So I have an 11 inch, 168 tooth Weber aluminum flywheel and we want to use it in my friends 49 Coronet that is getting a SBC. So the wheel is clean besides a couple teeth are toasted so figure will get a new ring and swap it on, seen it done on steel wheels I guess just will have to be careful due to the aluminum. Car is being built as if was built in mid to late 60's as a street / strip / driver. A lot of period correct parts so since we have wheel want to use that. Any tips, tricks are appreciated? put in freezer? heat in oven or just heat ring with torch? thanks, Tim Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Tim...there are a few good videos on YouTube about just that. I followed one...on an aluminum flywheel for a small block ford....it was so easy it should be illegal. You place the center of the flywheel on a couple of bricks so that when you hear the ring gear...youre not also heating a metal work bench for example...propping it up gives you working room too. You pop the old one off...i put my flywheel in the freezer and heated my ring gear in the oven for a few minutes. When I reunited the pieces it seemed like there was a ton of gap to make up...but sure enough...it did. Worked like a charm.
Can you flip the old ring over? I did that with my steel flywheel recently. It works most of the time unless you've lost a tooth completely.
The old ring is real bad on like four teeth, we will order a new ring and do the swap as you guys outlined, thanks for the info!
What no one has mentioned is that light flywheels on the street with street ratio in the rear is a dog. You'll be hating it before long if you want to start off quickly and not have to slip the clutch so the engine doesn't try to bog.
Aluminum flywheel really don't work on the street. It takes a lot of rpm to leave a stop ,on the street it's not very safe. Have you used a aluminium on the street ?
I don't know how heavy an aluminum 'wheel is but I have a 15 pound modular iron GM L-88 style 'wheel in a '32 coupe. 350 Chevy, wide ratio T-10 with 3.36 gears and 31" tires. Comes off a full stop just like any other stick I have driven, even going up a grade from a stop.
It's just what ever driving style you like. If it works that's fine. Just something to think about . The heavier the car the harder to drive with a light weight flywheel. Im not saying it won't work.
Hold the flywheel in a vice, pad it, so it won't get damaged, cut the old ring gear as far as possible, without hitting the flywheel, then split it with a cold chisel and hammer.. Heat the new ring gear till it will melt solder, on a couple of bricks with a gas torch.. At this heat it will drop over the flywheel (lying on a solid, flat surface), finish off with slightly tapping around the gear till it cools and clamps the flywheel, it won't take too long to do this..
Does the aluminum wheel use a stock OEM type ring gear? Or is the ring gear from Weber? I change ring gears frequently in my job and have found that many aftermkt flywheels use non-standard ring gears. Especially Ford stuff.. With only four bad teeth..I would repair the teeth.. On the wheel.. Mig weld (fill) the partial tooth and re-cut it back with a cut off wheel. Done several dozen of them over the years.. Many of the odd ball farm and industrial tractors this is the only way to repair ring gears.