[gtobird]

I have the original woodgrain steering wheel for my 68 Bird. The only thing it needs is to have the woodgrain repainted / restored. In fact, it's mostly the backside that needs to be repainted from the original owners finger sweat wearing away the woodgrain. There are no cracks and the spokes are excellent. This IS the original wheel to my 76K mile car, so I don't want to farm it out to just anyone and I don't want someone that's going to needlessly break off the plastic and recast it.

Do any of you have someone you can recommend to do this...???? I'm REALLY hesitant on this one as it's so nice already and I don't want to screw this up.

Thanks in advance

OJ

[thews]

2 cents... minor wear on something like this is normal and the patina looks real, because it is. If you make it perfect it'll look like a repro. I'd just leave it alone and save some money.

[mgoblue]

I agree with thews. If it's not cracked , I'd leave it alone.

[rsavage]

You might want to talk with Performance Year as I believe they still restore wood wheels. They actually do the staining/finishing in-house (recasting is sent out if needed).

[vwmailman]

There is a guy here on the forums that restores wood steering wheels. He goes by Platinum Al. Near cleveland, ohio. I've seen his refinished wheels & they look real nice. But I've never actually used him for a steering wheel restoration.

[Tim john]

I have had Al do several steering wheels for me over the years and I have been pleased. Very honest, quality work and timely. Always treated me right.

Tim john---

[gtobird]

Thanks to all of you. I sent Al a PM.

OJ

[gtobird]

Follow up note: I made contact with Al. He quoted $125 to $150 including return shipping. I'll be sending out my steering wheel to him next week. When I get it back, I'll post before and after pictures so you can see his work.

I just want to also say that I appreciate the comments to consider keeping the wheel as is. I did consider it, but I made a restoration commitment to make this car look as if it rolled out of the showroom years ago. This is one of the final original pieces that still needed some work.

Regards,
OJ

[blubomber]

I've done several of these wheels myself in the past with very good results. It is surprisingly easy.

You can either strip the wheel down to bare plastic or do a "touch up" effort.

Go Home Depot, Lowe's etc... to find some wood stain the color you want the wheel wood grain to be. Wipe it on, it will settle into the grain. Let it dry. Might have to help it with a hair dryer or put it in the oven at about 100 degrees only.

Once the wood grain color is dry spray paint the wheel in either Flat, Satin, or Gloss clear depending on the finish you desire. Satin is my choice for a stock look. Tape off the metal arms to avoid any overspray.


Two or three coats light coats works best. Make sure each coat get very dry so as not leave any embedded finger prints.

My 2 cents.....

[gtobird]

Originally Posted by blubomber

I've done several of these wheels myself in the past with very good results. It is surprisingly easy.

You can either strip the wheel down to bare plastic or do a "touch up" effort.

Go Home Depot, Lowe's etc... to find some wood stain the color you want the wheel wood grain to be. Wipe it on, it will settle into the grain. Let it dry. Might have to help it with a hair dryer or put it in the oven at about 100 degrees only.

Once the wood grain color is dry spray paint the wheel in either Flat, Satin, or Gloss clear depending on the finish you desire. Satin is my choice for a stock look. Tape off the metal arms to avoid any overspray.


Two or three coats light coats works best. Make sure each coat get very dry so as not leave any embedded finger prints.

My 2 cents.....

This sounds like a very reasonable thing to do and I read other similar methods of doing this as well that were cost effective. In this case, my steering wheel was worn smooth in some areas, so there was essentially no woodgrain left for the stain to sink into. With Al quoting me $125 to $150 it was a no brainer. I have another old plastic woodgrain wheel that I bought for $5 at a swap meet. No idea what it fits, but I'm going to give your method a try with some leftover materials I have just to see if I can duplicate your success. Thanks for the comments.

OJ

[RA1John]

Anyone know if Platinum Al is still restoring steering wheels? Any contact info?

Thanks!

[rdl]

I’m interested in restoring mine too; anyone with info?

… in an old post, he listed a phone number:
440-829-7533; let us know what you find out.