New steering wheel & leather cover

[Lapis 635 Euro]

The factory coarse-spline steering wheel in my car was looking pretty tired after many years of California sun. I'd been searching for a replacement for a while and was getting frustrated with the limited options for the early spline. The BMW sport wheel from the E21 320iS was the best choice for me. This wheel was advertised as a direct fit for the 6 series, but in actually the plastic housing behind the wheel needs to be trimmed somewhat to fit as well as to keep the wheel from protruding farther than the stock wheel. It wasn't a big deal and now fits well. I'm also a fan of the large center horn button on this new wheel. :devillook

Next up for the wheel was a new leather cover from Alan Gun Leather Accessories. They were easy to deal with and the quality is great. However, it isn't as easy of a DIY job as I was expecting. If your sewing skills are pretty much non-existent like mine I'd recommend using an upholsterer. That was an easy call for me since my dad so happens to be one! Even with his experience it was still about a 2 hour job and he grumbled about it. He also used and would recommend a curved needle to simplify the job rather than the straight needle the Alan Gun kit included.

Overall I'm very pleased with how everything turned out. It really freshened the interior in my car. I'm considering the Alan Gun leather emergency brake handle cover next, has anyone else used this?


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v434/Bubblun/P1000782.jpg

[euroshark]

That looks great! Hows the thickness compared to an M-Tech 1 wheel?

[catseye]

very nice! I just checked their site, $60seems pretty reasonable. I take it you have to strip off the old leather somehow.... How is that job, and what other prep work is needed before sewing on the new hide?

[Lapis 635 Euro]

That looks great! Hows the thickness compared to an M-Tech 1 wheel?

I'd say very comparable. The other thing that attracted me to this wheel was its smaller diameter compared to the stock wheel.


very nice! I just checked their site, $60seems pretty reasonable. I take it you have to strip off the old leather somehow.... How is that job, and what other prep work is needed before sewing on the new hide?

Yes you do, I was fortunate enough that my new wheel was already stripped down to the base layer. The kit includes instructions for prepping the wheel and it seems like a razor cut to remove the stitches of the old cover and a good clean of the surface is all it takes.