DIY Deviated Stitching on Steering Wheel Options

[FRUNKenstein]

The old aftermarket steering wheel that came with my car when I bought it last summer was not dished at all. So, every time I made a significant turn, my fingers would hit the turn signals or wiper switch. Also, it was getting a bit long in the tooth and had some minor surface rust. For Christmas, my son got me a new Viilante steering wheel. It has a 39 mm dish, so hopefully that will solve the problem with hitting the turn signals and wipers during a turn. It is also a little more of a classic design (I didn't like the more modern style of the old one), and has perforated leather. But, I wanted to add a bit of bling. On 996outpost.com, there was a discussion of adding deviated stitching to your interior, and a link to a 6-speed online thread with details. Here's a link to the 6-speed online thread (hopefully this isn't breaking any rules to post that link):

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/cayenne...-red-beige.html

So, I thought I'd try it with my new steering wheel. It's really inexpensive: $4 set of upholstery needles and ~$4 for a spool of bead cord (think thick thread). Full disclosure, I ordered 3 different colors of bead cord because I wasn't sure exactly how they would look, so I actually spent about $14 on bead cord, including shipping. Also, I wanted to add a color-matched center stripe at the top of the wheel. After research, it appears that the actual racers use "stage tape" or "gaffer's tape" for this task. That stuff comes in tons of colors, and I ordered a 1" wide fluorescent blue roll of tape for $7.99 (including shipping). There is a link in the 6-speed online thread about where to buy the bead cord (your local JoAnn's Fabrics and the like don't carry it). I just ordered the gaffer's tape off Amazon. I haven't installed the steering wheel yet (this weekend's project), but here are some pictures of before, during and after the DIY stitching install.

First, a picture of the car so that you can see the exterior color I was trying to match (Laguna Blue):




Then, here's the steering wheel fresh out of the box, along with the bead cord and gaffer's tape.






Next pic shows one section of deviated stitching installed next to a section without it. I should have turned off the LED light I was using as it kind of makes everything blue. My eyes aren't too bad, but you definitely need a bright light to see the stitching you are going to run your needle under. One note in the 6-speed online thread mentioned grinding down the tip of the curved upholstery needle to keep from poking through or snagging the leather (you are just going under the existing threads, not through the leather). But, I found that it really wasn't a problem with the sharp tip, plus I think it would have been tough to get the needle under the threads on the steering wheel with a dull tip. Maybe grinding the tip down works better on seats or consoles.





This next pic shows the deviated stitching installed without the center stripe.





Then, this one adds the center stripe in 1" width.




I felt the 1" width was too wide, so I cut the width down to 1/2".




Frankly, I may just remove the center stripe. It's easy enough to do - takes about 2 seconds. And, if I want it again later (like for an autocross), then I can just reinstall. I have enough tape to do that about 100 times!