Comments on: Foam Steering Wheel Repair

By: Vlad

Vlad — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:08:17 +0000

Thank you very much for your answer. I’m not from US so I don’t think I can come with my car for you to help me. I think I will change the whole steering. But tell me if the peeling of the paint can start right at where the separation plan begins, because I have one part peeled off and one part not peeled off.

Thanx

Vlad

By: Mike-TIG

Mike-TIG — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:10:05 +0000

Its a combination of a few things.
One is the dye that has been used from the factory, which is to thin and not strong enough for a steering wheel by the way, the oils in your skin, the lotions used, dirt, grease, you name it. No really it all boils down to a pore design from the factory. Almost all the auto manufactures have tried a few techniques to enhance the interiors of their autos by painting them with a water based dyes, like dashes, steering wheels, console lids that just didn’t work out at all and for reasons of just lack if chemical resistance. They wanted, by my guess, was to give you the look of vinyl or even a leather wrapped look and it’s environmentally safe to boot. By you just using your vehicle in everyday use can put the interior at risk of damage.
My biggest tip to anyone when it comes to the interior of their vehicle is to be cautious of what they have on their hands, on them, in their pockets, and what they have on their feet. You have to watch out for chemical cleaners and deodorizers too. Water based dyes are just a delicate on some of the older model vehicles.
But just like every industry the automotive biz is in ever changing growth towards the better. I’ve noticed a lot of changes on the newer models for the better.
To keep your interior clean always use mild detergents, like Dawn dish soap and warm water, and keep things conditioned with only water based products. This will keep things from happening like cracking and peeling in the future.
As far as a fix to your steering wheel, it can be done and look good, but on a bad one it’s not always a pretty fix. My recommendation to you is to replace the wheel if it’s bad or have it repaired by a professional like myself if it’s not to far gone. For a cheaper fix there’s always the old famous steering wheel covers.
Well I hope I helped you out on this one, if you need me to repair it just send me some pics and I’ll give you an idea if it can be repaired and maybe shoot you a quote, I take “by mail repairs”.

Talk to ya soon,
Mike Warren – The Interior Guy
Everything is going to water based products so

By: Vlad

Vlad — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:47:14 +0000

Can you tell me how the steering wheel can lose the paint(to see the foam)….what could cause that?
Thank you

By: doug

doug — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:11:11 +0000

I have an 82 mustang gt ,the foam padding on the steering wheel had some spots that were worn down to the steel frame,I used some great stuff expanding foam to fill the missing areas ,shaped it roughly with a razor blade then sanded it down smooth,starting with 120 grit working my way to 220,it took a couple of application because of some air holes.. once it was nice and smooth I coated the whole wheel with several coats of black spray dip(used for tool handles)if you look really close you can notice the graining change a little but it looks 100percent better.

By: Lose Fat Hips

Lose Fat Hips — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:25:54 +0000

Great article. I really enjoyed it. All the best, Dylan

By: Mike-TIG

Mike-TIG — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 02:51:10 +0000

Brandon,
No problem…try to get 1/4″ foam, cut it in a strip so the narrow part wraps around the wheel and the length wise part of the strip will go all the way around the wheel…kinda hard to put in words. Glue it, spraying both the wheel and the foam, your using contact glue so both need to be sprayed, let dry then apply the foam to the wheel, then add another layer, this should be enough foam to wrap with the leather.
As far as the powder coat, totally understand anal! I don’t think this world could really function if it weren’t for us anal people. Anal wins awards.
Well I wish you the best of luck in your project and send me a pic when you get done. I hope things work the way we want it too.

Later…Mike “TIG”

By: Brandon

Brandon — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:28:49 +0000

Mike,

Thanks again for the help. I will take your advice and try some carpet foam.

Well, as far as the reason behind powder coating the wheel is because I have a lot of other pieces on my car that are powder coated and being as anal as I am, the parts have to match in color.

By: Mike-TIG

Mike-TIG — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:01:44 +0000

Brandon,
No problem…that’s what I’m here for. The foam will need to be dense enough to not give you a squishy wheel. Carpet foam “pad” is a suggestion. You can get it at any carpet shop. Glue it onto the ring with a spray contact adhesive, like 3m super trim adhesive. Really any type of foam will work as long as it is dense.
So why are you going with powder coat when you can get the same effect with paint. Seems like it would be a lot easier to just mask it off and shoot it with paint and clear coat, then there would be no worries with having to tear the wheel apart….just curious. Sounds like a lot of effort for a powder coat finish.
Good luck in your steering wheel adventure.

Talk to ya soon,
Mike “TIG”

By: Brandon

Brandon — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:33:32 +0000

Mike,
Thank you so much for the reply. You are helping tons. I got a quote yesterday from a leather steering wheel specialty shop in Dallas and he quoted me over $300. I’m not down with that. Carpet foam? Like foam padding? Where can I get this? Is it a spray in an aerosal can?

Thanks, Brandon

By: Mike-TIG

Mike-TIG — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:15:43 +0000

Brandon,
Hmmm..This one could be a hard one, because of really “what would you use”. They use a mold in the factory then inject a polyurethane type foam into it, but we have no mold, but wheres there a will there’s a way. A spray foam wouldn’t really work, kinda a mess and how would keep it uniform. I have seen upholstery shops shape seats, curves and all with carpet foam. It’s glued on with a contact glue then shaped with a fillet knife and then sanded to finish it off. The only thing is not getting it to thick and also getting it firm enough, you don’t want a fat squishy steering wheel. Now if you remove the foam that is there to the core, I believe the steel ring is kinda small, so a carpet foam might work. Make sure you look for a dense foam about a 1/4″ to maybe a 1/2″ thick, this way you can layer it to get your desired thickness. The glue will also stiffen it a little.
My Dad when I was a kid owned packaging company and dealt with a lot of different types of foam. They designed packaging for computer parts. You might look in the phone book for companies like this in your area, or on the net, but you kinda need to feel the foam so the net might not work. They carry high quality foams and ones that will work for what your needing. I wish my Dad was still here to help me on this one, he would know exactly what to use. But anyways, a strip of a good dense foam wrapped around and glued properly I think would work well.
Hope this helped out a little, I’ll do some checking and see if I can find out more for you, I talk to my upholsterer and see what he would suggest.

Talk to ya soon,
Mike “TIG”