Flat Bottom Steering Wheel DIY Part 2

Here is the second installment of my custom steering wheel project. This time around, I finish the shaping work for the bottom of the wheels and show you how I marked and cut the grooves. The grooves are for the interaction between the carbon fiber and the leather (or alcantara) wrap that I will add in the future. Getting the shape just right is time consuming, but rewarding and is something you should not skimp on. You need to the shape to be correct and the surface to be completely free of high and low spots. Leave any high or low spots, and the carbon fiber will highlight them and make them ultra visible! For this reason, I focused primarily on shaping for this video.

At the end, I painted the flat bottoms in black. The reason for this is that there will be one layer of carbon and any odd colors may show through tiny gaps in the weave. You can use a black tinted epoxy gelcoat as the base for the carbon in order to avoid this. In my case, I have a clear epoxy I will use as both a base and for soaking the carbon fiber. I will build that up a good bit, sanding in between each coat, until I am happy with the final surface. At that point, I can clear coat each wheel with automotive clearcoat and it's on to the upholstery work!

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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond my control, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. I assume no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. I recommend safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond my control, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not myself.
Steering wheels are safety critical components of a motor vehicle and manufacturers spend millions of dollars on their design, safety/performance testing, and manufacture. Even changing the leather on one alters it from its as tested/as validated configuration and means that it may not perform as intended in regular use or an automobile accident. If you undertake modifying one, you do so at your own risk!