240 Z Steering wheel

[DaveyDaveDaveDave]

So far Ive cleaned the hell out of it, and hit it with furniture polish. Not too bad, but its a plastic one with the awesome red undertones, and I really want to bring that out. Suggestions?

[Skib]

A Turn for the Better

Refinishing the steering wheel on your 240Z is one of the easiest and least costly ways to upgrade the appearance of your Z’s cockpit. After all, the steering wheel is the one part of your car you see and touch every time you climb inside. In this article, Randy Lewis shares his experience from A to Z, having completed refurbishing the steering wheel on his three 240Zs. Follow his advice and in three hours or less (excluding driving time), even the greenest home mechanic will puff out his (or her) chest at the $15 refinished beauty.

 

Difficulty level: 2 (10 being the hardest)

Time: 3 Hrs

Parts Cost: $15

Tools: socket set, philips screwdriver

 

Overview

After nearly 30 years of wear and tear, it’s amazing that most 240Z steering wheels have held up so well. Generally, these steering wheels suffer only a dull or worn finish on the rim, and perhaps spokes show chipped or peeling paint and a few rust spots here and there (Figure 1). Even in Arizona, where I live, the sun and heat don’t seem to have had an adverse effect on the rim as is typical with many American cars. The rim of the wheel is actually plastic, despite a rather realistic looking faux wood finish, fooling some owners. With age, the rim takes on a nice patina that tends to make it look even more like wood than when it was new. The trick to restoring a 240Z steering wheel is to enhance the rim’s patina, not remove it.

 

Step One: Materials and Disassembly

You’ll need the following materials to refinish your steering wheel, all of which you should be able to obtain at your local hardware store (Figure 2).

• 220 wet/dry sandpaper

• Very fine steel wool

• SOS soap pads

• Masking tape

• One spray can of semi-gloss

clear lacquer

• One spray can of primer

• One spray can of semi-gloss black

To begin, you’ll need to remove the steering wheel from the column. This involves removing the horn pad from the center of the wheel (which simply snaps off as you pull it toward you) revealing a 22mm nut that secures the wheel to the column. After removing the nut, lock washer, and the spring-tensioned horn contact plate screws, you should be able to tap the wheel gently from behind, with equal pressure from both sides, and pull it free of the column. Once you have the wheel removed, take it to a sink or laundry tub large enough to submerge the entire wheel.

 

Step two: Preparation

The first step is to gently clean the rim and remove the years of accumulated dirt and grime. An SOS soap pad is the best way to do this without removing the patina. While running water over the wheel, or submerging it, slowly work your way around the rim with the pad, being careful not to bear down too firmly. You will notice the water turning an orange or brown color as the mild abrasive of the steel wool and the soap begin to work. When you no longer see color coming off the wheel, turn your attention to the spokes and center hub. Use the 220-grit sandpaper to smooth any imperfections from rust or peeling paint. Though it’s considerably more work, I would recommend completely removing the paint for the smoothest finish when new paint is applied. When you have completed these two steps, set the wheel aside to dry.

When the wheel is dry, it will feel a bit rough to the touch. You’ll want to go over the wheel with very fine steel wool to assure that the surface is as smooth as possible. Again, be careful not to rub too hard and remove the patina. When the rim is universally smooth to the touch, carefully mask the spokes and center hub with masking tape (Figure 3).

 

Step three: refinishing

Once you have completed the masking, it’s time to spray the rim with clear lacquer. One very important note here is to spray several light mist coats (smoothing each coat with very fine steel wool between coats), rather than a single heavy coat. This avoids runs and orange peel; clear lacquer is especially prone to runs. In the event you don’t heed this advice, you will have the unpleasant task of removing the lacquer with thinner and starting over. Trust me on this one, I learned the hard way. Let the rim dry overnight to make sure the finish is good and hard.

If you notice some variation in gloss level once the lacquer is dry, you can even out the finish by burnishing the rim with a paper towel, which acts as a very mild abrasive. Next, remove the masking tape from the spokes and center hub (checking to make sure that no sticky residue remains) and carefully mask the rim. You will find it helpful at this point, prior to spraying, to suspend the wheel with a wire coat hanger, giving you the ability to spray both sides of the wheel simultaneously. Spray the spokes and hub with primer as a base coat for the final finish coat. You will want to lightly sand the primed areas prior to spraying the semi-gloss black, in order to achieve the smoothest final finish. I have found the most durable and smoothest finish is obtained using high-temperature engine enamel.

[DaveyDaveDaveDave]

Hell yes. Thanks!