Who's Interested - REPLACEMENT LEATHER for the Steering Wheel - NOT A COVER

[bamachem]

I have a Land Cruiser, so the original wheel was all leather. I had purchased the LX470 wheel on eBay, but just couldn't grow to like the feel of the wood.

When I called Don at DCSW, he said he had a Land Cruiser wheel in stock as a core that he could recover and send to me. I didn't even think about there being a difference until I got the pictures from him and started looking closer at them. Now that I have it in-hand, I now know they are not a direct swap. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a direct swap on your truck either.

However, I don't think you would want to remove the wood from your wheel. They need the foam padding under the OEM lether for the recover process. You'll need to buy an OEM Land Cruiser wheel and have it recovered if you want all-leather. You can always do what I did and sell the LX wheel on ebay. Clean it up, polish the wood, and you can get $400-$500 for one.

 

[uzj100]

This is great news. We need a loaner wheel that we can ship around the country. I would like to get mine done at the dallas place but cannot be down a week.

 

[bamachem]

Well, the 2002 just got boxed up and a UPS return label put on it. If you want to fork over $450, I'll change the address to yours, then you can send your wheel in for a core refund...

 

[uzj100]

I have a 2000 so it will not work.

 

[bamachem]

LOL... exactly. However, if someone can ever come up with a 1998-2001 steering wheel, they could make a BUNCH of friends on here...

 

[uzj100]

Wrecking yards. I would even use gray if need be for 1 week.

 

[bamachem]

Apparently, Don at DCSW has found a loaner that might work. He put it in the mail heading my way last Friday. I've also located a possible loaner from a 2000 UZJ (gray and worn, but would function 100% and accept the correct airbag and cruise control set for short-term use) that we could pass around as well. I'll know more in the coming days and post it here.

 

[eleblanc]

I guess gray would be better then a flat bar or a visegrip!

I've sent the detail to Bamachem

EDIT: BTW this is a HDJ wheel 2000, part number is 45103-60120. Should work for you guys.

EDIT: Bamachem is passing on the wheel, if anyone wants it...EDIT: SOLD....

 

[uzj100]

Very cool. Hopefully they make Alcantara in Oak.

I am thinking 2 tone. Oak Alcantara on top and bottom and oak perforated leather on the sides. Also, a tan stripe at top center, GT3 RS style (JK).

What stiching is the standard Toyota stiching?

 

[bamachem]

Standard Toyota Stitching is "baseball" design.

I got the loaner in. It won't fit either. Apparently, the Engineers at Mr. T have a sick sense of humor... Pics are worth a 1000 words, right?

This is a GRAY loaner wheel that Don at DSCW purchased from someone in Washington State, then had it shipped directly to me to use while my wheel was in his possession. That's a no-go for the obvious reasons above (different clock spring interface and different diameter steering shaft).

Worth noting is the little tab/nipple as visible in pic 2 and pic 3.

On the 2000 LC OEM - mine - the tab is on the lower-left spoke and there is a casting stamp of "114W" next to it. On the loaner, the tab is on the lower-right spoke, and the casting on the lower-left spoke is 111W.

Ironically, this gray loaner looks IDENTICAL to the HDJ wheel posted above, but the leater is in immaculate condition. Go figure....

[edit] I just found out from Don that he got this wheel from a 1998-2000 LS 400, which is why it wouldn't work... Looking at the HDJ wheel above, although the lower left/right spokes look like the LS wheel BUT it has a very similar part number to the UZJ wheel (a 6 in the part number vs an 8), the clock spring interface on the back of the wheel appears to be the same as for my UZJ wheel, so it *should* work...

Looks like the key to getting one to fit is to match up the CASTING number on the lower-left spoke of the wheel... Notice that the HDJ wheel above carries the 114W casting that my UZJ wheel has...

 

[AATLAS1X]

So, I came across another shop worth mentioning. They are Craft Customs and are in TX. They do custom steering wheels as well as replacement of the OEM leather.

Guess what pic I found on their website: Shane's aka AATLAS1X- Metric TLc who has done all the hard work trial and error research on the 80 and 100 series Land Cruisers.

At least now we know where the "available" 80-series steering wheels and shift knobs come from.... Not sure what you mean by "Available"

At any rate, you can order a 2003-2007 Land Cruiser Steering Wheel with Wood Inserts COMPLETE for $349 from this guy. No Core Charge is listed. Considering what some charge for a simple "re-cover", this price isn't bad at all. I'm going to speak with them in more detail about what they could charge to do a re-cover like DSW offers @ $269.

By the way, DSW's price is now $269 for the basic re-cover. Add $30 each for special stitching, preforations, two-tone, etc. Shipping to them is on you. Shipping back from them is $17.

Standard Toyota Stitching is "baseball" design.

I got the loaner in. It won't fit either. Apparently, the Engineers at Mr. T have a sick sense of humor... Pics are worth a 1000 words, right?

This is a GRAY loaner wheel that Don at DSCW purchased from someone in Washington State, then had it shipped directly to me to use while my wheel was in his possession. That's a no-go for the obvious reasons above (different clock spring interface and different diameter steering shaft).

Worth noting is the little tab/nipple as visible in pic 2 and pic 3.

On the 2000 LC OEM - mine - the tab is on the lower-left spoke and there is a casting stamp of "114W" next to it. On the loaner, the tab is on the lower-right spoke, and the casting on the lower-left spoke is 111W.

Ironically, this gray loaner looks IDENTICAL to the HDJ wheel posted above, but the leater is in immaculate condition. Go figure....

[edit] I just found out from Don that he got this wheel from a 1998-2000 LS 400, which is why it wouldn't work... Looking at the HDJ wheel above, although the lower left/right spokes look like the LS wheel BUT it has a very similar part number to the UZJ wheel (a 6 in the part number vs an 8), the clock spring interface on the back of the wheel appears to be the same as for my UZJ wheel, so it *should* work...

Looks like the key to getting one to fit is to match up the CASTING number on the lower-left spoke of the wheel... Notice that the HDJ wheel above carries the 114W casting that my UZJ wheel has...

You need to match the part number as 80 and 100 series wheel are not interchangeable nor is any other model this is why they have part numbers and not models'. I went through all this over a year ago.

I also DO NOT buy my wheels from a wrecking yard as those are collision vehicles, how would you like to know that your wheel was involved in a front end collision and the cast is fractured? If your getting a core wheel from a re seller, I promise you they could care less where it comes from, I however do.

Also the correct Craft Customs prices are if you supply your own wheel are $250 for a basic recover, plus $50 for re gluing the pad plush shipping for a total of $320.00 and your rig is down. How long? ground shipping time of 4-5 days to and ground back, that is 8-10 days total. Over night? ok, that;s $73 each way. $300+146.00 = $446 to have you wheel done in 4 business days.

DO NOT have the extra pad added, it is NOT bonded to the steel core and will wrap and turn......

If you don't want any brain damage and a new wheel without sending yours in? Do it right the first time. And by the way, I have used 3 different "So called experts" and they failed the quality I was looking for. Also each wheel I send out has been re glued and will not roll.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/metric-tlc/424505-new-100-series-steering-wheels-1998-up.html

Click the link above, and thanks for posting this thread. It has helped out many who are not interested in more brain damage.

Best,

Shane
metrictlc@gmail.com

 

[AATLAS1X]

And the picture of my wheel above was the test wheel.

Over a year installed and still looks as new and if you look it is the incorrect color. So I can across a new OE wheel on eBay, I bought it and sent it out to have the color matched and then traded it to James at Cruiserparts.net so I know without a doubt my color is correct and have sold 20+ with no issues.

 

[bamachem]

Good deal, Shane.

Thank you for the effort you have put into finding a reputable person to get it done right. You offer an excellent option for those who would rather just buy a wheel and send one back as a core. To be honest, knowing what I know now, it's not so bad of an option considering the headache I've run into looking at alternatives. You definitely cut down on the BS for a wheel swap, that's for sure.

I'm on the fence as far as Don goes. The first wheel he sent looked phenomenal and felt even better. It had the thicker padding and didn't roll in my hands as that's the first thing I checked when I pulled it out of the box. He's been helpful up to this point, but I'm not digging the two mix-ups in a row here. I've been out over $400 (including core fee) for going on three weeks now, with no end in sight. He has offered a refund, and has given up on supplying a correct core or loaner. It's not Don's fault as he can't be an expert on every make/model out there, but this sure has been frustrating.

I'm on my own, and my truck will be down indefinitely once I pull the wheel. Luckily, I can overnight it there and back to cut down my timeframe, but I use my truck for work and I can't tolerate much of a down time. Next week may be the perfect storm for me to get this done as I'm in the office for meetings and not on the road at all. We'll see...

 

[bamachem]

...Also each wheel I send out has been re glued and will not roll...

I've had my leather off for so long that my foam has separated from the steel core and "rolled" in my hand.

Don at DCSW want's $40 to "regule" the foam to the core. Other places want even more.

Here's my $5 fix.

Go to the store and buy a tube of RTV, if you don't already have one in your toolbox. You only need a small one. I got the Clear Silicone RTV.

Take an exacto knife or a very sharp kitchen knife and split the foam along the top seam (at the very top of the wheel) from spoke to spoke. You may need to make 3 or 4 passes to get all the way down to the steel core. At this point, the foam will completely separate from the steel.

Cut the tip off the RTV and peel the foam back a bit to insert the tip into the wheel. Squeeze a bead (small) of RTV in the very bottom of the foam, on the opposite side of the cut. Put the bead all the way down the cut area of the foam, from the 9-o'clock spoke all the way over to the 3-o'clock spoke.

Now, put the foam back in place on the steel core. Now run another small bead just inside the cut area, this time on TOP of the steel core. You want this bead to ooze up and out the cut to re-seal it after it dries.

Now, squeeze the foam to even out the RTV inside the wheel. It will begin to ooze out and the foam will really slip all over the steel core at this point because of the lubrication provided by the wet silicone RTV.

Now, I took some hemp twine - but anything from string to wire to packing tape would work - and tied it off to one of the spokes. I then performed a tight spiral wrap around the foam, with about 3/4" spacing between wraps. When it was done, it looked like a round hemp/foam candy cane to give you a visual image of how to do it. This makes sure that the foam has 100% contact with the steel core when the RTV sets.

On the bottom area that was loose, I cut the top seam again, the one closest to the airbag for ease of access and so RTV wouldn't drip as it oozed out. Wrap just like the top section.

It's actually better to do this when the wheel is on the truck so you don't have to worry about holding it. Let the truck do that for you.

Let that sit overnight.

Cut the string, wire, tape, or whatever you wrapped the wheel with and pull it off.

Use you hand/fingers to "rub" the extra RTV off the foam.

Using this method, my steering wheel foam is now 100% bonded to the steel core and I physically cannot turn it with both hands and trying to rip it loose. I also cannot separate the seam with my fingers when trying to test the durability.

This is a $5 fix (free if you already have the RTV and some string) that saves you $50 on average. You don't have to "refoam" your steering wheel and you don't have to pay shop labor to "regule" it.



Here's a pic of the cut area after it dried/cured. This is immediately after removing the hemp twine, so you can see the indentions in the foam where I wrapped it. After 30-min, the indentions are gone and the wheel looks just like before, but is secure as it can be.

 

[AATLAS1X]

Here's my $5 fix.

Go to the store and buy a tube of RTV, if you don't already have one in your toolbox. You only need a small one. I got the Clear Silicone RTV.

Wont work, well I should be clear. You think its going to work cause your looking for the cheapest possible way out of this and there is NONE. This is foam that is bonded to a steel rod that is cast into an aluminum frame with a steel spline center. Ever wonder why it's NOT all steel? It's due to safety and how the wheel crushes in a frontal collision. There is also a reason why the foam is BONDED to the steel rod and why the leather is GLUED to the foam and then stitched. So when you do a panic stop in the mall and s*** your pants and grim the wheel so tight in fear and you brake so hand to tense up your arms and grip the wheel and it wont roll and twist your wrist.

There's a reason why I had 3, yes three different wheel companies I tried before I found the best and the best just costs more. Plain and simple. Because they do it right the first time, will NOT guarantee their wrap on your wheel that you used silicone on.Why? Cause it is not safe and NOT done right.

How many wheels have you shipped all over and had recovered and your still not driving your truck?

List to me when I tell you that silicone is not going to bond to a steel rod.

You're trying to re invent the wheel (no pun intended) but it has been done and done the right way. Do it the right way just in case some else is driving your LC in a mall parking lot or freeway and gets hurt, or hurts some one else.

FYI Silicone is elastic.

 

[bamachem]

FYI: Silicone Caulking is elastic. Silicone-based RTV is a much-tougher polymer resin that has a much higher torsional and tension strength. The two are NOT one in the same - they are MUCH different blends. Hey, what do I know, I just have a BS in Chemical Engineering...

So far, I tried a local shop to reproduce an AGLA kit without success. Live and learn...

I've been shipped one wheel that was for an LX470. Perfect Condition. Just didn't like the wood. Sold it. No down time as I kept my OEM wheel.

Don then shipped a recovered "core" that wouldn't fit. I still have my OEM wheel on and still driving my truck.

I shipped that back - at Don's cost - and he shipped another "loaner" to me to "try" to see if it would fit before I had any down time.

We all know he shipped an LS wheel that I stated two months ago it wouldn't work. He didn't tell me what he was shipping or I could have told him. I thought he knew by then it needed to be a correct vintage LC wheel. He knows now.

I'm returning that one to Don - again at his cost.

I'm not travelling next week, so I'm parking my truck and using a company truck while I ship my wheel to Don and get it back. I'll overnight it because I can and because I want it back by Friday.

I went ahead and repaired by foam because Don wanted an extra day to do it, which would put the wheel getting to me on Monday. I posted the fix here to help others.

If you offered a wheel with slightly thicker padding and the stitching that I would like to have, then I would buy one from you - plain and simple. What you offer is very attractive at this point.

I understand that you're also here to help others, including myself. Like I said, I appreciate your collaboration and willingness to share your experiences. If this doesn't work out, then it's my fault.

If I am wrong, then I would be helping your business and not hurting it.

I'm not trying to get something for the cheapest price. I am trying to get exactly what I want - just like you - and document my experience here so that others can short-cycle the process and not make the same mistakes. Had you documented your experiences here in this manner, I could have read about your mistakes and learned from them before money was spent.

Had I known about which vendors you had tried and did not provide a good product, known how the foam needed to be "bonded" and not glued, known about who you use and why, and finally known that you offer a quick turnaround on a wheel because you have them in stock rather than worrying about truck down time, I very well probably would have picked you to give my money to. However, now that I've travelled down this path, I have made a commitment that may or may not work out for me.

I hope you continue to follow this and offer additional insight as I appreciate your input, even if it is "after the fact". Maybe you should consider adding a testimonial of your experience to your thread for the steering wheels so that people can have a better understanding of what they are getting for your price on the wheels?

 

[AATLAS1X]

FYI: Silicone Caulking is elastic. Silicone-based RTV is a much-tougher polymer resin that has a much higher torsional and tension strength. The two are NOT one in the same - they are MUCH different blends. Hey, what do I know, I just have a BS in Chemical Engineering...

Had you documented your experiences here in this manner, I could have read about your mistakes and learned from them before money was spent.

Maybe you should consider adding a testimonial of your experience to your thread for the steering wheels so that people can have a better understanding of what they are getting for your price on the wheels?

I had my BS in Chemicals in college, it worked well then.

You stated RTV which is by definition, is a Room Temperature Vulcanizing Sealant (elastomer/elastic sealant) So you might want to edit Wikipedia.

Noun.elastomer - any of various elastic materials that resemble rubber (resumes its original shape when a deforming force is removed)Noun.sealant - a kind of sealing material that is used to form a hard coating on a porous surface (as a coat of paint or varnish used to size a surface)


If you needed to basic info from trial and error you could have contacted other or posted a question to get those answer. I am vendor and as such, not posting what it takes to develop a product.

As far as testimonials on my product, you can start a thread asking the 30+ wheels that have been installed.

And I have listed what they get when buying from me.

So for $60 profit that I make on a wheel this is what you get. Let me know if you want one.

• A quality product that has been researched and rarely there is a better option (in this case there is none better)
• No core charge and work on the honor system of the customer returning their wheel once the new wheel I send them in installed.
• Correct Toyota tan and blue gray leather
• 100% guarantee of craftsmanship of wheel and correct the 1st time.
  
• That has not been in a totaled LC or junk yard core to the best of my knowledge and each is inspected ( I have tossed two already that were returned cores).
• Bubble wrapped and shipped in peanuts in appropriate sized box and packed with love.
• My devoted love and caressing of each wheel and not in a gay way.
  

The average cost for a core is $50 plus shipping, so you can do some basic addition to figure out it's a no brainer.

 

[bamachem]

I'm not saying that you should tell everyone exactly what you do to make your money. However, it would have been nice to know that you tried "Shop ABC" and they didn't do the stitching just right. Next you tried "Shop XYZ" and they did a good job, but they didn't glue the foam to the wheel and it rolled in your hand. Finally, you went with "an unnamed supplier" and they got it right. I understand that you might want to keep a source confidential, but in this case it might have played to your advantage to disclose your vendor of choice along with the fact that you offer zero down time compared to 10-days for using them direct. Considering the additional $60 for your time is a bargain compared to losing use of the vehicle for 10-days AND the fact that you're a forum supporter.

• Bubble wrapped and shipped in peanuts in appropriate sized box and packed with love.
• My devoted love and caressing of each wheel and not in a gay way.
  

I just wish you had an option for the extra padding/thickness, but without your "special love" ... Didn't you already state in another thread that you like to use vaseline hand lotion on your steering wheel????

Seriously, I want the thicker feel. If you offered it, this thread would have ended about 3 pages ago.

 

[tom2k]

I think bamachem is doing the right thing. Dealing directly with a company who "does the work", so you get exactly what you wanted and beside, you can warranty from them.

 

[AATLAS1X]

I think bamachem is doing the right thing. Dealing directly with a company who "does the work", so you get exactly what you wanted and beside, you can warranty from them.

Have you read this whole thread? We're talking RTV as an adhesive to glue foam to a smooth steel rod core. Cause one topic bled into another.

But once installed, what is the warranty outside of craftsmanship
if he did his own repair? That's right, none.