Is this steering wheel safe????

Hi all,

I just bought this wheel and I'm not sure it's save to use. I took the horn ring off and was shocked at how busted up this once was. Is there a metal sub structure under all of this? Looks to me as if the center spine part could bust out pretty easily.

Thoughts please?
Thanks.

 

I wouldn't run it.

 

I vote no also

 

That looks scary.

 

No question....that is wall art. But don't hang it over a doorway, it might fall and hit you on the head.

 

no no no no ~sololobo~

 

agree on wall art...

 

Most steering wheels do have metal in them,,stick a thin blade down in the cracks and tap to see if there is metal,if so use epoxy and repair the cracks,paint it and use it,,if not make a wall hanger out of it. HRP

 

urgh,,upon further inspection,,,chuck it in the can!

 

It looks like the inner hub is delaminating from the outer part. One of these days you would be turning and the wheel would turn but the hub would stay straight ahead. Kinda like those fake steering wheels on the kiddie rides a the carnival.

I wouldn't chance it.

Don

 

Yeesh...that's a death trap if I've ever seen one. I'm not sure you can save that one. JohnnyA

 

Man .....you or somebody else could get hurt if you use that wheel...

 

Well I am going to go the other way from everyone else, I am sure there is a full steel structure in all wheels, I think if you break the plastic off any steering wheel that you can find going all the way back to the 30's you will find they have a full steel structure under the outer covering, so I don't see anyway it could fail and cause you to crash, it will just break apart and go down to the steel rod under the plastic. Jim

 

believe it or not,, i once had a stock 69 camaro steering wheel brake off in my hands..me and my wife were dating at the time and i had just dropped her off...got back in the car, went to turn the wheel and it broke off,,,that was about 20 years ago and never had seen that happen ,nor since then either! had to wait in her driveway for a buddy with an extra steering wheel and puller to show up! wild

 

cfnutcase is correct.

 

The last owner may well have died holding it!

 

That will be buried with you.

 

Use it, the main structure is steel.

 

It's not going to "let go" but it's not going to fix itself either only get worse!

 

i would use it

if there wasnt a sturdy metal frame under them all vynil steering wheels would crumble in the owners hand in time from the vynil going through heating and cooling cycles combined with the turning torque and vibrations and the like

 

I agree. Full metal structure is safe. But unless the wheel is unubtainium why go to all the work? That said grind out the cracks down to the metal substructure and bead blast the rust, then use a good epoxy to fill the cracks. Then sand and fill and sand and prime and sand and paint. A lot of work if you can find a good one. Jim (some day we will all get together and take over the world) the Jim's that is

 

lookin at it???? I surprised you even felt you had to ask , but if you really have a bone on to use it .............. id bust puppy down to bare frame if there's any thing left after that ............. build it back up as a restoration job.

my self? id find another in better shape

 

I'm fine epoxy ing it if its metal underneath. If not I really don't want to use it. Anyone know for sure?

 

Give it to a ratrodder...

 

I don't know, looks risky.

 

what is the wheel for? lets see a pic of the whole wheel

 

The damage is cosmetic, the structure is steel. Even if the epoxy outer falls completely off, then the steel frame is still there. You have nothing to worry about despite how it looks.
I personally wouldn't run it because its in such rough shape, but not because I would fear any structural weakness.

 

It's fine.

 

A strong magnet will give you an idea how much metal is in this thing.

It looks like shit, but might be ok.

 

They all have steel structures. Epoxy or plastic alone would never be strong enough to hold up on it's own. EVERY steering wheel from the beginning of time to present times has a steel structure unless its on your lawn mower or your little sister's power wheels.