Posts by stwheels_old

Hi Pete, for a colored wheel I ask the customer to either send a sample of the color they'd like the wheel matched to (Red, Blue, Green etc ...) or use the back of the hub to match to.

If it's a wood grain wheel I use a nice original wheel I have to match up the Brown or the customer can send me a sample of wood grain material or a small part with wood grain on it that they would like the wheel matched to.

Thanks for the question! <img src=images/icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

Doug Lepak

The Steering Wheel Guy

8449-14 ave

Edmonton, Alberta

Canada

T6K1X3

780-450-1397

e-mail: stwheels@shaw.ca

web site: http://www.stwheelz.com

My Face Book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stee…17011737?ref=ts

That's correct Troy! Lots of detail stuff that pays off big time in the finished product.

Thanks, Doug Lepak

The Steering Wheel Guy

8449-14 ave

Edmonton, Alberta

Canada

T6K1X3

780-450-1397

e-mail: stwheels@shaw.ca

web site: http://www.stwheelz.com

My Face Book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stee…17011737?ref=ts

Hi Troy, the wood grain portion of the wheel will be wrapped in the carbon fiber cloth up to the edges of the stainless rings. Any spaces around and behind the stainless rings are filled with resin. Of course this also includes the round metal rivets on the front face of the rim too.

Once the resin over the carbon fiber cloth is sanded smooth, I paint it a Tan color that matches the plastic the rim is cast in. Then the surface is painted Brown to match the wood grain color from the factory and finally, by hand I draw on new wood grain using a .05 technical pen (and much patience ... LOL)

The final step is clear coating and the entire rim gets sprayed with several coats of clear acrylic urethane. This completely buries the stainless rings as well as the wood grain sections of the rim.

Here is a link to a great thread on another message board that shows me going through the process to repair/refinish a Mopar wood grain steering wheel and a few other solid colored wheels:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=36526.0

Thanks, Doug Lepak

The Steering Wheel Guy

8449-14 ave

Edmonton, Alberta

Canada

T6K1X3

780-450-1397

e-mail: stwheels@shaw.ca

web site: http://www.stwheelz.com

My Face Book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stee…17011737?ref=ts

Edited by - stwheels on 03/08/2011 14:34:37

Hi Z and Troy, I forgot to address the cost in my last post.

As every wheel is different and every person has their own idea of what condition their wheel is in, I need to see some pictures and get a bit of history on each particular wheel before I can give a price.

The typical turn around time is 4 to 6 weeks, but can be done quicker if requested but obviously at a slightly higher cost as it would be moved ahead in the lineup of jobs .

Here are the questions I ask potential customers to answer and forward to me so I can give a quote and turn around time. This form is also on my web site. Just click on the link and it will open your own personal e-mail with the questions on it.

______________________________________________________________________

Hi , Thanks for your questions and interest in my services. Listed below are the questions I request potential customers to answer so I can give a quote and turnaround time for their wheel. The answers to these questions and a few pictures of your wheel will give me all the information required to provide a quote.

1-Please describe any cracks, damage or other problems that will need to be repaired. Was this particular wheel ever repaired/refinished before that you know of?

( )

2-What color/colors is your wheel? Is it Wood grained, does it have chrome stripes, metal clips etc ...

( )

3-What year, make and model vehicle does the wheel belong to?

( )

4-Where do you live (shipping address)?

( )

5-Please attach a few clear, in focus pictures of the wheel showing any cracks damage or other problems

(Front and rear)

I look forward to hearing back from you with the rest of the information I've requested and I hope I'll be able to help you with your restoration project.

Hi Troy, more great questions!

I actually repair quite a few wheels that have been previously "Restored" and have cracked again. That's the eventual result you can expect if epoxy putty was used to make repairs as it expands and contracts at different rates than the plastic the wheel is molded from. Plus epoxy only fills the crack and doesn't do anything to stabilize the rest of the wheel so it becomes , in effect, the weak link in the chain.

When I fill any cracks with resin, it is drawn by capillary action into any spaces under the rim along the steel core. Now the original material can't contract into a space that no longer exists.

Next the wheel is wrapped on the outside with the Random Weave Carbon Fiber cloth and a few more coats of resin. This builds a carbon fiber shell around the outside of the wheel and takes care of the entire outer surface of the wheel. Once the resin is sanded smooth any type of finish can be recreated( from wood grain to any color/colors, metal bands, stripes, fades etc ...)

Finally, several coats of clear acrylic urethane (RM//BASF/Glasurit) are airbrushed on for a smooth, durable and beautiful finish. This clear can be buffed down to a satin sheen over the wood grain sections of a wheel to duplicate the factory look.

Pretty much anything , finish wise, is possible and I love building customized wheels that reflect the vehicle or the owners personality.

Thanks, Doug Lepak

The Steering Wheel Guy

8449-14 ave

Edmonton, Alberta

Canada

T6K1X3

780-450-1397

e-mail: stwheels@shaw.ca

web site: http://www.stwheelz.com

My Face Book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stee…17011737?ref=ts

Hi Z, very good question. Thanks!

Because I have to scuff the surface to aid the bonding of the resin to the wheel I remove at about as much of the original material the wheel is cast from as I add to make the repairs.

That's the beauty of "RANDOM WEAVE" carbon fiber cloth. It's considerably less thick than "WOVEN" carbon fiber cloth and easily stretches over and molds to the surface of a steering wheel including the finger grips.

Even though a finished wheel may be ever so slightly thicker (1/32"-3/64") than the original measurement, it is unnoticeable even side by side with an unrestored wheel.

Some customers have requested that the rim be made thicker as the original profile is quite skinny and they prefer a more substantial rim to grab onto. I can make the rim as thick as you want and here is a link to a 1969 Road Runner wheel I did just that too for a customer in Calgary. there are side by side pictures of an original wheel and the modified wheel so you can see exactly what I'm talking about. This wheels rim was made to be 1/4" thicker than stock.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,75434.0.html

Thanks again for the great question.

Thanks, Doug Lepak

The Steering Wheel Guy

8449-14 ave

Edmonton, Alberta

Canada

T6K1X3

780-450-1397

e-mail: stwheels@shaw.ca

web site: http://www.stwheelz.com

My Face Book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stee…17011737?ref=ts

Hi Z, Thanks for the referral! I've been "The Steering Wheel Guy" for over 20 years now and I've worked on thousands of wheels over that time.

I can repair/refinish, restore or modify any Plastic, Hard Rubber, Bakelite or real wood steering wheel. The difference between my methods and everyone else are quite radical.

First off instead of stuffing any damage or cracks with epoxy putty, I use resin to first fill any damage and then wrap the entire surface of the wheel with random weave carbon fiber cloth followed by a few more coats of resin.

Once the resin sets it's sanded smooth in preparation for paint. So now you have a carbon fiber shell encasing the wheel instead of randomly filling cracks with a dissimilar material that expands and contracts at a different rate than the material the wheel is cast from.

For wood grain wheels, I draw all new wood grain onto the wheel by hand using a .05 technical pen. The transparent Brown is airbrushed over top to duplicate the factory look. Many other steering wheel restorers just drag a hack saw blade over the wheel, color the surface and call it a day.

As a final step I spray on several coats of clear acrylic urethane (RM/Glasurit) to completely seal the surface. When the clear has set I buff down the finish over any wood grain on the rim to duplicate the factory finish.

You can check out my work on my web site: http://www.stwheelz.com

My Face Book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stee…17011737?ref=ts

and here is a link to a great thread on another message board that shows me going through the process to repair/refinish a Mopar wood grain steering wheel and a few other solid colored wheels:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=36526.0

Post here or drop me a line if you have any other questions or comments!

Thanks, Doug Lepak

The Steering Wheel Guy

8449-14 ave

Edmonton, Alberta

Canada

T6K1X3

780-450-1397

e-mail: stwheels@shaw.ca

web site: http://www.stwheelz.com

Edited by - stwheels on 03/07/2011 15:24:59