I've installed a leather steering wheel cover on all my cars back to my '78 Civic. Very easy to do...but you need to do it right. Now that I have done about a dozen cars, it only takes me about twenty to thirty minutes. Here are some tips that I have found. Hope they help.
1) Keep the threading tight, Tight, TIGHT. Did I mention to keep the thread tight, too?
2) Slip over the cover. If using a Honda cover, there are areas without holes for around the spokes. Make sure that you align these as best you can, evenly on each spoke.
3) I always start at the bottom...about three holes from the seam.
4) I thread from the INSIDE of the hole in front then back to hole directly opposite the starting point. Basically, you are going directly back, not at an angle.
5) Leave about six inches or so of thread as a tail to tie it off when finished. Starting from the inside instead of the outside will keep the knot inside the cover, not outside.
6) As stated above, go from the front hole DIRECTLY back to the opposite hole. Again, thread from the outside in, then across at an angle from the inside out.
7) After about two or three "cycles" you will be able to start pulling tightly without pulling the tail through. The thread is waxed so it sticks. Keep the thread TIGHT.
8) Keep going until you get to about 8:00. Then I turn the wheel tot he left to get the thread back to 6:00. I always work between 6:00 and 8:00.
9) When you get to a spoke, run the thread from the last hole in the back (the front hole should already be used), BEHIND the spoke to the first hole on the front. Then proceed as before. Remember to keep the thread TIGHT.
10) Go all the way around and tie it off at the end.
11) The key to making it look good is to ensure that you pull tight. The holes are reinforced and I have never torn one. The thread is also very strong and I've never broken it.
12) The other thing I do is as I am threading, I twist the cover around the wheel so that the threading is more towards the back inside of the wheel and not towards the front. It also keeps the loose end at the spoke tight against it.
Hope this all makes sense. It is much easier to do than to explain. Just KEEP THE THREAD TIGHT!
