ok, guys, before i start - i'm a poor european student, so please no jokes on my english
the beginning
i've arrived to Texas with a big hopes, dreams and a $3k in hand to buy a car. two weeks lates i was a happy owner of 2001 coupe LX. mechanical stuff apart, the only thing that bothered me was the steering wheel: it was thin, ugly, sun damaged and, well, it was not a pleasant thing to touch
the Project
after a brief research i knew about the acura swap option, but prices from $60 on ebay for a really bad ones left me no choice but to ditch this idea.
inspired by my previous car (civic type R FN2) and its steering wheel
i've bought the $4.99 floor mat from ROSS and a $8.99 vynil pseudo-perforated upholstery from ebay. with taxes and delivery it came up at grand total of exactly 20 bucks
ready... steady... GO!
first – I’ve decided to cut the damaged part rather than trying to restore it
second – I’ve sliced the floor mat and begin to gain the necessary thickness by sewing layer after layer
well, I’m lazy, so after the first layer I decided just fasten it
when the desired thickness was reached, I’ve leveled it up with some layers of electric tape (the duct tape, probably, would be better, but as was stated – I’m a lazy person and the electric tape was just there)
third – the layer or mat across the whole wheel should in theory eliminate the problem with the thinness of it
and it did. in fact, the material was so pleasant that I drove it that way for a couple of days and even considered the option to embrace my laziness and leave it that way and call it abstract art or fusion style. again, the electrical tape to level the edges of the spokes
final stage
and the anal stuff begins
I've used the two needles technique in order to get an even and smooth stiches. unfortunately, I had only thin threads, so I had to quadruple them in order to get the strong enough thread. that was PITA. but I’m dedicated, stubborn and have a lot of free time, ahaha
electrical tape helped me to temporary fixate the spokes parts while I was done with the wheel
as for my biased opinion – I did pretty good
and then – BAM! my laziness strikes again. I found the small tube of glue at home and tired from all the stitching I just decide to glue the spoke-parts. well, it went better than I’ve expected, but not as good as I thought it could be
anyway, comparing to what I’ve started with, I’m more than pleased with myself. and keeping in mind that it was maybe the second time in my life I’ve hold the needle and a thread in my heads – hell yeah, I’m super pleased with the results!
if you decide to go along with this mod, I have a few tips:
- sewing on the disassembled steering wheel will be a 1000000000 times easier (and, eventually, neater)
- check the direction of your upholstery stretches. it tend to stretch a lot in one direction and almost doesn’t stretches in the other
- use glue with caution. although, the most usual cyanoacrylate hold the upholstery on the wheel perfectly
aftermath
so far I’ve done couple of weeks on my new steering wheel and haven’t spotted any flaws. it is beefy enough and the resemblance with the FN2 steering wheel is uncanny (which also raises the question about the quality of materials used for production in Honda’s models. because it was THE CHEAPIEST upholstery I could find on ebay)
anyway, I’ve got enough upholstery for another 4 or even 5 steering wheels, and since I’m now an experienced seamstress … I’m open to your offers, ahaha
cheers
the beginning
i've arrived to Texas with a big hopes, dreams and a $3k in hand to buy a car. two weeks lates i was a happy owner of 2001 coupe LX. mechanical stuff apart, the only thing that bothered me was the steering wheel: it was thin, ugly, sun damaged and, well, it was not a pleasant thing to touch
the Project
after a brief research i knew about the acura swap option, but prices from $60 on ebay for a really bad ones left me no choice but to ditch this idea.
inspired by my previous car (civic type R FN2) and its steering wheel
i've bought the $4.99 floor mat from ROSS and a $8.99 vynil pseudo-perforated upholstery from ebay. with taxes and delivery it came up at grand total of exactly 20 bucks
ready... steady... GO!
first – I’ve decided to cut the damaged part rather than trying to restore it
second – I’ve sliced the floor mat and begin to gain the necessary thickness by sewing layer after layer
well, I’m lazy, so after the first layer I decided just fasten it
when the desired thickness was reached, I’ve leveled it up with some layers of electric tape (the duct tape, probably, would be better, but as was stated – I’m a lazy person and the electric tape was just there)
third – the layer or mat across the whole wheel should in theory eliminate the problem with the thinness of it
and it did. in fact, the material was so pleasant that I drove it that way for a couple of days and even considered the option to embrace my laziness and leave it that way and call it abstract art or fusion style. again, the electrical tape to level the edges of the spokes
final stage
and the anal stuff begins
I've used the two needles technique in order to get an even and smooth stiches. unfortunately, I had only thin threads, so I had to quadruple them in order to get the strong enough thread. that was PITA. but I’m dedicated, stubborn and have a lot of free time, ahaha
electrical tape helped me to temporary fixate the spokes parts while I was done with the wheel
as for my biased opinion – I did pretty good
and then – BAM! my laziness strikes again. I found the small tube of glue at home and tired from all the stitching I just decide to glue the spoke-parts. well, it went better than I’ve expected, but not as good as I thought it could be
anyway, comparing to what I’ve started with, I’m more than pleased with myself. and keeping in mind that it was maybe the second time in my life I’ve hold the needle and a thread in my heads – hell yeah, I’m super pleased with the results!
if you decide to go along with this mod, I have a few tips:
- sewing on the disassembled steering wheel will be a 1000000000 times easier (and, eventually, neater)
- check the direction of your upholstery stretches. it tend to stretch a lot in one direction and almost doesn’t stretches in the other
- use glue with caution. although, the most usual cyanoacrylate hold the upholstery on the wheel perfectly
aftermath
so far I’ve done couple of weeks on my new steering wheel and haven’t spotted any flaws. it is beefy enough and the resemblance with the FN2 steering wheel is uncanny (which also raises the question about the quality of materials used for production in Honda’s models. because it was THE CHEAPIEST upholstery I could find on ebay)
anyway, I’ve got enough upholstery for another 4 or even 5 steering wheels, and since I’m now an experienced seamstress … I’m open to your offers, ahaha
cheers
You even lined up the perforations on the different pieces where they meet, nice job.
heh. Nonetheless man, I like the way you solved your problem, good job! 
