Anyone ever widen wire wheels? I just finished my first one. At first I didn't think it would be that hard. The easiest part was cutting and welding the wheel back together. The hard part is making sure you have 100% penetration and making it look like it came that way. The best compliment is "what did you do?" I added 2 inches one 1" strap to each side. Going from 3 1/2 to 5 1/2. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Yeah I did a 16" wheel, and it was easy to get it 90% true, but that last 10% was tough! Lotsa hammering. Next time I'll check beforehand if the rim is true! What tires are you gonna run on these fat rims? TP
The wheels were true before I stated. I marked the wheel before I cut it so it would get it back in the same place. I'm putting 750 heavy duty truck tires. The tire should be mounted on a 6" wide rim but I think 5 1/2" is good enough. They are for the rear of my 30xl model a pickup
Now I'm on to the second one. Now that I know how to do it I'm keeping track of my time. I got it cut and prepped. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
A big cut off wheel on a grinder. It's a hand full. I had an extra spindle and hub so I clamped it in the vice to hold it while I work on it Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Two words of advice, Next time widen the drop center, you're wheels will be somewhat difficult to mount a tire onto. Also, You didn't take it too extreme, so I think you'll be ok, but widening these old wire wheels is generally a bad idea because they're so weak. The only reason they're usually ok is because they're so skinny they cant get enough traction to hurt themselves, but when you start you widen them, they are a lot more stressed. But like I said, you didn't take too extreme and will probably be ok, but keep an eye on them.
Is there a new hoop that anybody has used when widening these? Maybe cut one side of the new hoop wider, and weld that to the center of the '32 wheel. Then you have a fresh lip, and one less weld to keep straight. No bending of a fresh band required. I'm thinking there's got to be a tractor hoop out there somewhere that is the correct inner diameter.
Believe Josh Shaw detailed the process of adding a tractor hoop as you describe, alchemy. As I remember it was kind of of a "using up the leftovers" side note to a thread about making 18" salt wheels with solid centers and hoops cut from 18" wires... And I believe the Dynaliner Coupe is running those wheels. (wires with tractor hoops)
Here's Josh's thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263768 He does similar, but not what I was thinking. But I guess I just need to get a tape measure out and give it a go. I found a couple online tractor parts suppliers. I did like Josh's method of cutting the wheels with a clamped plasma cutter.
I made the rings for the wheels today. I bent a 8' piece around a 15" wheel. I made 8 bars and tacked them to the center to clamp the ring to on the wheel. You have you round the corners so they fit in the bead of the wheel. I used the short ones first witch are 4" long. Once I got it all strait and true on the hub I tacked it heavily. Then cut the short bars off and tacked on the long ones that are 5 1/4" long. Bough sides of these have to be rounded to sit in the bead. Then I started on the other side with the second ring doing the something. I got it all tacked together and was about to put it on the hub to weld it up and it rolled off the work bench and broke into 5 pieces. Now I have to start all over again. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
The Tractor Hopps are extremely poor quality. They are designed to run at 30 mph. They'll work in a pinch, but if you really want them true and perfect buy actual wheel hoops from suppliers. (about triple the cost of the tractor hoops though.. ) Biggest KEY to doing any of this succesfully is CHECKING THE STOCK WHEEL FIRST!! Sounds simple, but a lot of guys forget this step, and chase there tails to get the finished widened wheel perfect.. --------------------- Great thead by the way! Love seeing guys do "serious" modifications in there home shops and just "figuring it out". That's what it's all about! Enjoy looking at how you did it your way! Joshua Shaw
Well.. No. Unfortunately Scott (Owner of Dynamat) found and bought the hoops. The supplier he found would only sell in BULK, so Scott said "screw it, I need em'" and bought like 30 or 50 hoops. 19x3 and 20x5.5 He then, slowly sold them to guys all over the midwest. I have 4 of each I'm hording.. The down side is, I never knew who that company was.. BUT, If Scott can find em' I'm sure there on the interweb somewhere.. Sorry. J Shaw
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