with before I would be able to finish this project! The steering wheel was in dire need of repair!

Step Two: Steering Wheel Repair

Steeringwheel Repair | JB Stik Weld

I didn't know how to fix this, but I knew who did ... I went over to Stovebolt.com, did a search on "Steering wheel repair," and someone mentioned how simple JB Weld was and how well it worked ... so I called my local auto supply store. Not only did they have the Stik in stock but it was only $4.99! If you can't find it near you, you can buy JB Stik Weld on the web. This stuff works really quick and easy! You cut or break off a piece, knead it in your hands till it becomes a uniform color and, within two minutes of kneading, apply it to the area that needs to be filled. You then have 3-minutes to 5-minutes to form it and in 5 to 10 minutes it hardens. How much better could this kind of job get?

The old steering wheel cover was so thick and fat that, not only did I never know these cracks existed, but there's something else I never realized: I had forgotten how cool the older steering wheel designs were ... I mean, the way they felt in your hands! Most of you who are reading this know exactly what I'm talking about ... but for those of you who don't, the wheels themselves were very thin and were shaped on the backside with evenly spaced grooves so that no matter where you gripped the wheel, your fingers each found their own little "parking spaces;" as though your fingers sank into the wheel -- these wheels truly fit like a glove. It may seem silly to some but having that kind of steering wheel has me excited no end ... especially when I wrapped a scrap piece of the moose leather tightly around a section of the wheel and realized that it would maintain that wonderful shape and feel.

Here's a picture of the steering wheel with the JB Weld applied:

Steeringwheel Repair | JB Stik Weld Applied

Steeringwheel Repair | JB Stik Weld Applied

And here's a picture of the steering wheel with the JB Weld filed down and cleaned up:

Steeringwheel Repair | JB Stik Weld Filed

Man! This was easy as pie! Of course, I wasn't very meticulous about this because the leather will cover and hide any sloppiness ... but this was as easy as anything gets. The cracks were plugged up and the JB Weld was thoroughly dry and hardened in less than 30 minutes ... and filing the JB Weld down to shape with a metal file was no problem at all.

Has Alan's Site Been Helpful to You? Put Some Cash In Alan's Tip Jar!
Enter the Amount You Want to Donate & Click the Button Below:

Or, If You Prefer, You Can Donate Using PayPal:

This Project Continues ... Click Here for Part Three