Steering wheels and Column color and finish

[DMiller]

Hey guys, I am going to paint my steering column and wheel. They are both Black (faded and as far as the wheel dirty,gummy and sticky). What is the correct original finish for each of these (gloss,semi etc.). I have read elsewhere that column is semi-gloss and the wheel is gloss. Any help here would be great.

[Irish_Alley]

i dont know about painting the wheel due to your hands should break down the paint and it will come back off. i would go for a new wheel if it cam down to that.  cant help you on the column but i would go with flat so it doesnt stand out to much against the rest of the dash

[jaredts]

Is this going to be a rattle can paint job?  If so I would think semi gloss would be about right for the column.  I personally think flat might be a little too flat.  I agree that painting the wheel is probably a bad idea.  Even a high quality interior dye will likely not hold up long.  Maybe try cleaning it with thinner or solvent.  If you want to spray the column then I bet there is a mix already that is made for gm interior, or you could just add a little flattening agent to a black.

[Jason S]

The steering wheel was unpainted and somewhat of a semi-gloss when new. Over time, wear will polish any highly used areas of the steering wheel to appear glossy. Same thing as what jaredts said, the column was more of a semi-gloss when new. 

The steering wheel on my '73 GMC is suffering from age, kinda the way you describe.  I've tried numerous things to get it cleaned up/cleaned off, but still haven't found anything that worked to my satisfaction.  If you come up with anything that works (besides replacement or a steering wheel cover), I'd be interested in knowing.  As a side note, I installed an NOS steering wheel on my '74 Chevrolet and it will sometimes be sticky.  I think it mostly due to age and deteriorating rubber.

[DMiller]

Well, I went with semi-gloss on the wheel and low gloss(black) on the column. I have painted a few steering wheels in the past, none were as gooey as this one. What I did was this: mineral spirits first, orange goop(hand cleaner)#2, dish detergent#3, compressed air to remove all moisture inside of the cover #4,
air dry for a couple of days. Then I used vinyl prep spray ( 2-3 light coats) and then Rustoleum semi-gloss. On other wheels I have painted none of the trucks were daily drivers, but were used quite a bit and the paint held up well. We will see how this one holds up, but I had nothing to lose. It was too tacky as is. Thanks for the info. I will post a follow up on this.