Momo Leather Steering Wheel Repair
I decided to take a quick break from mechanical parts and do something about the less-than-ideal steering wheel that came with my car.
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I didn’t like the 320mm Momo Corse wheel that came with the car because it was way too small and difficult to turn around town, especially during parallel parking. It also partially blocked the view of the gauges and I always felt the styling was a tad too modern for this car. To top it off, it always felt like it was too far from me since the steering column of this generation of Porsche 911 does not adjust in any way.
I bought this old 350mm Momo V35 fixer upper at a local Porsche swap meet. It has fantastic patina and some hard dry leather. The leather is partially peeled up around the 7 o’clock position but the rest of it is in decent shape. This was definitely a fixer upper and as you know by now, right up my alley. 🙂
Steering Wheel Leather Restoration
Not knowing anything about leather care, I decided to clean the leather first and see if this Turtle Wax Leather Cleaner stuff would soften it at all. I had it sitting in a cabinet and in the past has worked OK for minor cleaning of leather seats.
It did clean it but the leather remained rock hard. I was going to need a better product.
Next I decided to try some leather oil. Someone on the forums recommended I use Obenauf’s Leather Oil so I ordered this small bottle on Amazon and decided to give it a go. The 5 star rating on this product sealed the deal.
This is a close up of the peeled-up leather. It had a very beef jerky-like stiffness to it. The stitching is intact but it looks like the leather unglued from its substrate.
I slathered the oil on.
I applied 3 coats, each about 1 week apart. It would mostly absorb overnight then I would hang it up out of the way until I was ready to apply another coat.
Fortunately the leather became pliable after the oil treatment. It stayed peeled up but at least now it could be flexed back into position.
Steering Wheel Stitching Repair
I thought about possibly gluing the leather back down so that the spot looks like the rest of the wheel but the foamy substrate didn’t seem like it would adhere to glue very well. Instead I decided to stitch it up to coax it back in place. I bought a basic leathercraft kit on Amazon to test my skills. How hard could it be, right?
With some zip ties I was able to hold the lifted leather into position, one small section at a time, and after watching some YouTube videos, cross stitch it down.
It isn’t perfect but now its a perfectly functional wheel and my hands will never notice the repair.
The repaired wheel looks, feels, and smells much better now. If I’m honest, I would have preferred to keep the original patina with brown patches but hopefully it returns over time.
Steering Wheel Spacer
I didn’t like how my knuckles always banged on the blinker stalk when I turned the wheel and the wheel itself always felt too far from me. To fix both these issues I bought a 50mm steering wheel spacer in the Momo bolt pattern similar to this one. Mine came with black screws but is the same basic solid aluminum spool design. I chose it because it was fairly lightweight but has thick wall construction and seemed like a very stout piece.
I mounted the spacer on. I had to make a pair of short wire extensions for my horn button wiring.
Next I put the new wheel on. I like that the black spacer kind of disappears between the steering wheel and steering column. Even though it is an aftermarket item you forget it is even there.
The cherry on top was an Ayrton Senna horn button from Carbone Liveries. You can see the improved view of the three center gauges. In the driver seat I can see all five gauges now with no issue and wheel’s styling is more harmonious with the rest of the cabin. The new position of the steering wheel is much more comfortable for my 5’11” frame too.
I am very happy with how this mini-restoration project turned out. It was surprisingly satisfying and I cant wait to feel the difference in the driving experience.
I think this old steering wheel is consistent with the car’s overall build philosophy to preserve the patina but strive for functional perfection.
Next time we will take care of some odds and ends with the pedals.