TECH'....Narrowing aluminum 5 spokes.

i bet thats how the pros do it. very nice work.

 

very nice work indeed.

 

Fantastic job Kev! wow...

 

Very impressed. Excellent project, and excellent documentation.

 

I've also put freshly welded aluminum pieces in the kitchen oven, much to my wifes delight, preheated the oven to full boar and then gradually turned the heat down, to prevent warping.

Kev, that looks awesome, man.

 

Me likey! Great welding, real pretty.

 

My jaw hurt's from hitting the floor. Speaking of floor, I'm not worthy of sweeping yer shop floor after this tech.

 

Kev, we have done many in my machine shop. We do them just as you did, other than tacking and checking for run out before we take them out of the lathe. You lay down a very nice bead. Nice work.--TV

 

RAD. RAD. RAD!
That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.....I need a pair of narrow 14" 5 spokes.......now I know what to do.
Does anyone know what a wheel shop would charge to do this? I don't have a welder for aluminum.....but I have a few contacts for fab shops to cut the rim and reweld....may be cheaper than a "wheel" shop....

Hey Kev.....did I say RAD?!?! And thanks for posting!!!

 

You Ventura boys have a lot of tricks.

 

Wheels America here in DFW will widen aluminum wheels for $200 each. I imagine narrowing would be a bit cheaper, as they are removing material instead of adding a piece to the barrel.



And Kev... HOLY CRAP! That's some mighty fine work, sir.

I have been taking pictures of my whole chassis buildup, but I'm beyond afraid of making a tech post out of them. I would probably be picked apart... and then work like this would blow it out of the water!

I <3 Tech Week!



- Matt

 

Now I have a reason to get a bigger lathe than I was planning on...
awesome and inspiring as usual..

 

Very cool, thats how we have done em.

I did have one set of aluminum wheels that "sprung" to shit when we parted it. unusable scrap that time.

 

X-Gasser......The tires are 5.80-14 Seiberling. I forgot to mention the wheels are 14". I would prefer a shorter tire but I have had these laying around for a couple of years. My 5.00 15's on Crestlines are 1" shorter than these 14 ' rims with 5.80's.

Hot Rod Ron...... The machine shop I used is an oilfield type machine shop that doesn't usually do custom automotive stuff but any machinist with a lathe the wheel will fit in should be able to handle this job, it's pretty basic stuff.

 

Wow, you got my vote that flat out kicks ass!!

 

Showoff..

 

Not to be a dick - but you aren't getting shit for penetration on those welds...

Or maybe it's just the picture ?

 

Looks good Kevin, are these going on the 34?

 

Very nice .

 

If you look at the wheel before it is cut apart you will notice it tapers, in the pictures that show the tacks and partial welds the area to be welded on the inner ring is actually 90&#37; of the total thickness and after pre heating the bead is contacting it completely plus connecting the same amount to the larger part. I see what you are looking at but it may be a little deceiving. If I were to turn the machine up the welds would have hollowed and blown through. With aluminum you have to back off at the end of the weld or you end up with a crater.

 

I have a lot of experience welding AL, and I know what you mean - It's very hard to get 100% penetration from a single side weld (without it ending up all over the floor)

But I would be worried as the un-welded portion of your overlap will create a stress riser, and that WILL lead to a crack.

I would flip them over and weld them from the inside as well. Each time you load them, they will crack a little. Eventually, - bad news.

You really don't want right angles like that up against a weld (or anything for that matter).

But your welds do look great. I wish I could get that sorta consistency.

 

Very nice. There are some talented guys in Ventura County but Kev's gotta be number one!

 

I was thinking the exact same thing. Way cool and thanks for sharing!

 

Kev those wheels look great! I'm curious what was the offset on the wheel before you cut it. It doesn't look like the typical 15 x 6 "Sport" with the 1" positive offset that I have. That wheel you started with has the spokes near the front like a "AP" wheel. - Scott

 

that was a great tech Kev. awesome! love tech week. thanks

 

putting the rims in a box of lime (the dirt, not the fruit!) and covering it up will achieve the same slowing of the cooling rate without getting your wife so mad or scorching your welding jackets.

 

327 365hp........I can't tell you the exact offset before cutting. must have been 3 1/4" give or take 1/8 ". I took out all I could while leaving the same amount of tire seating area as on the other half. It was real close to 2" maybe 1/8' less.
blue collar stu........It was a junk jacket I used but if I had thought harder about it I would have wrapped it in aluminum foil and then the welding blanket. Now I know about the lime too. Thanks!
Bort63...I hear you but I feel confident that this is a proven method.

 

Are you running tubes, or do you feel confident there are no pinholes?

 

Kev, you are killing it this tech week!

Thanks,