# Fitted high-quality leather steering-wheel covers available?



## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

The only thing I miss from my '79 Corolla is that satisfying feeling of the leather steering-wheel grip. It was an afternoon project to put it on (laborious stitching even with pre-punched holes), but I was very glad I did. Everybody liked it, and I probably eventually sold the car for a good $250 more because of that feature.

A friend actually bought me a nice leather cover for my B13, but it wasn't wide enough to cover the wheel (left a bare ring about .75" wide around the circumference of the wheel), so we had to return it.

Does anyone know where I can get (or who makes) a leather cover tailored for the thicker steering wheels on most cars nowadays? I want something nice (no vinyl or cheap jive like that). I'm willing to go mail order but I want to ensure that it will fit.

Thanks.


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## GA16DESentraXE (Dec 17, 2002)

You could always get a steering wheel from an SE-R =)


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## Rittmeister (Jun 29, 2002)

GA16DESentraXE said:


> *You could always get a steering wheel from an SE-R =) *


I have one for sale, if you're interested.


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## Hawaii_SE-R (Apr 30, 2002)

WheelSkins. I put them on my SE-R as the OEM rubber steering wheel was loosing it's grip on the wheel frame. After installation, the fit was perfects and the steering wheel was once again firm. Here is their website: http://www.wheelskins.com


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Leather steering-wheel cover*

Hey--thanks everybody for your suggestions. Looks as if I have a couple of decent options.

Those Wheelskins are a bit pricey but very nice. Probably worth it.

To some people having a leather-wrapped steering wheel might sound like a gimmick, but anybody who used to drive my '79 Corolla (no kind of power at all) would quit making fun of that car after enjoying the steering wheel. It just felt exactly right. In fact everyone wanted to know where they could get a cover like it. (I got that at a garage sale; it was still in the package & I picked it up for about 2 bucks!)

I am considering the option of an SE or SE-R wheel; however, I'd prefer to stick with the dark blue color scheme of my car's interior. I don't have airbags to worry about (my car's a '92 XE), but the reset/cancel/resume/accel buttons for the cruise control are on the wheel (between the spokes on the right), and if I pulled the wheel to wrap or replace it, man I'd hate to mess up that cruise control! That's one luxury I never want to do without.

Does anyone have any experience pulling the steering wheel on one of these cars? I admit that so far I haven't even looked at my Haynes or '92 Nissan shop manual yet. It's just that if I make an upgrade but have to pay for it by busting a feaure I really like, I don't consider that progress.

Like the guys who install a nice stereo but cut a lot of sheet metal out of the trunk, or have to abandon their spare tire, or end up with no usable trunk space at all--that's not for me.

Thanks again, everybody, for your input.


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## blazinSE-R (Dec 25, 2002)

OEM SE-R rubber steering wheel? I thought that they cam with a leather wrapped wheel (and shifter) from the factory.


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## Hawaii_SE-R (Apr 30, 2002)

blazinSE-R said:


> *OEM SE-R rubber steering wheel? I thought that they cam with a leather wrapped wheel (and shifter) from the factory. *


The first batch of SE-Rs came with various differences including rubber steering wheels and shifter boots. My SE-R, built 8/90, had no A/C, no radio, no ABS, but came with a sunroof. After a few months of the first SE-Rs, I believe Nissan nailed down what SE-Rs were supposed to come off the Smyrna assembly plant with.


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Wrappin with a Wheelskin*

I put on a Wheelskin cover over the Thanksgiving holidays. I love it.

It's slightly more hassle, but I definitely recommend pulling the steering wheel so you can put the cover on in your house (or out on the porch, as I did it--much easier in daylight, too).

It's worth it to get two sets of waxed thread to do that fancy baseball stitch.

People say you can do this in a couple of hours--and maybe that's true, but so far it's taken me about four hours. (I'm a perfectionist.) And this is a job that will get your hands very tired, because you have to stretch the thread so damned tight to get a good fit & proper knurling along the seam. You know it's right when the seam is closed & your fingertips just barely touch the stitching around the rim of the wheel as you're driving.

Nothing like the sweet feel of that leather on there! And "sweet" is a word I don't often use. In this case, the leather feels completely righteous.

I'd recommend having a good pair of thick gloves handy, because about every other stitch you need to snug down the lacing. That part is work. I did this by wrapping it around my gloves & tugging (no jerking! nice steady repeated pulls, bro; and go out to the side, on a tangent in the plane of the circle--NOT toward the front or back of the wheel!). You can feel the lacing stretch. This is good! It is supposed to. Even with my gloves, I ended up with a couple of places on the sides of my hands at the base of my pinkies where I pulled the lace tight, & for a few hours they felt almost sunburned in those spots. Also my hands are really sore. But it's worth it.

Those Wheelskins people obviously select their hides & tan them carefully. I have no complaints there.

Some tips:

1. Take your time. Just like anything else--if you rush it, it will show.

2. Take care not to get any tiny pieces of crud between the wheel & the cover. They will definitely show (poke up like annoying little zits or whatever--can't have that, can we?). For instance, the glue they use to fold over the cover & cement it along its edges can break loose in little chunks. Get those out of there before you lace over those sections. There is a thin cord almost like dental floss all the way around both sides of the cover; depending on how hard you work the leather, you can displace that, so make sure you always get your needle through the holes with that cord staying right in the fold where it belongs.

3. Be prepared for the long haul. Especially dealing with two sections of lacing, you will create some very weird tangles in your extra line (as well as inadvertent knots that look as if they're impossible to exist in this universe, but there they are), so go easy & try not to get too frustrated. Don't hurry. There were several places where I said "This ain't right" & pulled out a few stitches & went back over it. You might skip a hole; if you do, just go back & fix it.

4. Also (as long as you don't tear the leather), it's not a disaster if you break a lace while you're tightening it. That happened to me about 3 times. You need to stretch the lacing right to the breaking point every time you tighten it (like every other stitch--and more often around wheel spokes). If you bust it, pull that line out about 4 holes, re-tie it & have at it again. Don't worry about trimming the extra from your knots until you're finished. Once you do, you tuck them into the seam.

5. Over the top of the wheel & in long sections, I've got the seams mating exactly right, but the gaps approaching & between the spokes are wider than I'd like. No problem: Rather than getting hysterical with the tension on the lacing there, I'm just gonna let it ride a few days, allow the leather to stretch, then go back over just those sections with some of my leftover lacing (they give you way more than you need) to tighten 'em up properly. For you guys who live where there's a real winter, bear in mind that the leather is more pliable & forgiving when it's warm (like in direct sunlight or with a healthy dose of warming from a hot-air gun or your girlfriend's hair dryer). Just remember not to actually cook the leather; don't get it too hot to touch or anything stupid. But if you try to manipulate the leather in near-freezing temperatures, you're making it unnecessarily hard on yourself.

Yes, this is an attention-intensive project, but I'm really glad to have tackled it.


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## johnand (Apr 30, 2002)

Got any pics?


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Po' man's blues*

Sorry--I'm not that far into the digital age.

Anyhow, this thing does look sharp (smells nice, too--like a high-quality hide, although nothing anywhere near as pervasive as new leather upholstery)--but the real experience is tactile.


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## johnand (Apr 30, 2002)

92 Sinatra said:


> Sorry--I'm not that far into the digital age.
> 
> Anyhow, this thing does look sharp (smells nice, too--like a high-quality hide, although nothing anywhere near as pervasive as new leather upholstery)--but the real experience is tactile.


That's too bad. I have an 91 SE, which comes w/ the same leather wrapped steering wheel as the SE-R. Mine is starting to show it's age and I am torn between getting a new Momo Champion wheel, or just getting the Wheelskinz to recover mine.


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Wheelskins route*

I pulled the steering wheel to cover mine. Much easier than battling it out in situ.

One thing (and this might not really be an issue, since you're starting with leather underneath it anyway): the Wheelskin doesn't cover the spokes. Instead there's a ribbed seam (from tightening up the lacing) over the edge of the spoke. This doesn't bother me at all--it looks & feels fine, as far as I'm concerned, and nobody has even noticed it unless I've pointed it out (some of them have actually said "Cool--I like that!")--but if you have to have it absolutely *perfecto* then it could pose an aesthetic question for you.

There's some artistry involved with lacing your own cover. You have to get a feel for it & really take your time. The lacing is what transforms the cover from an inanimate loop of leather (like a pricey belt) to a customized, nearly organic part of your vehicle. Almost a little magic there.

A Wheelskin fits much tighter than a condom. So if you've got any gashes or other irregularities in the wheel underneath, you need to prep the wheel (smooth it down with sandpaper or whatever) first. Otherwise gross imperfections will show through the cover. Sound like a lot of effort? Not really. But again, it does take time. With the quality of a Wheelskins hide, I think it's worth it.

Hey, man--Do you have cruise control? If so, I'm not sure how that would work for you with the Momo wheel. Except for the main on/off switch, the switches for my cruise control are in a pod on the wheel at 3 o'clock.

When I pulled the wheel, I discovered that there are 3 concentric brass rings on the back of the wheel for the horn plus cruise control. Not sure how this would mate with the Momo job. Personally, I would hate to lose my cruise control.


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Wow! Momo steering wheels = kinda $$$$$$$$*

Never looked at their catalog before today, and I'm sure they are plenty nice, but Jeez!

 

Seems as though for 300 bucks or however much, you could get a nice Wheelskins cover & have enough left over to fly to Vegas & have a decent (if not wild) weekend.

Or just keep the extra $260+.


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## Nitelife (Jul 24, 2003)

The stock steering wheels are pretty easy to get off. I am going off of removing my 92 SER w/out airbag. You simply pull the center section (where the horn is) off; it's clipped on. This exposes the bolt that holds the steering wheel to the column. It should be a 17mm I believe. I took the bolt off and then had to yank hard to get it off. There is a tool for removal but I got it off by hand.


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Careful on the wheel removal*

I like to use a puller (one that doubles as a harmonic balance puller), which comes in a set including long bolts of varied threads to align it with the steering column, perpendicular to the plane of the wheel.

Just like hammering out a ball joint instead of using a press (a less than apt comparison, admittedly, because of the degree of force involved), yes, the Incredible Hulk method for removing a steering wheel will work--but if you manage to get it cocked slightly sideways, you may also damage the splines that align the wheel on the column. A friend of mine did that plus busting his mouth open when the thing finally gave. He said he saw stars (nearly knocked himself out--I am not kidding) and loosened his front teeth. Then before the stains could set, he had to wash all that blood out of his upholstery.

Naturally his wife pitched a fit.

I told him next time he should either borrow my puller or wear a full-face helmet.


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## Nitelife (Jul 24, 2003)

Yes I should have mentioned significant force was needed to pull it off. I knew when it gave it was going to be coming my way quick so I prepared and didn't suffer the same fate as your friend mentioned.

My brother is a mechanic, and was surprised we got it off by hand. I haven't tried putting it back on yet. Perhaps he will be able to "borrow" the tool from work when the time comes.


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## 92 Sinatra (Jul 9, 2002)

*Using proper tools*

Yeah. . . . Maybe it's a sign of being over the hill, but I've gotten to the point that if some manual recommends a special tool (as long as it's not one at the dealership that only they can afford), before I start a job I want that tool on hand. It makes life much simpler.

I learned almost all I know about working on vehicles strictly out of financial self-preservation (I mean, dang! Look at all the ads where they list all the stuff they'll supposedly "check" for you like fluid levels & belt tension, and they want 60-75 bucks before they even put a wrench on it!), and when I was younger I made do without a lot of specific tools. Ended up with some bent fittings, stripped threads, rounded bolt heads & so forth (not to mention lots of skinned knuckles & weird bruises). Everything worked when I got it all back together but it was sometimes a fair amount of hassle. More than it was worth.

So, like in pulling my steering wheel, it was easy to back it off with the puller: nice & slow & straight. Just a few twists on the rachet, and when it gave it made a fairly impressive little "pop" that I felt zonking all the way through the uniframe.


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