pkadams

I have a custom leather wrapped steering wheel for my C7 that I like very much. I would like to add a leather wrapped horn pad. On a C7 the horn pad is a cover over the airbag. When I look at available parts on Corvette parts web sites, they always seem to sell the horn pad and airbag as one unit.

My question is:

Has anyone taken the OEM cover (horn pad) off of the airbag in order to replace it with a custom wrapped cover? If so, how difficult was the process. I assume you have to remove the airbag first. But don't know what the steps might be after that??

Rooster OG

I haven't done that one myself, but I've seen threads on it before. Here's the thread from the how-to sticky to get you started. Hopefully someone who's done it will chime in:


https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ing-wheel.html

C8Jake

these run about $600

pkadams

Let me be more specific. I am not looking for instructions on how to remove the airbag. I have a used custom leather wrapped horn pad that I could purchase, and I am trying to understand how difficult it would be to removed the OEM horn pad (airbag cover) and replace it with the custom wrapped horn pad (airbag cover). It looks like it might just slide off the airbag but I want to confirm that before I purchase it.

matt3310

Very easy! Once you have it out it will take you maybe 5 min to do.

pkadams

That's great to hear!!! Could you kind of step me through the process? Is the airbag itself in a capsule or is it just folded inside the cover? It looks like the bottom of the cover has some tabs on it, do they snap into the base of the airbag electronics module. Do you have to disconnect any wires or remove any screws?

I have looked all over the place and I can't find any instructions on how to do this. Lots of instructions on how to remove the airbag but nothing about how to remove and replace the cover on the airbag.

USMCVETC7

W88fixer

What a bargain....NOT. Can think of hundreds of better ways to spend $600.

Vendor must make a fortune in profit. Don

Rooster OG

I found this, maybe it'll help. It might not be very difficult which is why you can't find anything on it:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...bag-cover.html

Z06 1of38

If you think $600 is a lot for a beautiful cosmetic touch like a leather wrapped horn pad from an artisan, you'll likely soil yourself if you see price the whole custom steering wheel, horn pad, carbon fibre and aluminum paddle options....





Can't put a price on happiness...I've said it before....Evertime I touch this wheel it's like prom night all over again!

Except this time the ride lasts longer.

stephen1254

I did mine some time ago so I'm going from memory. Disconnect the negative battery terminal directly from the battery in the right rear corner of the hatch. Apply the brakes or wait a few minutes for the residual power to be dissipated. Insert a long, thin allen wrench into each of the small holes on either side of the housing behind the wheel. You are pushing into some small tabs inside the housing. When you find the tab the housing will pop up.

There are several wiring connections as I recall, although it may be just one that has to be unplugged for the airbag. After you remove the entire assembly, there are 4 nuts on a retainer holding the airbag in place. Remove those and the airbag slides out. Slide the airbag into the new cover, reinstall the retainer, re-connect the wiring, and slide the assembly back into the wheel until the tabs are re-inserted. Re-connect the battery terminal, re-index the windows if you get the message on the dash - just run them up and down - and you are good to go.

It's not very difficult and will probably take less time than it did to write this.

blown81bu

Those look like carravagio covers?

rrsperry

I wonder how much those will hurt when the airbag blasts it into your face? Come to think about it, what happens to the standard cover?

~Stingray

Well the emblem will come at you like a ninja star.

VT-Rider

Back in the day, I worked for an airbag OEM. The cover is part of an engineered system, including the steering column, inflator, nylon bag and cover. The bag had a specific folding protocol so that it unfolded from behind. I recall that the bag was hermetically sealed in light plastic wrap. The cover was designed to accommodate the fold and had specific tear lines - thin lines in the cover material to ensure that each cover would blow open in the same manner. One challenge was to design an injection moldable cover with thin tear lines on the inside that would not bleed thru (be visible) on the graining or other surface treatment on the outside.

The ornament on the stock GS airbag is thin light plastic. The ones above appear thicker. As the bag inflates in 0.02 to 0.03 seconds, unfolding at over 100 miles/hour, if the ornament separates from the cover, it could cause serious driver injury.

If you want to change the cover, on my car I would leave the airbag disabled and go with competition seats and multi-point belts. Probably have to disable an airbag error message.

My $0.02. Worth what you paid for it...

DWS44

Apsis makes them as well. There was a pretty recent post in the Parts forum with them showing off a blue leather/blue stitched cover.

danh63

Damn that dash and all looks good!