Re-covering momo wheel in suede?

[olie05]

I have a momo prototipo wheel that i got from a friend for free... only problem is, it suffered years in his 914 and now the leather is all chewed up. I want to cover it in suede, but I don't really know where to begin.

 

So far I plan on buying some suede from tandyleather.com and wrapping it around the old leather and sewing it. This will make the steering wheel a little thicker, since its already on the thin side. Problem is I don't know how to do any of that, I just know I have to do it.

 

Can anyone give me tips on how to cut and fit the leather on to the steering wheel? Thanks

 

-Oliver

[Kennysgreen280zt]

Im curious about this too, ive got an old momo monte carlo wheel that I would love to have recovered

[RPMS]

Sure, you can do this! It's easy and inexpensive, but it takes a while.

 

First, measure the circumferance of the rim and of the steering wheel. You'll cut the leather/suede 3/8" wider than the circumferance of the rim, and fold a strip over 1/4" on each side for reinforcement. Using a yardstick, punch holes in the leather 1/8" from the folded edge, 1/4" apart. Each hole will drive through two layers of leather if you're doing it right. If this seems like too much work to be worth it, you can always buy a Wheelskin for between fifteen and twenty bucks.

 

Once the holes are all punched (there will be about 175 on each side) wrap the suede around the steering wheel and stitch the short ends together to form a hoop. For stitching, either buy black nylon stitching from Tandy, or just use a double thickness of waxed dental floss (color it black with a permanent marker). The hoop should be a little bit smaller than the steering wheel, so when you put the leather hoop around the wheel, it's tight. Once you have the hoop in place, stitch it around the rim in the same manner you'd lace up a new pair of shoes. You should be stretching the suede just a bit to get it to close the gap. If you pull too hard, you'll rip through the leather. If you don't have enough tension, it'll look like crap. You may have to re-lace it several times until you get it right. If you've cut a piece of the rim too small, you can wet the leather down with a bit of water to make it stretch somewhat. It'll shrink tight when it dries.

 

Going around the spokes is a bit of a challenge. My advice is to not try to duplicate how the factory does it. They've got years of experience and the benefit of having die-cut leather pieces that fit perfectly. Since you have only a simple leather strip to work with, you aren't going to get it perfectly. You can get it darned close though - close enough that casual observers won't be able to tell anything's different.

 

I've restitched several wheels, and they've all end up looking pretty good. In some of them, I've put additional padding to make the rim a bit thicker. I've used 1/16" microfoam (similar to the stuff they put under Pergo wood floors) and it seems to hold up well.

 

Good luck, I hope this answers your question.

 

Scott

[olie05]

wow

thanks alot. that is exactly what I needed!

-Oliver

[AK-Z]

I wouldn't use floss, might as well do the job once and I woulld think that the markered floss would rub off on you hand and on the swade.

 

I don't know if this will work on swade but I do this with leather.

 

measure the wheel and add about 1/2 inche. cut the material and add a little for the spokes, about a an 1 1/2 inche. stitch the ends together about a 1/32 of the circuference if you can. put it on the wheel "roll" the seemed edges. use a "heat gun" to help shrink the material to get the wrinkles out and you start stitching around the wheel. Don't get to close with the gun or you might burn it, its better to take your time. Obviously you can't stitch through the spokes to just complete you stitch at the spoke, roll the edge and continue on the next stitch, and so on.

[RPMS]

Believe it or not, the permanent marker dyes the dental floss (or I could just get fancy and call it Nylon Thread). I don't have any problem with it wearing off, and it's much more durable than cotton thread. I've used it for many years to restitch saddles without ever having a problem.