mygasser
Well-Known Member
i'm loving the new pup, what a cutie 
1966 Factory V8 Valiant Signet Restoration For My Other Daughter
- Thread starter Jim Kueneman
- Start date
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A new kid always helps the mending process.
This workmanship and steps you are taking is blowing my mind, good job going on here
I let a friend of mine look threw this tread, he has a 58 Ranchero, he said this fellow knows what he is doing, loved it.
Thank you for taking the time it takes to post such a great thread sir.
Jeff Seighman
aka jeffnmo
The man does some awesome work.
Got my four seconds flat parts distributor is ready to roll. First pass sanding steering wheel is looking pretty good.
Now it’s time to just sit in the driveway cool off and have an adult beverage.

Now it’s time to just sit in the driveway cool off and have an adult beverage.

Yes. Out of room and the daughter is going to college next month. No more discretionary money.
Done the college thing both kids. Both have spouses now and grandkids keep showing up soon 5 hahaha. If can get one kid in the Dart that would be great they are terrified of the rumble still.
Cosmo Kramer Kueneman
Round 2. I put the wheel in the oven at 250F and a new round of cracks opened up. More dremeling and epoxy.
JayinMI
Well-Known Member
Was the purpose of putting it in the oven to cure it, or see if more cracks would appear? I've seen a few people restore VW steering wheels, but I don't think any of them backed them.
Jay
Jay
because I saw a crack develop with it sitting out in the heat and sun drying the paint. I wanted to give it a stress test. The PC7 also shrank a bit.
Let the engine assembly continue! Thank you Chomeric, half a week early!
B-i-n-g-o
Well-Known Member
Just looked through this whole thread. Sorry about your dog passing away, and the new dog looks like a happy pupper, so congratulations on him. The car looks great, you're daughter'll have a beautiful ride! Mind if I ask the color? That the factory yellow? It's gorgeous, and whenever the one we're about to get needs paint, something like that'd be perfect! Thanks!
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it’s close to factory RR1 yellow for 66. I think there is a photo of the name. It is a stock Automotive Arts Motobase color. It was a German word for yellow.
Hi Jim. I love your resto thread. I'm putting my brother's 67 Barracuda engine together. I was wondering what color red you used on your engine and whether it is a close match to the factory color.
Normally we use Chrysler engine red but it is hard to find so Dave used International Harvester Red from Seymor
Thanks. I heard thar IH red was a close match to the original color.
I’ll lock it down with two coats of universal clear tomorrow then it’s time to assemble it
Amazing work looks great!
B-i-n-g-o
Well-Known Member
Looks awesome, like every step I've seen on this thread!!!
One more project done one more project to redo. I dropped the damn AC compressor and it landed on one of the mounting tabs on the edge of a head and broke the corner of the head. Luckily I’ve got a box of spare parts and old compressors to scavenge parts.
I don’t think I could’ve asked for this steering wheel to come out any better. For those who said I should just go buy a new wheel I don’t know how you get any better than these classic original parts.  it was worth every agonizing hour.
Here’s a quick step-by-step. I used a Dremel tool to open up all cracks and tried to undercut them so that when I packed them with epoxy it would go underneath the lip to grab so that it would lock it in. Then wiped it down with generous amounts of acetone to clean it and soften the original material. Then mix up PC 7 epoxy and work it in to all the cracks and grooves. Let it dry then shape it with 80 grit sandpaper. I put it in the oven and baked it at 180. That’s because here in Arizona it can get that hot in the car. That opened up a few more cracks which I repeated the above process once I got it shaped I sprayed it was three or four coats of epoxy primer.. Once that was sanded down and I had the shape know this could easily take two or three steps repeating spraying the epoxy primer and sanding. Once I got it shaped the way I wanted I took a hobby razor saw with coarse teeth and just dragged it around the wheel putting deep grooves in it to simulate wood grain. After that I used artists acrylic paints raw umber and burnt ombre mixed with a little water to make a wash. Before that I overcoated the epoxy primer with SEM palomino rattle can paint to give it a light tan base coat.. I then washed on the acrylics and wipe them off carefully to get the shading that I wanted. once happy with that I had some India ink that I probably mix 10% ink with 90% rubbing alcohol to make a black wash which I then spread around the wheel to highlight the grooves carefully wiping off the excess so that it didn’t pool and leave a black ring. Then two coats of universal clear let it dry sand it was 500 grit sandpaper and two more coats of universal clear.
I don’t think I could’ve asked for this steering wheel to come out any better. For those who said I should just go buy a new wheel I don’t know how you get any better than these classic original parts.  it was worth every agonizing hour.
Here’s a quick step-by-step. I used a Dremel tool to open up all cracks and tried to undercut them so that when I packed them with epoxy it would go underneath the lip to grab so that it would lock it in. Then wiped it down with generous amounts of acetone to clean it and soften the original material. Then mix up PC 7 epoxy and work it in to all the cracks and grooves. Let it dry then shape it with 80 grit sandpaper. I put it in the oven and baked it at 180. That’s because here in Arizona it can get that hot in the car. That opened up a few more cracks which I repeated the above process once I got it shaped I sprayed it was three or four coats of epoxy primer.. Once that was sanded down and I had the shape know this could easily take two or three steps repeating spraying the epoxy primer and sanding. Once I got it shaped the way I wanted I took a hobby razor saw with coarse teeth and just dragged it around the wheel putting deep grooves in it to simulate wood grain. After that I used artists acrylic paints raw umber and burnt ombre mixed with a little water to make a wash. Before that I overcoated the epoxy primer with SEM palomino rattle can paint to give it a light tan base coat.. I then washed on the acrylics and wipe them off carefully to get the shading that I wanted. once happy with that I had some India ink that I probably mix 10% ink with 90% rubbing alcohol to make a black wash which I then spread around the wheel to highlight the grooves carefully wiping off the excess so that it didn’t pool and leave a black ring. Then two coats of universal clear let it dry sand it was 500 grit sandpaper and two more coats of universal clear.
Jeff Seighman
aka jeffnmo
That looks fantastic, another job well done Sir.
Beautiful wheel. Thanks for telling us your method.
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
that wheel looks great, have you done this before or first attempt? Certainly looks like you knew what you were doing, not just having a go! Being a trimmer by trade I normally wrap all my wheels in leather. Partly because a like a modern style fat-ish wheel!
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