Technical Make your own steelies? Can’t be this easy.

Did a boat load of those back in the day for the modified guys running wide fives. 3/16th angle iron, cut 2" wide, drilled and chamfered for the lugs. Had a fixture. Any offset you wanted. Got so I could do a set in about an hour.

 

Not everyone has a lathe even now. I like da coat hanger trick.

 

Here are some shots. These are 10s for my flatbed GMC.

Sent from my SM-J337V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I didnt really think this stiil was a thing. Learn something new everyday. I have quit a few riveted wheels laying around. Some reversal will be in my future. Thanks for da info.

 

That’s how the manufacturer does it.. that’s why there’s always silver paint on the back of a chrome wheel.

 

When I did my last set of wheels I bolted the center to my rear end. Stuck the dial indicator on the backing plate and tapped the hoop where I needed it as I turned the wheel.

 

I am building a jig, based off of a spindle and hub. It will have a dial indicator mount.

The hub will be drilled and tapped for all common patterns.

I have a 5-on-5-1/2" to Wide-5 adapter, that I will retrofit for 1/2" studs.

I have orders pending for three pairs of 16" x 6-1/2" Wide-5s.

 

Brake lathes are handy when doing wheels. Setup is quick using the drum cones. The knife maybe not so much.

 

You are on the right track, Bud. I found some early 4" '60s Rambler American wheels with 12 5/8'" ID and installed centers from 15" Ford trucks of the '50s. Voila ! I had my own 4" fronts with 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern steelies that accepted '46 Ford hubcaps and beauty rings. A few decades later I purchased similar wheels from Wheel Vintiques for $150 each. My total cost in '74 was $37. Good luck

 

Your "coat hanger" trick is as effective as any dial indicator. That's what car building is all about if you work for a living ! A true HAMBer !

 

I've heard that steelies with reversed hoops won't accept a beauty ring or full hub cap, like a Moon disc.

 

you can always put a trim ring on the inside

 

Works like a champ. I have trued spoke wheels that way too. Learned it from a very very old guy, a flathead racer, when I was still in high school.

 

Looks like you are stuck with my method then. LOL

I don't own a lathe, I did have access to one until about 8 years ago. Now I have to do everything the way that I did it when I was just starting to build on my own. Good thing I knew lots of people who had done it all before i ever came along. between them and being able to think (or thiMk) I was able to do lots of things that the new millennium traditional rodder will never even attempt. LOL

 

That's only true if you're using the 'real deal' vintage drum brake rims like this....

 

There is no change in the area where you would mount a hub cap.

A Moon disc is a wheel cover, and you can still use the screw type, or the Dzus fastener type.

 

I ran full wheel covers ('51 Olds) on reverse wheels on my '53 Chevy for a while. Like an idjit I sold the wheels when I bought new tires...

 

I let some wider factory steel wheels go when I sold my 54, wish I had them still

 

I have done a few using the spindle and coat hanger method. I thought about building a weld jig for the future. I desided I would put long bolts or all thread thru the lug holes and measure to get them the right length. Put the whole thing an a flat surface and tack it up. It would still need to be checked with the coat hanger process and maybe adjusted.

 

who makes 16" hoops or rims that use the center section from like a 40 ford wheel? ones with that proper old viintage style taper.

 

I think if you search old posts from Wheelkid he had the info?

 

Any of you guys know of a 15" rim/hoop with a 12" i.d. ? I've been told pre-disk brakes these were quite common. I have a set of old school centers that are 12" wide and ideally would like 15" hoops that would work with them.

 

Speedway ones are 12 5/8"

 

That hoop ID would be 13-5/8", and nobody makes that. There are some new ones at about 13-1/2" though. You would need to cut your center down.

I've been searching for old wheels with the proper ID. I found a Chevy truck wheel with the proper ID, now I just need to find a match. I've got plenty of old Ford wheels with the right ID but I'm not cutting those up.

 

The closest you can find in 15" would be 12.260", the only 12" I know of is 14" General wheels.

 

This is all correct, 16" Chevy wheels of the same era have the same ID and can be found in 4", 4.5" and 5" wide. Also some 8 lug Ford truck wheels from the 80s have the correct ID and are 7" wide.

 

Thanks for chiming in!

 

Question about the mentioning of “having to cut the centers down”. When that’s done you’d have a flat piece welded to the rim/hoop-whatever. Wouldn’t that cause a stress and potential cracking?
I’ve never seen steel wheels done like that, just curious.
When I say “flat” I mean edge. Just thinking it would cause issues with flexing as the inners are normally rolled 90 where they fit

 

A lot of the purpose built LSR wheels are a flat center, although they are thicker than you average OEM wheel.