openupitsdave

Are they interchangable? My 350z steering wheel is trashed... Used ones in good shape only go for about $25-50 less than 370z steering wheels. Plus they look sweet!

Can I put a 350z airbag in it though?

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

The wheel itself can fit, but the 350 airbag will not. You can use the 370 airbag and horn, but they have to be manually wired by hand, correctly.

There's a thread in here with pictures about this very project.

Personally I would use a 350z wheel and have it covered in Italian leather...makes it look much much better, and feels better too.

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jdmfetish

iTrader: (3)

i wanted to do this mod
but my high thigh bolsters on my bride seats are tough getting in and out now

the diameter of the 370Z wheels even larger than the 350Z wheel , I opted to pass

search for the thread that has been mentioned it will help you

openupitsdave

ahh if the airbag dont fit, screw it.

savedbygrace, I am looking into rewrapping my wheel. Ill have to look into Italian Leather. Is that the kind people are using?

openupitsdave

I know finding real Italian leather is going to be a *****.. I just know it.. an amazon search is already giving me a headache.....anyone know of a legit source?

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Just order one through RedLineGoods.com.

Their leather is better than oem leather from high end vehicles. You'll love it, no question. You'll have to stitch it yourself, or pay someone to do it...I've done two now and it's a pain the first time around, took me about ten hours due to a number of complications, but the second one was cake as I wasn't having techinical difficulties.

Will probably take you two to four hours to stitch it up so you have a frame of reference. A pro can do it in minutes using a clamp holding the wheel and one or two hook needles. But don't expect a pro to charge you for just "minutes". I think installation was running about $70 from RedLine...something like that...just do it yourself and persevere. You won't regret it.

Generally speaking, you can find a used beat up wheel for about $70 if you look around, and then restore or modify those.

If you really want to class up your wheel you might prefer a change of shape as well as a leather re-do....a D wheel (flat bottom steering wheel) really makes the Z look better in my opinion. Look into those if you like but they're expensive....my next wheel will likely be a D wheel, but not anytime soon.

If you do order from RedLine, spend $50 and get yourself an italian leather shift boot while you're at it...they're gorgeous and many many many in the Z crowd buy them from RedLine...will match your steering wheel as well, and you can have it customized with stitching, color of stitching, stripe down the middle of the shift boot if you like, all sorts of options...but the leather is supple, is deep in color, and holds up great.

Hope this helps,

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openupitsdave

Im drooling over the covers at Redlinegoods but...$130?! Cant do it.. Maybe if it covered installation and shipping.

I wish I could find a template for the leather so I dont have go through the trouble of tracing one from my OEM leather. Though I think I might do it anyway. I can see this working even though it's gonna be a pain in the *** figuring out the proper design.

If someone can teach me a bit about quality leather (or even better, point me to where I can get some online), I could promise to share the template I make with the forum. Im pretty sure the outline of each section of the steering wheel could fit on a standard 8x11 sheet of paper so it would be a matter of printing it out and tracing it onto some leather

I figure we would need, at most, a 1x4ft piece of leather to make it happen

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Quality leather that is for automotive use is expensive also I'm afraid.

You might find an auto upholstery shop near you...I would ask them nicely if you could buy what you need from them? All shops have black leather. The quality of a local shop's leather won't be as nice as RedLine Goods though, but it will still be nice.

You'll also need thread that doesn't deteriorate under uv light, it's available, carpet thread has been used by some but I don't recommend it. You need the right thread or it will break before too long. Have seen it personally.

You'll also need leather glue, or again...just a little from a local shop perhaps.

The sewing has to have stitches that are perfectly aligned on both sides of the leather wrap...that's what the lacing goes through.....make sure do that or it will look home made....by Ray Charles.

Oh...if you're going to go the distance of wrap from scratch, I'd really recommend you pad your wheel while you're at it...a little thicker wheel looks more substantive and sporty in the Z. Stock wheel is a little thin for a lot of people, but it's personal preference of course.

Have fun, the results are almost always worth it.

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Steelcyclone

iTrader: (1)

Wow I didn't even know about redlinegoods, I been contemplating on getting my steering wheel wrapped for a while now but was looking at leatherseats.com. It shows on their youtube channel that it takes them 8 hours to wrap so I figured product and labor would end up costing me upwards of 1000 dollars after shipping, which is why I haven't done it yet. Just priced out redlinegoods and it comes to 380 shipped with all the extras, now that's much more in my price range.

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

8 hours to wrap what? A steering wheel? That's nonsense for a pro. A pro can lace it up in generally 30 min. Leather Seats doesn't charge 1000 dollars for a steering wheel wrap.

What are you buying for $380 though? Seat covers? Leatherseats is more known for seat covers than steering wheel wraps...so I think we're all confused by what you're referring to....you seem to be talking about seats while we're talking about wheel wraps? (not attacking you...just wanting to follow the facts so I understand)

Once I understand I can help you better.

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Steelcyclone

iTrader: (1)

last few post was about steering wheel covers no? 380 was me pricing how much it would cost me if I went with redlinegoods for a steering wheel cover/install. Also I never said leatherseats.com charges a 1000 dollars for a wrap I said I figured it would cost around that price given how many hours they work on it, price of product and price of shipping both ways. Also if 8 hours is nonsense for a pro then they must all be amateurs, as it's clearly stated on one of there videos on average to wrap a steering wheel to OEM specs requires 8-10 man hours.

openupitsdave

Redline does it like that but I personally like the OEM style stitching LeatherSeats.com does. For my project, ill just poke the holes beforehand so I dont have to worry about making them symmetrical later.


I think the actual wrapping alone shouldn't take more than an hour. If your OEM padding is still in good shape then its only a matter of removing the OEM leather and fitting the new leather in preparation for stitching. Or there's adhesive padding for cheap. (I know RedlineGoods uses new adhesive padding, though im not sure if they sell/ship it out).

What ill be doing will take more like 8 hours: Tracing the outline of OEM leather overtop new leather, cutting, fitting, and some trimming. Then finally stitching.

I already have some "private jet"-Italian-grade leather scraps on the way from ebay. Paid 10 bucks and I have enough for 2 trys. Gonna start a thread on it (no pun intended) as soon as it arrives.

$350 to have Redline do it really is worth it though imo... The way I see it..A used Nismo 370z wheel goes for almost a gran on ebay! :l

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

"last few post was about steering wheel covers no?"

Yes, and since you mentioned having to pay one thousand dollars for a simple steering wheel wrap I thought you must be talking about having your seats done since you can have both seats re-done in beautiful leather for far less than a thousand dollars on up to a thousand dollars. A grand for a steering wheel wrap just makes no sense...they don't cost a grand, even highly modified custom re-shaped flat bottomed re-leathered steering wheels can be had for less than a grand....a simple re-wrap is a few hundred at most...not ten hundreds.

"Also I never said leatherseats.com charges a 1000 dollars for a wrap I said I figured it would cost around that price given how many hours they work on it, price of product and price of shipping both ways."

? No offense...but if you figure leatherseats.com is going to charge you for labor, wrap, and shipping, and that total comes to a thousand dollars...then it does seem like you're saying leatherseats.com is charging a thousand dollars for a steering wheel re-wrap.

"Also if 8 hours is nonsense for a pro then they must all be amateurs, as it's clearly stated on one of there videos on average to wrap a steering wheel to OEM specs requires 8-10 man hours."

I get that you're new to the Z...no problem....and I'm glad to help you...but any business will typically state stats that simply justify their pricing.....if someone is willing to pay for eight hours of "labor" as part of what's called the "value proposition" (trying to convince you that their proposed price is of the value they want you to pay), then they will take your money that paid for eight hours of "labor" even if it only takes them 30 minutes to lace it up. No offense, but you'll be taken to the cleaners and back repeatedly if you simply believe what is written. Car repairs can be similar...book time can be so and so hours...but many good mechanics can beat book time by miles....and yet they will charge you the "book time" of say 6 hours when in truth it took them 2 hours. My own mechanic makes book time look like it was written by people overestimating the time things take to make a bigger profit....and often times that's true.

So you know....I was offered a job with RedLine Goods to be one of their installers...and it paid $50 for wrapping one wheel while they charged the client $100. So no...it does not take $250 of install "fee" to have someone wrap a wheel. Again...you're about to possibly overpay off from not doing enough research and thinking in ways that make you an easy mark no offense. RedLine cancelled that service as most people do their own wheel and not everyone could wrap the wheel correctly I believe, and I never took the offer as I have bigger things in life to pursue than $50 here and there.

For a grand you could have your seats AND a matching leather steering wheel.

And I'm not sure how you got to $380? How is that broken down? $129 for the wrap from RedLine, but is he offering installation again? Is it $250 for an install? That doesn't seem right as that's not what was previously charged?

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savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Hey thanks for such a great post....if you were willing to post up your DIY progress and tutorial for us that would be really appreciated by myself I know...and probably many others. I'm going to have a go at doing a wheel from scratch myself I think but have never done the leather templating or prep work....for the holes in the leather...you going to use a punch or pricking irons? What size iron if that's what you're using? I've researched a fair bit on leather work but I'm all internet knowledge so far, no real actual experience or doability yet.

The padding....any chance you have a source or product name? RedLine used to sell it but doesn't anymore I don't think. I'd LOVE to get some for my next wheel...can really do some creative adds to a wheel with adhesive padding...but know something...they compress DRAMATICALLY after about a year of use...and I do mean dramatically. So what I want for my next wheel is as firm a foam can be found that wraps around the wheel and doesn't compress as much over time...if such a thing exists? Any help you could offer would be uber appreciated as well.

"I already have some "private jet"-Italian-grade leather scraps on the way from ebay. Paid 10 bucks and I have enough for 2 trys. Gonna start a thread on it (no pun intended) as soon as it arrives."

Can't wait to see the leather and your thread! I'm sure it will be beautiful once done.

"$350 to have Redline do it really is worth it though imo... The way I see it..A used Nismo 370z wheel goes for almost a gran on ebay!"

I just don't know that $350 is what RedLine charges? It used to be less, $100 for an install, but....those installations weren't done by the owners...if the $230-250 installation fee is done by one of the two owners I guess that makes more sense since they're expert at it, but it still seems high to me as someone who has done two wheels and will be doing a third before too long I hope.

But again...really looking forward to your thread and seeing your finished wheel too! Glad you get to do this project....a great wheel is awesome.

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openupitsdave

Its $200 for installation including the padding + thumb grip. And $130 for the leather. So $330. Plus the cost of shipping your wheel to them.

I am planning to just hold up some measuring tape against the edge of the leather and poke holes with a needle. Havent decided on the increments. Gotta look into that.

Honestly I just searched amazon for "adhesive foam padding" and in the process I came across Rubber adhesive which might work better. The installation videos on Redlines youtube channel shows what looks like rubber. Not so much foamy. I imagine rubber would be more durable and firm. Ill look into this further though.

Thanks Saved, Ive done most the research and I have the time (not so much the money) so it seems do-able so far. I think I will do a tutorial for the forum as I dont think we have one yet. Looking forward. Cheers

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

"Honestly I just searched amazon for "adhesive foam padding" and in the process I came across Rubber adhesive which might work better. The installation videos on Redlines youtube channel shows what looks like rubber. Not so much foamy. I imagine rubber would be more durable and firm. Ill look into this further though."

Rubber is demographic-dependent I think, where foam is not...most rubber conducts heat like a match and will then dry out and break down...so Arizona, Texas, etc....those areas cannot use many types of rubber as the cars get to be like 120+ in the interior while parked during the summer months. It's brutal to a lot of things. I could be totally wrong though of course....maybe what you saw is treated or is different in their compound so it doesn't dry out...but generally...just as FYI for interior materials choices...rubber can create more problems than it fixes.

Thanks for looking..I'm trying to search it out too as I have some other wheel plans for the future...maybe one or two more wheels before I'm done trying to a fabricator (destroyer of good ideas while spending way more time than I should).

If I find anything I'll holler back and share.

"Thanks Saved, Ive done the research and I have the time (not so much the money) so it seems do-able so far. I think I will do a tutorial for the forum as I dont think we have one yet. Looking forward. Cheers"

It's doable...would totally encourage you to go ahead and do it....saw a guy on a Mazda forum do his from scratch and in his case it turned out pretty good...not perfect...but good....but it's obvious that if more attention to detail was paid that it would have turned out perfect. You can do it....use your time to progress slowly but accurately and do it right....you'll enjoy the wheel for years, so who cares if it takes an extra week or two to finish.

Make sure you use automotive thread...UV rays coming through the windshield WILL break down normal threads and they will break...you'll start to find one here...then another stitching is broken loose....can get ratty in not too much time. Leather workers or auto upholstery shops might help you choose the best thread....or just contact them via YouTube or forums of course. And make sure you get thread that's thick enough to look good...can be deceiving to choose a thread but then see it stitched on the leather...can look too thin and wimpy. Z's not wimpy!

See ya in the next thread then,

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rancor

I would recommend Ritza 25 "tiger" thread. Its waxed to make it easy to work with in leather and is UV resistant.

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Yep, it's also what leather workers use for most all their leather projects.

I haven't shopped for it yet, am only aware of it. That's what I planned on buying myself actually.

Is it an online only kinda sourcing or do local shops carry it? Just thought I'd ask in case you know off the top of your head.

Thanks for the help!

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