Cracked steering wheel repair

[elagache]

Dear Barb, Weldar, Jim, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

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.

Sorry to report that repairing the original 1965 Buick steering wheel is really a challenge.  On this post I mentioned a company that will restore the plastic part of the wheel if you feel overwhelmed trying to take that on as a DYI project:

http://65gs.com/board/index.php?topic=3122.msg21219#msg21219

There is another problem which I also mentioned on this thread.  Restoring the chrome horn button bar is going to be a serious challenge.  Basically that's where I gave up - it was more than I knew how to deal with.  My trusty wagon has a Grant steering wheel that I dressed up using a horn button for a 1960s Buick Invicta.  Here is what my wagon looks like now:



I'll be the first to admit it doesn't look original, but it does look like a Buick of the period.  It has an advantage that only someone who has had an accident in their 1965 Buick can fully appreciate.  The original horn bar was a bit clumsy to activate and might not blow the horn when you really need it.  I've had an accident in my wagon and it was a horrible ordeal to bring her back to live.  Last week somebody cut in front of me and it was a difficult situation to brake enough to avoid the collision.  While I had one hand turning the wheel, I had absolutely no trouble blowing the horn with the narrow Invicta button.

It is neither here nor there if you want your car to remain original and thus should never be in those sorts of predicaments very often.  Still, I was pleased to avoid the crisis and still have the horn blow loudly.  With the old horn bar the horn didn't always activate and that could be the difference between a near-miss and a collision.

A jaded classic car owner's two-cents, . . . . .

Edouard

[Barb69]

Dear Barb, Weldar, Jim, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

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.

Sorry to report that repairing the original 1965 Buick steering wheel is really a challenge.  On this post I mentioned a company that will restore the plastic part of the wheel if you feel overwhelmed trying to take that on as a DYI project:

http://65gs.com/board/index.php?topic=3122.msg21219#msg21219

There is another problem which I also mentioned on this thread.  Restoring the chrome horn button bar is going to be a serious challenge.  Basically that's where I gave up - it was more than I knew how to deal with.  My trusty wagon has a Grant steering wheel that I dressed up using a horn button for a 1960s Buick Invicta.  Here is what my wagon looks like now:



I'll be the first to admit it doesn't look original, but it does look like a Buick of the period.  It has an advantage that only someone who has had an accident in their 1965 Buick can fully appreciate.  The original horn bar was a bit clumsy to activate and might not blow the horn when you really need it.  I've had an accident in my wagon and it was a horrible ordeal to bring her back to live.  Last week somebody cut in front of me and it was a difficult situation to brake enough to avoid the collision.  While I had one hand turning the wheel, I had absolutely no trouble blowing the horn with the narrow Invicta button.

It is neither here nor there if you want your car to remain original and thus should never be in those sorts of predicaments very often.  Still, I was pleased to avoid the crisis and still have the horn blow loudly.  With the old horn bar the horn didn't always activate and that could be the difference between a near-miss and a collision.

A jaded classic car owner's two-cents, . . . . .

Edouard

Thanks for your input, it makes  sense to have safety first.   It makes me wonder, if the original horn in the wheel could fail  at times would it also make it to be non stop.  We removed the original wheel to repair minor cracks, and we replaced it with the one from the junk yard. At that time we were unaware that we were missing the actual horns.  We replaced the horns and now they do not shut off. We replaced the the horn relay and that was not the problem.  So now that you mention the malfunctioning wheel horn I am thinking that might be the problem.  Your thoughts.

kicking Dust.

[GS66]

Putting the horn assembly back together inside the wheel can be tricky and gas to be just right. Took a couple of tries on mine getting each component just right. My horn stuck on too.

[Barb69]

Putting the horn assembly back together inside the wheel can be tricky and gas to be just right. Took a couple of tries on mine getting each component just right. My horn stuck on too.

Thanks, I will take Dusty out I'm the country to fix his horn 'cause my neighbors  do not want to hear that noise. Is there literature I should read before I take the horn assembly  apart?

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[elagache]

Dear Barb, Jim, and mid-60s Buick caregivers,

Thanks for your input, it makes  sense to have safety first.   It makes me wonder, if the original horn in the wheel could fail  at times would it also make it to be non stop.

I've never had problems with my trusty wagon's horn, but indeed you might need to reassemble your horn assembly as Jim has suggested.

The problem with the design of the 1965 horn bar is that it requires pressure to be applied uniformly so that you can move the entire bar until it makes contact with the switch.  You don't need two hands to do this, but at the very least you need to apply pressure at the center of the bar.  Otherwise the bar might twist as it starts to move downward and jam before making contact with the switch.  With a little discipline, the horn button will always work fine, but you may find it difficult to be disciplined in panic situation.

One other thing for the mid-60s Buick community to ponder is whether or not we could come up with a methodology to restore those bars.  They can be taken apart and the pieces sent out to have the chrome restored.  So the 64-question is how to put the paint back on the recessed portion of the bar.  There are some weathering techniques from model railroading that might solve this problem.

I made my choice for Biquette's steering wheel back in 2013 and i know a whole lot more than I did then.  So what seemed impossible at the time, doesn't look beyond reach now.  I hope someone who has the time and patience will look into making a quality restoration of these steering wheels, because it is another one of those elements that really makes or breaks the appearance of your car.  Once more, the number of our cars kind of forces us to come up with homegrown restorations.  At best, we might be able get a group buy.  The numbers aren't large enough to make restoring these horn bars a decent business proposition.

Food for thought, . . . .

Edouard

[Barb69]

This  is great information, I have two wheels to play with. And I will get in the band wagon for any mass reproduction of parts I will need some day. I plan to keep Dusty for a long  time.

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

The por 15 stuff I used was that two part epoxy stuff they sell. You need it together with your fingers and it dries rock hard. Almost like that quick steel stuff. I've also tried that Eastwood stuff to on some steering wheels. It worked for a couple years. Then it alway cracks out on the edge where it's feathered into the plastic wheel. One of these days I'll find something that works and lasts. Lol.
So far the best stuff I have used is that plast x.


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[vinnie]

I have used Plastex on five wheels so far and have had no failures yet. The oldest one is five years old. Takes time to build up the area, but is not hard to work with. The trick is go down to the metal and feather out the area.

[elagache]

Dear Barb, Dan, Glenn, and mid-60s Buick "I can fix anything" caregivers, . . .

I have used Plastex on five wheels so far and have had no failures yet. The oldest one is five years old. Takes time to build up the area, but is not hard to work with. The trick is go down to the metal and feather out the area.

Okay, I'm intrigued by your reference to plastex and I suppose this is their website:

http://www.plastex.net/

Can you tell us more about which repair kit you used?  These guys seem to make a - lot - of products!

Thanks, Edouard 

[vinnie]

I purchase the Plastex standard repair kit that is listed in their online store.

[elagache]

Dear Glenn and mid-60s Buick "DIY" types

I purchase the Plastex standard repair kit that is listed in their online store.

Thanks!  Okay, I'll look into it!

Cheers, Edouard