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Technical Porosity leak in Halibrand wheel

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by 33rod, Dec 31, 2019.

  1. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    I have a set of Halibrand wheels and one has an annoying slow leak right in the center of the wheel. its not a rim or bead leak I'm assuming its a porosity leak. any thoughts or experience with sealing it up ? I was thinking of cleaning the inside of the rim and painting it with clear paint but not sure if it will flake off after time. I did some web searches and most are saying fix-a-flat. I won't be doing that !
     
  2. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,073

    spanners
    Member

    The tyre bloke where I worked reckons the only way to fix this sort of thing is to remove the tyre and paint the inside of the rim, doesn't matter what type of paint. He does this with all tubeless rims.
     
  3. Mike VV
    Joined: Sep 28, 2010
    Posts: 3,029

    Mike VV
    Member
    from SoCal

    Where is the tire mounted if not on the rim of the wheel ?
    That's all there is, from one flange (or bead area) down the center of the rim area, and back up to the other flange.
    Any porosity in the rest of the wheel, will have no effect on air leakage.

    Mike
     
  4. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 3,518

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

    That will fix the leak , the issue running early wheels tubeless is where the tire seats on the rim . It will almost always leak , around the rim , between the tire and rim . My would leak as the tire rotated , the leak was always on the top the bottom was being smashed into the rim , tighter than Dicks Hat Band .
     

  5. flatford39
    Joined: Dec 3, 2006
    Posts: 2,799

    flatford39
    Member

  6. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    paint is what I was thinking but I wasn't sure if it had to be a certain type , like epoxy or something else
     
  7. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    Happy New Year to all..guess I'm not the only one sitting around on New Years eve
     
  8. I smeared silicone sealer over inside of wheel and leak stopped .
     
    X-cpe and lothiandon1940 like this.
  9. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,073

    spanners
    Member

    New Years day over here. (11 am) Slow start to the day.
     
  10. Some of that POR 15 paint should do ya. Paint all the way across and up the inside of the bead area to the very top. I've seen that white, cheesy oxidation "grow" between the tire and rim bead which will cause leaking.
     
    hotrodjack33 likes this.
  11. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    I would assume I need to paint the whole wheel inside evenly so there isn't a balance issue ?
     
  12. koolbeans
    Joined: Apr 12, 2015
    Posts: 633

    koolbeans
    Member

    We always painted f5000 and canam wheels to seal porosity and run tubeless. Rim and bead sealer at your local parts emporium will do the trick too. Used it on many riveted steel rims. Good stuff.

    Sent from my XT1710-02 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    stillrunners likes this.
  13. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,073

    spanners
    Member

    Don't try this quick fix. A couple of months ago I had to shift a project car 600 klms (about 450 miles) on a trailer. One tyre was pretty ordinary and the rim not much better. Loading it late at night ready for an early start, tyre kept deflating. I pumped the tyre up and with a jack under the suspension to take the weight off the wheel, removed the valve. I then squirted a big dollop of Silastic in through the valve stem, reinstalled the valve and overinflated the tyre. The Silastic oozed out of the tyre bead and 4 months later that tyre is still inflated.
     
  14. spanners
    Joined: Feb 24, 2009
    Posts: 2,073

    spanners
    Member

    I may get flamed for this but most balance problems are on the greater circumference areas of a wheel. The closer to the centre, the less chance of problems such as the inner rim. Just think of the carnival ride that was a spinning disc. As it spun, those on the outer edges got thrown off easily. Those in toward the middle stayed on longer.
     
    lurker mick likes this.
  15. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    good thinking ;)
     
  16. hotrodjack33
    Joined: Aug 19, 2019
    Posts: 4,128

    hotrodjack33
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Shift wizard nailed it. I've used POR 15 several times on inside of riveted rims, wire wheels and on rims that are porous from rust. Works great.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  17. Fogger
    Joined: Aug 18, 2007
    Posts: 1,804

    Fogger
    Member

    The aluminum wheels on my 3W have been run since '86. The supplier suggested that I paint the rims on the inside with a clear spray can paint. I recall using a clear lacquer and have never had a leak. On riveted early wheels I always run tubes.
     
    lothiandon1940 and stillrunners like this.
  18. 327Eric
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 2,116

    327Eric
    Member

    I cleaned and sanded the inside of my Dragmaster rim, taped up the outer lip, and spray painted with etching primer,followed by epoxy black. After it dried, I masked it off, and sprayed the very center with flex seal. No more leak after I year so far.
     
  19. B.A.KING
    Joined: Apr 6, 2005
    Posts: 4,039

    B.A.KING
    Member

    Simple fix. I've got a set of Americans(old) that had leak ,porosity . Wal-mart clear , about 3-4 coats should do it. Spray the wheel between the beads.Spray, let dry, repeat. As many times as you like.
     
  20. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    I read a lot of good stuff about POR 15. spray paint would be much easier but I don't know if I would be able to clean the rim good enough for spray paint to stick to the porous area. haven't seen it without a tire yet.
     
  21. Crocodile
    Joined: Jun 16, 2016
    Posts: 352

    Crocodile
    Member

    Northern has a really nice gas tank sealer that I thought I might use on wheels as needed. It is blue, and leaves a nice thick coat on things, and I believe it would be ideal for this kind of use, and be durable. It sets up firm, but still has some elasticity. Most of these products stay mushy. That said, it is still theory, as I haven't had to use it yet.
     
    lothiandon1940 and flatford39 like this.
  22. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    good point on elasticity. shouldn't crack from heat and cool . maybe I'm making a big deal outta nothing but I would rather dismount, repair and remount once.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  23. patterg2003
    Joined: Sep 21, 2014
    Posts: 864

    patterg2003

    I had a 95 Ford truck and when it went to -35F or colder one tire would slowly go soft. The colder it got the more the tire was affected. The tire shop said that it was a porosity leak and they had seen it several times. The porosity is apparently affected by the cold. Their remedy was to take the tire off so the owner could paint the inside of the rim with Tremclad or Rustoleum. The truck retired itself before I did anything about the tire.
     
  24. eaglebeak
    Joined: Sep 17, 2007
    Posts: 1,269

    eaglebeak
    Member

    Glyptal.... seals everything
     
  25. A friend of mine always ran his Goodyear slicks tubeless,,,but the sidewalls are so thin,,they would leak down in the trailer.
    He started using Ivory liquid inside.
    He would take a bottle and squirt a fair amount inside when the slicks were new and smear it all around inside. Then he would let them set overnight and dry.
    After that it could sit in the trailer a few weeks and they were still fine.

    On the wheels,,,I remember that all the new Centerline wheels had a bead of silicone in the groove where the two halves were put together,,they never leaked .

    Tommy
     
    quicksilverart46 and X-cpe like this.
  26. Dang....I guess every one is still up - all the best to youse guys in the next year !
     
  27. hotrodjack33
    Joined: Aug 19, 2019
    Posts: 4,128

    hotrodjack33
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Just too old for all the New Years Eve crap. Bonnie is already asleep on the couch and I'm headed to the garage for a beer and a cigar:D.

    Happy New Year to my fellow HAMBers
     
    lothiandon1940 and Desoto291Hemi like this.
  28. Joe H
    Joined: Feb 10, 2008
    Posts: 1,525

    Joe H
    Member

  29. earlymopar
    Joined: Feb 26, 2007
    Posts: 1,608

    earlymopar
    Member

    The best way to seal them is to find a local casting company that offers vacuum impregnation. This is how porosity is sealed on any part where porosity can't be tolerated. It's a simple and non-costly process.

    - EM
     
    Desoto291Hemi likes this.
  30. 33rod
    Joined: May 17, 2019
    Posts: 95

    33rod

    Thats the best , vacuum impregnated glue or sealant, used to be a few local foundarys but they are probably in china now
     

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