F-1 steering wheel

1948F-1Pickup

1948F-1Pickup

Well-known member
I assume mine is the original that came with the truck...... here's the issue-
humid or rainy outside and my steering wheel is gooey. I'm sure there was some kind of coating on it originally but not anymore. I've got cracks as well
in it, but I digress.

Looking at some wheels out in cyberland and I see some that don't have the two tapped holes (to use a steering wheel puller) and I assume those wheels may be for F-7 and bigger. The ones with the tapped holes appear to be F-1 to F-6. (supposedly the wheels aren't the same)
My F-1 wheel doesn't have any tapped holes though......

Did Ford make a change to the wheels at the service level and put the
two tapped holes into play?
 
they were originally a hard soybean plastic which tended to shrink as it aged and then the cracks appeared. I wonder what caused yours to get gooey, never seen one do that before. My 49 8n Ford tractor has the same soybean plastic and this year if it gets wet it comes off all over your hands but still is not gooey. allways something new with these old Fords!
 
Cant think of the name of the 2 part epoxy to fix the cracks??/ A good epoxy etching primer and some lacquer paint if you can find should do the trick, Did mine about 5 years ago still looks new with no rash on your hands
or the gooey feeling from the bakelite. Good luck!
 
Did my F-1 steering wheel a few months ago. Had a few cracks which I touched up with the Dremel tool. Used PC-7 Epoxy (Amazon Prime) to fill the cracks/dents. Hardens and can be sanded/shaped as needed. Wiped it all down with Grease/Wax remover (paint prep, TCP Global) and painted with Rustoleum Gloss Black Engine Paint. Looks great and no dirty hands.
www.pcepoxy.com
 
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My 50 F1 from orginally form Texas has a very dry steering wheel that would leave your hands black but dry not gooey. I wiped it down with brake cleaner and spray painted it black while still on the truck,it's been fine ever since.
 
All the F1s, the F3, and the F6 we had back on the farm, had the hard rubber steering wheels. They left your hands black if they set for too long between use. The black would stop rubbing off after a day or so of use. We used them hard all summer then they would set during the winter except for the F3 we used as a water truck to fill the stock tanks. Ford likely used both Bakelite and hard rubber (Ebonite) in the flathead era.
 
I have pulled many steering wheels of the f series trucks some with and some with out . Don't know why some have and some don't.The ones with out drill and tap 2 holes and pull it.
 
alanwoodieman said:
they were originally a hard soybean plastic which tended to shrink as it aged and then the cracks appeared. I wonder what caused yours to get gooey, never seen one do that before. My 49 8n Ford tractor has the same soybean plastic and this year if it gets wet it comes off all over your hands but still is not gooey. allways something new with these old Fords!
Click to expand...


That's interesting. I knew 42 dashes were soy bio-plastic. Wasn't sure the extent of its usage.


Would be interesting to know the usage among the years.
 
The soy fiber was used in the phenol formaldehyde resin. For the most part, the plastic Ford made using soy material was a form of bakelite. The car they made as a prototype in 1941 was that way. Soy bean flour can be cross linked with chemicals to create a soy based adhesive but I don't know how strong or resilient it would be. There is still ongoing research in soy bean based plastics.
 
I filled a few cracks with epoxy then painted with PPG single stage Concept urethane. It has held up well for more than 15 years
 

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My wheel came from a junk Yard. It lay out in the wx and most of the goo has been baked out. This morning in the gooey wx, it was sticky but did not give off the black stuff.
 
1948F-1Pickup said:
Interesting. Maybe I'll drill/tap and pull this one...... and then
repair it and find something to coat it.
Click to expand...


Drill and tap it!!!!


I replaced my stock wheel with a '49 passenger wheel a few months ago. I had no holes and it was an absolute nightmare. I should have tapped it right off the bat.


Not having black crap or goo on your hands from the old wheel is well worth it
 
I use a bearing separator under the wheel & the puller now a days lots of stores rent
things like that. I tend to think it was the early F series didn't have tapped holes. I have
the same nasty problem with my car damp humid rainy I have to wear gloves. Its sticky
black like soot. I keep looking for a new one no luck yet. 46 to 1948 wheel. At least
they make new wheels for F1 to F6. F7 & F8 no one makes those.
 
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