Redline Goods steering wheel leather replacement

tennesseewj

Observer
I completed the install of a Redline Goods steering wheel cover this weekend and wanted to share with the class. If you're not familiar, this is a sew-on replacement for your OE steering wheel leather.



Like most of you 80 series owners, my wheel had seen better days. In fact, my wheel was worn out for so long that the cheap leather slip-on cover the PO installed was also worn out.

Here is what it looks like now:

627bd66423102473a0abda1af4011376.jpg


Redline doesn't have the 80 series wheel leather on their website yet, so I shot them an e-mail and inquired about being their guinea pig. Turns out they had patterned a cover before but had no record of it being installed so I ordered one up. (Full disclosure: they offered a rebate if I provided before & after photos and shared online)

Here a few lessons learned from the install:

1. You'll need to buy some sewing needles and leather glue. Redline provides plenty of thread. I tried both curved and and straight needles. They each have their strong points (haha) but I think I would just use straight needles if I did it again. YMMV

2. Take the time to set up a solid work station. Don't try sewing this thing in your lap. You are in for 6-8 hours of sewing unless you're already an experienced sewer. Get a clean workspace with a solid mount where you can maneuver the wheel into position.

3. Order color samples from Redline prior to purchasing the wrap. I asked to match the factory leather with black thread for contrast stitching. What I received is a great match for the seats, not for the original wheel. My guess is that they would have exchanged it for me, but I decided to rock the two tone.

4. Take your time on the fit and finish. Make sure you sew all the way to the ends of the spokes and massage wrinkles out. Mine isn't perfect. As with most DIY projects, I feel like I could do a better job on the second one haha.

5. If your Cruiser is your DD like mine, source a second steering wheel so you can take your time. I did the bulk of the work over the course of a Saturday and then finished up through the week. Having a second wheel allowed me to relax and enjoy family time during breaks.

6. Watch the ChrisFix steering wheel video on YouTube. His stitching pattern is super simple and way more efficient than some others I've seen.

Onto the photos!

OEM wheel for reference:

66b89f34efba9a175d7dfce7cea95af5.jpg


Notice how far the leather goes up the spokes. I stopped some of mine a little short and the plastic trim doesn't quite cover it.

18be67f4dcee3f4c25092ce737b336eb.jpg


Now, cut your old seams, remove old leather, and use a damp cloth to wipe the base wheel nice and clean

2fc0b2c24353e73e7f210f82b4ce194e.jpg


Stretch the new cover onto the wheel and mount your wheel on your new stand that you made from your lumber scrap

c25f4a21d1cd2ce0b0eea91b4044c6a5.jpg


Sew until your hands are numb as described in ChrisFix's video. Make sure you constantly pull the threads tight

0fd7709ee704fd1f72bdfd96c33a3ac6.jpg


BOOM, looking good

55764ce3ff16916c556c9743d8af56da.jpg


15baeaf0de02e08b6991d9f22ada18f2.jpg


Word of caution, I used an LX450 wheel and noticed that the trim pieces are slightly different. I ended up putting the LC trim onto the LX wheel to make sure the trim panels clipped in correctly

32f4c03d1f8eeb0d726c436127bc7cc1.jpg


And you're done!

33a14371210e82c4be550c57b97f9372.jpg
e132f6f9a17b26a8e1ba0f3a4c3ec582.jpg


All told I have a lot of time into this but it is pretty rewarding. What the pictures don't show is that it feels GREAT! I'm sleeping much better as a result.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

Outsane

New member
I completed the install of a Redline Goods steering wheel cover this weekend and wanted to share with the class. If you're not familiar, this is a sew-on replacement for your OE steering wheel leather.



Like most of you 80 series owners, my wheel had seen better days. In fact, my wheel was worn out for so long that the cheap leather slip-on cover the PO installed was also worn out.

Here is what it looks like now:

627bd66423102473a0abda1af4011376.jpg


Redline doesn't have the 80 series wheel leather on their website yet, so I shot them an e-mail and inquired about being their guinea pig. Turns out they had patterned a cover before but had no record of it being installed so I ordered one up. (Full disclosure: they offered a rebate if I provided before & after photos and shared online)

Here a few lessons learned from the install:

1. You'll need to buy some sewing needles and leather glue. Redline provides plenty of thread. I tried both curved and and straight needles. They each have their strong points (haha) but I think I would just use straight needles if I did it again. YMMV

2. Take the time to set up a solid work station. Don't try sewing this thing in your lap. You are in for 6-8 hours of sewing unless you're already an experienced sewer. Get a clean workspace with a solid mount where you can maneuver the wheel into position.

3. Order color samples from Redline prior to purchasing the wrap. I asked to match the factory leather with black thread for contrast stitching. What I received is a great match for the seats, not for the original wheel. My guess is that they would have exchanged it for me, but I decided to rock the two tone.

4. Take your time on the fit and finish. Make sure you sew all the way to the ends of the spokes and massage wrinkles out. Mine isn't perfect. As with most DIY projects, I feel like I could do a better job on the second one haha.

5. If your Cruiser is your DD like mine, source a second steering wheel so you can take your time. I did the bulk of the work over the course of a Saturday and then finished up through the week. Having a second wheel allowed me to relax and enjoy family time during breaks.

6. Watch the ChrisFix steering wheel video on YouTube. His stitching pattern is super simple and way more efficient than some others I've seen.

Onto the photos!

OEM wheel for reference:

66b89f34efba9a175d7dfce7cea95af5.jpg


Notice how far the leather goes up the spokes. I stopped some of mine a little short and the plastic trim doesn't quite cover it.

18be67f4dcee3f4c25092ce737b336eb.jpg


Now, cut your old seams, remove old leather, and use a damp cloth to wipe the base wheel nice and clean

2fc0b2c24353e73e7f210f82b4ce194e.jpg


Stretch the new cover onto the wheel and mount your wheel on your new stand that you made from your lumber scrap

c25f4a21d1cd2ce0b0eea91b4044c6a5.jpg


Sew until your hands are numb as described in ChrisFix's video. Make sure you constantly pull the threads tight

0fd7709ee704fd1f72bdfd96c33a3ac6.jpg


BOOM, looking good

55764ce3ff16916c556c9743d8af56da.jpg


15baeaf0de02e08b6991d9f22ada18f2.jpg


Word of caution, I used an LX450 wheel and noticed that the trim pieces are slightly different. I ended up putting the LC trim onto the LX wheel to make sure the trim panels clipped in correctly

32f4c03d1f8eeb0d726c436127bc7cc1.jpg


And you're done!

33a14371210e82c4be550c57b97f9372.jpg
e132f6f9a17b26a8e1ba0f3a4c3ec582.jpg


All told I have a lot of time into this but it is pretty rewarding. What the pictures don't show is that it feels GREAT! I'm sleeping much better as a result.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
Nice do you still have the spare steering wheel. I want to do the same swap

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 

JLee

Adventurer
I did a Redline wrap on my MR2, except I shipped my wheel to them and had them install it. It came out pretty well, though the stitching isn't quite OEM-grade.
 

Bretthn

Explorer
That looks great!
Doing my LX470 this weekend. I went with Xuji cover.
bf7fe749c9de1ec0195cde7750188035.jpg

842e307b00a5565fb901365c94175c60.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tennesseewj

Observer
That turned out great. I thought about doing this to our 80 but at 6-8 hours I’ll pay someone! Good on you for sticking it out!
IIRC their fee to install was $150, plus the cost of shipping your wheel back and forth. That is a pretty reasonable fee considering the time involved. Definitely worth the investment if you're planning to keep your 80 around for a while.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
 

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