Bob's Studebaker Resource Website


Steering Wheel Repair

Greg Cone - Dec 2014


        Avanti steering wheels crack with age. There are some stainless steel rings that decorate the rim and for some reason the plastic shrinks at these areas. I decided to try a repair using a plastic casting resin found at hobby and craft shops and a moulding compound we use when modelling artifacts in museums.

        When my steering wheel was properly cleaned of paint and scale, the modelling rubber, a two part mix was kneaded and applied to good areas of the rim. Not needing a mould release, the rubber was opened with a razor blade and then reapplied to the rim where it shrunk.

        The casting resin was mixed and poured into the mould . When cured, the plastic was then cut and filed to receive the stainless ring. The modelling rubber had captured the gnarly pattern of the hand grip and the resin duplicated it nicely.         Lightly sanded and painted with Krylon Fusion for plastic, it is now black again, just like the day I bought the car .