Cracked steering wheel repair

[Arthur]

My 65 GS steering wheel is fully functional however it  has cracks in the plastic. Is there a procedure for repairing these cracks?

[elagache]

Dear Arthur and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

My 65 GS steering wheel is fully functional however it  has cracks in the plastic. Is there a procedure for repairing these cracks?

I don't know of a way for a FIY repair, but there are some companies that do this sort of work.  One is Gary's Steering Wheel restoration:

http://www.garyssteeringwheel.com/

I have a bookmark for McItyre Enterprises ltd. which in the past were able to restore 1965 Buick steering wheels:

http://www.mcintyreenterprisesltd.com/

At the moment the website isn't responding.

I hope that's a little help,

Edouard

[cwmcobra]

From the experiences shared by others with me, the repair process doesn't live very long on these wheels. 

I bought a reproduction wheel from Frank McIntyre several years ago.  At the beginning of this year I contacted him about another wheel and he said he had one left in black and that was all.  There's a good chance he's sold it by now, but it would be worth checking with him.  His reproduction is a quality part.

His email address is: fjmcintyre@comcast.net

Good luck!

Chuck

[455pev]

I repaired my own using 2 part plastic epoxy it has held up well (8 years).  ground all the cracks down to the metal core. I never painted it but I think Brian had one painted with epoxy.

[Mark Ascher]

The cracks were repaired on mine, but lasted about 1 whole year. I had a steering wheel restoration shop do it, and they were well acquainted with the 64-66 wheels. So no guarantee. I wish I had bought a wheel from Frank, I would buy more than one now if I could.

Steering wheel still looks good at first glance, but all the repairs have come through as hairline cracks.

Mark

[GS66]

Is there a preferred way to store these wheels so they don't crack? What could cause the most damage storing outside in the cold or inside in heat and humidity? I do have one of Franks wheels and it is great.

[mdkd]

Good question Jim

I got an unpainted wheel from Frank spring of 2014 and still doing OK.

I asked him for a gray wheel but he said he had to much trouble painting them and preferred I have it done myself.

He also mentioned he was getting out of the business then.

I wonder if someone else picked up the business?

Milton

[Arthur]

Thank to all for the input. When the car was fairly new it started to crack so there was a design flaw from the start. I need to think this through before spending on a band aid fix. Sounds like the new wheels are a good way but guessing very expensive.

[Loren At 65GS]

Good question Jim

I got an unpainted wheel from Frank spring of 2014 and still doing OK.

I asked him for a gray wheel but he said he had to much trouble painting them and preferred I have it done myself.

He also mentioned he was getting out of the business then.

I wonder if someone else picked up the business?

Milton

From my correspondence with Frank this last summer, he is no longer reproducing the steering wheel.  I inquired about the mold and possibly acquiring it.  I was informed the molds are not available.
 
 Loren

[66nailhead]

That's a  bummer. I've had 50/50 luck repairing steering wheels. I have used epoxy, por15 , plastic welded them and plast x. The one I have used plast x is lasting the longest. I have  5 years on it and it still looks great. The others all have slowly cracked out.  And that is grinding and v ing them out to metal. And I  do autobody paint work for a living but these plastic wheels are hard to repair. So far the best  repair is the plast x.


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[elagache]

Dear Chuck, 455pev, Mark, Jim, Milton, Arthur, Loren, Dan, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

So sorry to hear that there was a suppler of these steering wheels who simply abandoned the project without passing it on to someone else.  There are two challenges in getting these steering wheels back to their former glory.  The first is restoring the plastic and the second is restoring the chrome on the horn bar.  At the time restoring the plastic didn't look impossible (even if apparently now it is,) but restoring the chrome of the horn bar sure looked like "Mission Impossible."  Since I wasn't trying to keep my wagon especially original, that is why I adapted a Grant steering wheel instead.  Apparently the Buick GS rally steering wheel is also being reproduced so that's another option.

If you really want to keep that 1965 chrome horn bar, what do you guys suggest in order to restore that?

Oh well,. . . . . Edouard

[Mister T]

So sorry to hear that there was a suppler of these steering wheels who simply abandoned the project without passing it on to someone else. 
Oh well,. . . . . Edouard

I seem to recall that when Frank did these years ago on the V8 site, there was plenty of initial interest, but when the call for $$$$$$$ was made, many people became "astronomers".  I *think* the original or NOS wheel he sent the mold manufacturer ended up being destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the process.   

[Barb69]

This sound sad because I wanted to repair Dusty's wheel. It looks so perfect.  I have not seen others that I would like. I found this one in a junk yard. They gave it to me for free.  I'm using it for now until I repair Dusty's.

kicking Dust.

[Weldar]

That's a  bummer. I've had 50/50 luck repairing steering wheels. I have used epoxy, por15 , plastic welded them and plast x. The one I have used plast x is lasting the longest. I have  5 years on it and it still looks great. The others all have slowly cracked out.  And that is grinding and v ing them out to metal. And I  do autobody paint work for a living but these plastic wheels are hard to repair. So far the best  repair is the plast x.


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Hey Dan - That POR15 Seam Sealer seems very durable. Was that the product you used?

[GS66]

I thought Eastwood offered a steering wheel repair kit. Anyone tried that?