Reconditioning steering wheel
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 918
Likes: 5
From: Gainesville FL
Reconditioning steering wheel
What is the best way to clean and re-condition the Vega-style steering wheels on a '76? Mine has lots of dirt, but more than that, it feels sort of sticky like old vinyl often does. The dirt is not a big deal, but is there a good way to make it look nice again? Since this style was a '76-only deal, my replacement options are pretty limited and I will likely have to re-condition the one I have.
Racer
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 425
Likes: 1
From: South Elgin, IL, USA
My 76 Vega wheel was as you described, dirty and sticky. I cleaned it real good with Castrol purple cleaner, gave it a coat of interior vinyl dye and covered it with one of those padded steering wheel covers that you lace on. I came out great. I do not know how the vinyl dye would wear without covering it up.
Greg
Greg
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 10,362
Likes: 5
From: San Diego - Deep Within The State of CONFUSION!
Originally Posted by Vette Gator
What is the best way to clean and re-condition the Vega-style steering wheels on a '76? Mine has lots of dirt, but more than that, it feels sort of sticky like old vinyl often does. The dirt is not a big deal, but is there a good way to make it look nice again? Since this style was a '76-only deal, my replacement options are pretty limited and I will likely have to re-condition the one I have.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 918
Likes: 5
From: Gainesville FL
Since I had the wheel out tonight and time on my hands (since Advance Discount Auto sent the wrong turn signal switch), I got some dishwashing soap in a bucket of water and tried using a sponge with the plastic steel-wool type back. This seemed to clean up the wheel very nicely and got rid of the stickiness. When it comes time to do the rest of the interior, I will use the vinyl dye and put on the lace-on cover. Most of the junk on mine appeared to have been 30 years of dirt and grime. Not often that a job turns out to be easier than I expected!
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 856
Likes: 2
From: Tyler Texas
Send your steering wheel to Chuck and Barbara Pelton. They specialize in corvette steering wheels. They can put leather on your 1976 wheel--in any factory color--if that is what you want. It will solve the sticky issue and look alot better! They did my 1973 OEM factory steering wheel. I am very pleased. Contact them at cwpelton@comcast.com
Last edited by Patrick73; Aug 22, 2005 at 04:39 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio TX
Originally Posted by Patrick73
Send your steering wheel to Chuck and Barbara Pelton. They specialize in corvette steering wheels. They can put leather on your 1976 wheel--in any factory color--if that is what you want. It will solve the sticky issue and look alot better! They did my 1973 OEM factory steering wheel. I am very pleased. Contact them at cwpelton@comcast.com
How about the the price?
How much did they charge you?
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
I had Peltons do an 80-81 steering wheel for my 70 in black leather and brushed spokes. It came out really nice.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 3,775
Likes: 4
its the best pic i could find right now, i dont have my digital camera right now so i cant take a new pic.
you can see it at the 12 o clock position.
dont mind the terrible mess, i took this pic a day or so after pulling it out of a leaky garage that it sat in for 20 some years. its not completly back together yet, but its cleaned up pretty well.
you can see it at the 12 o clock position.
dont mind the terrible mess, i took this pic a day or so after pulling it out of a leaky garage that it sat in for 20 some years. its not completly back together yet, but its cleaned up pretty well.
