I'm having my steering wheel recovered so would like the trim on the horn pad to look better as well. The steel parts, especially the grippy areas for activating the horn, are missing some paint (not from me, I only use the horn when it's well-deserved). Has anyone painted the steel areas on the horn pad? It looks like a flat black to me but it seems every other black piece on the car was originally satin. Anyone know the correct color black? Here's the current condition of mine:

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Pop the foam pad off the frame from the back ( I use my thumbs) and paint the frame with black satin truck m paint. Use a strong contact adhesive to glue back the foam.

Interesting, I didn't know the two parts separated. Will 3M Super 77 be strong enough to hold the foam when gluing it back on? In case something untoward happens to the foam, are replacements available?

Euro Black by Lawson Products

https://www.lawsonproducts.com/Kent/Satin-E...ting/1509229.lp

I have extra foam pads. I’ll send you one for free if you screw yours up. I push it out slowly. It’s pretty tough but it can tear. Just PM me if you need an extra. I would buy a can of black trim paint. Amazon, eBay, etc carry it.

Great offer, thanks! I hope I don't need to take you up on it

you can use a thin butter knife to help separate the foam form the metal. The rubber is old, so you are correct in being careful

I carefully masked my foam pad and the results were perfect.

Warming the metal back side may help loosen the glue. Don't overheat

Wow great result!

Yeah, looks like it might be worth a try to mask and see what the result is before removing it...

The foam separates easily. We use a Wolfsburg West grey black VW spray. Perfect match.

https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsL...cfm?ID=PAINTL43

Well, I got the foam separated in one piece! Thanks for the tips. A cheese knife really helped. Below are the separated pieces.

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This raises some more questions:

1. Does the old contact cement need to be removed from the foam for proper adhesion? If so, how does one remove it?
2. The foam smells like an old 914 that sat for a long time with other species living in it. What's the best, and safest, way to clean the faom and reduce the smell?
3. So the frame appears to be aluminum. Is the best practice to bead blast it or is aluminum too soft?
4. Is 3M Super 77 strong enough to permanently hold the foam on or should I get something better?

Bead blast the frame. I have some that have already been blasted and repainted if you need it.

I have heard good things about an ozone generator for eliminating odor.
Can be had for ~$50 on amazon.

Car rentals and apartments use them on cigarette smell, death in a home, mold/mildew smell in furniture, rooms, cars, etc.

I have used one successfully on the recent LR3 we purchased - really neutralized the interior nicely.

Put your foam in a small room/closet and run for 20min - might need a second try to make it 100%. Open the door to allow the O3 to dissipate before entering . . . the room will smell great too!

I have a large one that I used to use a lot when I sold real estate. They work but even $50 is too much just for a horn pad. I have used them on a lot of 914 interiors and they do a great job killing the smells.

I have a question for those that sent their steering wheel to be recovered. Do you remove the old cover and paint the wheel, or the shop doing the recovering takes care of painting the wheel prior to recovering?
Thanks,
Bill.

Dallas will repaint your wheel but if you want the "correct" color, shade, gloss, ect, do it yourself. I have a painter do it and then send to Dallas custom steering wheel with very detailed written instructions. Has always come back perfect.

Thanks for the answers so far. Any ideas re questions 1 and 4 in post 13 above?

The cement will come of the frame when you blast it. If its flaking off the foam, you need to remove it. If it's secure to the foam, I would just recoat. Make sure to follow instructions.

Thanks!

Don't think of it as $50 just for the horn pad - think of it as an excuse to get a $50 tool you can use over and over in many situations and locations!

So when using an ozonator on a small piece like the horn pad, do you put the piece in a an enclosed area like a car?

Exactly what I was thinking. Just put it in the car and freshen the whole thing at once. Be aware that ozone can be corrosive to some materials so don't overdo it. Here's a list of materials and their ability to handle ozone: http://www.ozoneapplications.com/info/ozon...e_materials.htm. And of course, don't sit inside the car while it is full of ozone. It is bad for your lungs.

My car won't be enclosable for a long time, so would have to put it in a different car or some other enclosed space. I looked at the best seller on Amazon and the poor reviews suggest that these things can go sideways sometimes and leave a nasty, metallic, chemical smell that doesn't go away.... Seems like a small % but wouldn't want that...