Seems that these steering wheels are notorious for cracking. I wonder if it is because the steel skeleton expands in the heat more than the plastic? I think so because the crack in mine seems bigger in the summer than the winter, so just filling with epoxy would not work. Since there are no new ones available (I saw a new aftermarket one on Ebay for over $300 and only in black) are there any other fixes anyone has tried?
They are repaired regularly, Eastwood has a kit with all you need to do it. https://www.eastwood.com/master-steering-wheel-repair-kit-w-instruc.html
That's pretty typical, I think the plastic shrinks with time. They're often restored, though, and can look really good when done.
tempting but I want to keep everything original for now. Would be nice to find a NOS wheel but those are probably long gone!
If the plastic shrinks I could see that repairing would work well. I was wondering though if it was the steel core expanded with summer heat and caused the plastic to crack and if that were the case if I filled he cracks and the steel core contracted again in the winter then the plastic might crack somewhere else ??? Just a theory. I will look into the repair/restoration a little closer. Thanks.
"Original" is boring when it comes to Mavericks, and the '70-'74 stock steering wheels are quite unattractive (I hated mine). '75-'77 look better. There are so many options for replcement steering wheels, it seems silly to pass up the opportunity...
Yes the plastic shrinks, expansion of steel is very, very, small. If steel expanded the amount I've seen some of the gaps in steering wheels, you'd never get the doors to open on a hot day.
