Reproduction steering wheel quality?

[pawpaws67]

Does anyone have any experience with the quality of reproduction steering wheels? The original I have is cracked and bent out of shape. I thought I had scored when I found a mildly cracked one in a truck I was pulling parts from but when I went to start working on it, it basically just crumbled apart on me. The Mojave Desert is pretty rough on bakelite it seems. I don't mind using quality reproduction parts but i'm finding the wheel for anywhere between $180 and about $250 and wanted to know if it's worth spending the money on or if I should just continue my search for a decent pull off. Thanks for any advice!

[Ohiotinkerer]

Can't speak from personal experience but a friend of mine bought a repop from Dennis Carpenter and I cant see any difference from the original - they are expensive but anymore I only buy new stuff from DC because of their quality and customer service. I was considering it with mine but ended up repairing mine which wasn't an easy job - it was cracked at the top and bottom of all the spokes but the rest was in really good shape and it turned out good. If you buy a used one to fix make sure the gaps aren't too wide where its cracked and they aren't split too bad around the center because the ridges where the horn button goes are a pain to sand filler out of....... and don't use a lot of pressure or its easy to sand flat spots in it.......ask me how I know that.........

[DuckRyder]

I a a DC reproduction in my truck. Its probably 10+ years old and sits in the sunlight all the time, but it looks just as bad as the original did and it has for sometime.

If your truck stays inside, your results may be better.

[DisneysPatB]

....... and don't use a lot of pressure or its easy to sand flat spots in it.......ask me how I know that.........

Been there, done that.

[YoungGun]

I just bought a reproduction wheel for a 60-63 Falcon (same as 61-70 trucks) from falconparts.com and it is very nice quality. It looks exactly like the wheel in my 68 F250. The price is also about $20-30 cheaper than the truck sites who sell these same wheels.

[Ohiotinkerer]

I a a DC reproduction in my truck. Its probably 10+ years old and sits in the sunlight all the time, but it looks just as bad as the original did and it has for sometime.

If your truck stays inside, your results may be better.

Guess I was better off repairing mine then......... I figured after all these years they would have came up with something that lasts better..........

[pawpaws67]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I checked out falconparts.com YoungGun, and that $151 price tag is definitely better than anywhere else i've seen. I'm pretty sure thats the one i'll go with.

I hope 2018 is treating everybody alright so far.

[BobbyFord]

NOS steering wheels can still be found occasionally.