NewbVetteGuy

Help!


I am playing the "tidy up my interior" game and my horn button surround has got a couple of issues and given that I am looking straight at it when I'm driving my C3, I wanted to replace the surround with a new one.


I bought just the horn button surround from Wilcox (CA part) but wanted to just swap the center button into it.

The stock horn button looks like it's riveted into the surround with the backing plate on it that attaches it to the steering wheel. Two questions:

1. How do I remove the old horn button center without destroying it (carefully chisel the top of the rivets off?)
2. How do I get the new horn button surround to hold everything in place? (punch and a hammer or do I need some specialty tool?)



See pictures.




Adam

7T1vette

I don't know what the "issues" are with your original horn button, but you can recolor the outside areas with the matching vinyl dye you use to color the interior panels. And if the emblem is faded...so what?

If the emblem is damaged or badly discolored, it's time to replace it.

htown81vette

I just used a dremel tool and carefully ground the tops of the rivets until they came off. Then uses gorilla glue and glued the emblem in place. Worked great.

NewbVetteGuy

I'm not sure how to describe it; there are little raised-up areas where the paint has come off- my ash tray door had the same issues (like some sort of aluminum oxidation) -with the ash tray door I used a fine stainless steel cup-style rotary brush and tried to knock it all down, then used wax remover, and rubbing alcohol to prep it for paint. When I painted it got weird fish-eye looking blotches. I'm afraid that the same thing will happen to the steering wheel horn button surround- plus I already bought the new surround so I just need to figure out how to install it.




Re: just carefully dremeling off the old one- that sounds like a pretty decent plan- but how are you supposed to install the new one? I don't think it's meant to just be glued.



Adam

TimAT

The "Fish-eye" looking bubbles are most likely silicone. Someone used Armour-All on or around your interior. Almost have to blast to get the silicone off of about any surface. Might wash with TSP or a good HD wax and grease remover. And cross your fingers.

NewbVetteGuy

I used a wax and grease remover. It's not silicone / wax; it's just the difference between the painted surface and whatever the heck was going on beneath the surface of the ashtray door.

[Edit] You know what? -When I did this to my other interior parts I mixed some TSP with hot water as the first cleaning step, then wax and grease remover, and THEN rubbing alcohol.... Maybe the 1-2 punch of TSP + Wax remover gets rid of the armor all layer.



Adam

7T1vette

Armor-All is the 'kiss of death' to plastic interior parts. A polymer protectant is MUCH better for the parts. (Meguiar's protectant for plastics; Nu-Vinyl; etc)

NewbVetteGuy

Update: I succeeded in getting this fixed.

1. Use a dremel to cut away most of the old rivet head (I think it's soft lead or aluminum)
2. Pry a tiny bit and the center should pop out
3. Put the emblem into the new surround with a bead of super glue (super glue will NOT hold on its own- as soon as I tried to pull the steering wheel center off the whole assembly stayed behind on the center hub)
4. Put a large phillips head screw driver in the center of each rivet and give the screw driver one good smack with a hammer- the rivet quickly expands and holds quite well. (it's really, REALLY soft metal)

Note: The 3 holes LOOK symmetrical but they're not; these things only physically go on in one orientation so you can't screw that up.

TaaDaa!

Adam