steering wheel redux

911FL · 07-01-2005, 02:16 PM

And it only took nine hours to do!

I bought the kit thru PP and made my first stab at it two weeks ago. Almost broke eveything in the house in frustration. I called the good people at AGLA to see if they would cover it. After hearing the price (135.00 with shipping of loaner and my wheel not included - 175.00 total) I bought new thread and planned a long Sunday for the task.

This time I kept my cool and just kept the light source high at all times. Here are several tips for those not of the meek of fingertips:

1) Don't use the thread that comes with the kit - there is just not enough for the OEM stitch to be done comfortably.

2) Buy the curved quilting needles and have two going at once. It makes it much simpler in the long run.

3) Remove the steering wheel. I sincerely can't imagine doing this sitting in my car!

4) Cut the thread extra long (non-intuitive, I know) because this allows you to keep all thread in different parts of the workspace avoiding the dreaded tangles (you thought fishing line was fun).

5) Use plenty of contact cement around the spokes to get less wrinkling. I'm positive if I were to do this again (but not in this lifetime) I could have achieved even an smoother finish.

6) Plan on a long period of time just to get on the learning curve if you plan on the cross-stich pattern. You have to know which thread to pull tight first so it doesn't trap the other thread.

7) If things don't look right - they're NOT. Go back (it takes great patience for this step) and pull out until you find the problem. It's worth it if you're going after the best looking cross stitch.

Good luck to anyone trying this. I would rather do mechanical stuff than this any day (I would rather stick a hot fireplace poker down my pants as well), but it really is cool to look at my wheel knowing that I did the craftwork.

Cheers,

911FL · 07-01-2005, 02:18 PM

Sorry here is the picture.

Markus33 · 07-01-2005, 03:18 PM

Dan,

That looks amazingly good. Nice work.

Do you have to remove the old skin or does the new leather go right over the top?

Markus
'80 SC Targa

911FL · 07-01-2005, 03:25 PM

Thanks Markus.

I removed the old leather by slicing through the outer diameter of the wheel all the around instead of cutting the threads as suggested in the directions (which seriously suck by the way). That way I could examine the stitching as I went along. Apparently AGLA offers a different skin for those who want to go over the old, but I can't imagine how it would look since the stretching shows everything under the cover. Check out their website for what's available. I think its www.aglausa.com.

bigchillcar · bigchillcar's Garage

dan,
damn..i got the kit for xmas and it's still sitting on my chest of drawers..it looks at me..i look at it..it looks at me..i look back at it. finally i walk away shaking my head. i had hoped to find a local upholsterer who would do it, but the guy said 'no thanks'..maybe i'll try asking a cobbler, i've heard that they are naturals for this kinda work.

or maybe i'll grow balls and do what you did. damn you for doing this job, dan!

ryan

autobonrun · autobonrun's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by bigchillcar
dan,
damn..i got the kit for xmas and it's still sitting on my chest of drawers..it looks at me..i look at it..it looks at me..i look back at it. finally i walk away shaking my head. i had hoped to find a local upholsterer who would do it, but the guy said 'no thanks'..maybe i'll try asking a cobbler, i've heard that they are naturals for this kinda work.

or maybe i'll grow balls and do what you did. damn you for doing this job, dan!
ryan

Funny stuff. We'll see who wins the staring contest. In the kit I bought, there was an address and phone number to send your wheel to if you wanted them to sew it for you. If I recall, the price was around $150. I did mine myself however.

If you need the number, I can locate and post it.

bigchillcar · bigchillcar's Garage

Quote:

I did mine myself however.

arrrrrgh!

ryan

autobonrun · autobonrun's Garage

You did a really good job 911FL. It's tight in some of the more difficult to sew locations.

I added an additional touch to mine by purchasing a crest from Pelican and installing it over the embossed crest.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

I sympathize, Dan. I re-stitched mine. It looks easy. It sounds easy. But it really, really sucks.

Ian

Btw great job!

911FL · 07-01-2005, 08:40 PM

This was without a doubt the most intense project I have undertaken since I started my 911 ownership. autobonrun you were the real inspiration. I kept coming back to your post and thinking that it really can be done. Nice job. God I love the tan interior, and with your new wheel leather it looks fantastic!