Way kustom steering wheels

Using my non-existent photo chop skills, I'm pondering what to do with this wheel. It's a 60-62 or 3 Pontiac standard wheel which is that same ones that would have been used in the SD cars. I've adapted a '63 Mercury deluxe horn button to it. Here are a couple examples of what I'm thinking for the bottom. What do you guys think, flat or curved?

I was thinking of just chopping the bottom and leaving the top normal and painting the wheel white with the "GRIP" sections on either side black two tone.

 

no opinions on this subject? The wife didn't hesitate at all and said the first one. She didn't like the flat section. Guess that means chicks dig the inversion thing.

 

Here's an update on the first wheel in this post.



After receiving it from Dog Dish Deluxe, I went at the small stress cracks with my Dremel, cutting a V-shaped groove where the hairline cracks were. I then filled the vee grooves with an Epoxy, and after it completely dried, sanded the the grooves down by hand, first with 100-grit, then with 220 wet/dry. I did two rounds of filling and sanding and will probably need to one more to have it completely devoid of cracks or any telltale signs of repair. Attached are mid-point shots as well as a final shot in white primer. I can attest to the work that Dog Dish Does. The wheels are bitchen. They arrived with all the welding done and corners reformed. As I'm my time to build my roadster, I wanted the wheel to be super nice so I took the time to address all the little stress cracks, which are unavoidable with the material these old school fifties and sixties wheels are made with. Enuf yacking. Here are some work-in-progress shots:

 

I like the curved one best.
And Slime dude that 'wheel is bad ass.

 

Thats awesome slime, you're doing a great job. A lot of guys don't mind the little stress cracks but some do. It takes sooooo loooong to fix all those, it's one helluva process for sure. Heres a couple "mild kustom" wheels that I'm working on. The black and white one is a '58-59 Poncho standard wheel with a '64 Lemans/GTO horn ring. It was a total pita to make that horn ring funtional on that wheel (used parts from 5 or 6 different steering wheels) but I think it was worth it. (it's sold already) The other one is just one that I've started messing with, all I've done is the horn button so far but is should be pretty neato when it's done.

 

I really dig these man!!! I'm definitely gonna try makin one for my '66 LeSabre... Anyone know what other wheels share the same splines as 60s Buicks?

Also, bummer about the law suit thing... People suck and have no shame anymore. I think it's kool that youre still makin em regardless!! Keep it up man!!

 

I know that the 50's and early 60's Buicks had the "big" spline size. I want to say that at some point in the late 60's they went to the smaller standard spline, about 66 or 67 I think. Can anybody confirm this?

And hell yeah I'm gonna keep making wheels, I figured out how to deal with all those frivolous bastards!

 

Finally getting around to working to some chopping and welding action. Heres the latest:

 

Wish I could figure out an angle to get a better pic of this one, this pic doesn't show the lines enough to get the vibe across. I'll work on getting a better shot. I'm thinking of either calling it the Lunar Moth or the Astral Projector.

 

I like this wheel

 

I tried to photochop the corners to give the overall effect but the pic sucks. I got the corners filled in last night so I'll work on sanding them later. This is my favorite one so far, look cool as hell in person.

 

Here's a little better pic of the "Lunar Moth". Made up another of this style also. I inverted the sections at a little more of a radical angle on this one. Debating on whether to get rid of the finger grips or not.

 

Finger grips top and bottom but smooth on the sides???

 

HMMM...Might have to try that.

 

Cool!!!

Are you making the center buttons as well?

 

i want a slightly square shaped wheel (like the imperials and such) for a gm column. got one around? lol

 

Yeah, have been lately. Piecing them together to make kustom ones. The one in the center above is a rare Biscayne horn button. I have a couple of those but not many. Slime is working on making some way bad ass enbedment horn buttons for the one I sold him.

 

If you had a junk imperial wheel it would be possible to use the outer rim on a gm center and make it work.

 

i was thinking similarly. or even mill out the hub area of an imperial wheel, and weld in a gm center. now i just gotta find one. lol

 

The white one is fur sale. $200 like it sits, I wish I could keep 'em all but you know how it is.

 

I've got a couple square wheels if you're interested, like probably 3 of them.

 

Here's one that I'm doing. Plans call for metalflake paint. You just can't get more traditional.

 

I know you're being a smart ass and that only '40 Ford steering wheels in Model A's are traditional but I have actually heard of people driving with vice grips. That's nuts.

BTW, being a total nazi about what's traditional isn't traditional. Back in the day people were creative and didn't just build the same boring shit over and over like everybody these days does.

 

I spent another few hours on a fourth round of chasing down the hairline cracks. Now I know why you see so few well restored wheels on hot rods. Dog Dish, your tip about wrapping tape on either side of the dremeled V-grooves saved a lot of effort and epoxy. I'm really starting to get close to having the wheels looking 99.9% perfect, which is good enough for me. I'll post another round of shots. Really gotta say, I'm digging these wheels and I don't give a flip what the trad Nazis think. It's my car, I'm going to run the coolest wheel, not the common wheel.Your work is outstanding, Dog Dish. I'll keep you posted on the embedment horn buttons.

 

They just aren't ready for it yet. Once it becomes trendy then all the traditional Zombies will jump on the bandwagon. You can't blame them, they just want to be different like everybody else.

 

It was badass when I got it from Dog Dish. But it's going to be amazing once I'm done with it. I couldn't have done the welding part to save my life, but the finishing is right up my alley. Appeals to my OCD tendencies.

 

Dog Dish, I dig your wheels and would probably look into getting one, but I customized my '56 Chevy pickup wheel and am pretty excited to get it finished and on the truck. It's pretty traditional looking, but I don't think anyone out there will have one like it. I have already had a few guys ask me to do the same to theirs, but I have too many hours into it to even consider doing another, although I have actually considered using mine as a master and casting a few of them....

 

Kool, got any pics of it?

 

Resoting a steering wheel and really doing a stellar job is an exercise in humility, patience and determination. Each step of the way, I have knocked down one set of hairline cracks, only to reveal, miss, or not quite get the perfectly smooth transitions I'm looking for from others. This morning, I once again cut V-grooves into the last six or seven hairline cracks that are in high visibility areas and therefore need to be perfect. Today, I will try something besides the two stage epoxy (Ace brand) which has worked decently up to now. I'm going to use the thinnest substance I possibly can and am off to the auto parts store to conduct a little research. It'll either be a marine product, JB weld or a putty-based product. I've gone as far as I can with the two-stage epoxy. Time to step up. This wheel will not kick my ass. I will fill and sand it into submission. Photos forthcoming.

 

Thats some good wording to sum up the situation. I'm usually a man of few words (unless it's something smart assed) but thats pretty much the same way I feel about steering wheels. It's like a personal challenge to fix these old wheels and not something for the faint of heart or the OCD, because theres always another crack to fix that you didn't notice before. Even the wheels that appear to be perfect originals have cracks to be found once you sand the paint away. It's just a personal matter of taste and deciding how far you want to take it.