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Wheel repair...Flat spot edition.

Lilyota

Lilyota

RIP 7/22/2023
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
26
Messages
1,221
Loc
Bolivar MO
Picked up a set of FST wheels have always liked them since the first time I saw them.

Got them for a good price, they are off of an ultra 4 rig and one of them has a flat spot on the inside.

I started working with the one wheel today. Built a block for the inside if the wheel as to spread out the load and started pushing on the flat spot with a bottle jack.


Here and there but with no teal results.

the wheel isn't broken or cracked and I would like to keep things that way.


What are the thought's on applying some heat.

Will it change the structure of the aluminium/ weaken it?

Has anyone tried fixing a wheel before?

Am I wasting my time and should I just put the tire on it and leave it in the rear axle.

Pics incoming.
 
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I had a bmw wheel dented like that and my maniac ass smacked it with a sledgehammer it cracked. So don't do that.
 
I'd run it as is, but I've seen some fucked up wheels fixed by russians on youtube. they use heat to avoid the cracking.
 
I ended up pushing on it with the 12T bottle jack till I couldn't hold it..


Not to say someone else wouldn't break the wheel.

But I treated it like it didn't really matter.


Kinda pushing in the middle anf the beginning of the flat spot at each end.


This rig doesn't get driven on the street so there is that factor...



But it looks like a bit of patients and the right tools a guy can get it back into shape a bit.


I'm sure if I spent a bunch more time on it, it would be road worthy but I personally am not super worried about that.
 
Ya cant get em anymore unless you buy em used.


They're pretty decent strength wise and they don't have the same spoke pattern as everybody else
 
I prefer more of a more of a mag style wheel.

Call me nostalgic :rolleyes:

The Racelines are ok

I have a set on the rig now but ever since I saw these I've been looking for a set.


They are kinda like Bills knuckles in my opinion...


Burned out way before their time.
 
Look like the BTR wheels that Eric Miller used to run on his U4 car. Same company?

Definitely a nice looking wheel. :smokin:


Racelines are :barf:
 
A Raceline would have likely broke with that I started out with with this wheel.
 
The thread was mostly for the tech I suppose.


I knew I wasn't gonna bang it out with a hammer alone.

I took a 4x6 block and cut it to the radius of the wheel to spread the load to avoid the jack bending the other side of the wheel and used my disc sander to get the correct angle on the radius.

I had nothing to lose because I still have my other set of wheels.

I started out gently with no results...


I was finally like "screw it" and just went for it.
 
The BTR wheels look sweet.


More of what I would like.

I'll have to pop in there periodically.
 
Once upon a time I was flat broke, and had a bent and cracked discontinued wheel, I used a unit bearing in a big vice as a turntable and used a torch to heat it and hammered straight

took it to a friend who tig welded it and advised me to not run it on the street, but it did just fine until i downsized to 37s, they were 18s with 42s on a BGTL truck.
 
Are they forged or cast?

If forged you could probably beat on them. I know a guy who used to run forged enkeys back in the day and they had been hammered out quite a few times. :laughing:
 
didn't read thread, anneal it first, then hammer it straight, then anneal it again
you will crack most aluminum wheels trying to straighten them without annealing them

best way I've found is to roll the bare wheel on concrete (or whatever) while looking down the line of the beads for lumps, then use a 3lb hammer
 
[486 said:
;n206368]didn't read thread, anneal it first, then hammer it straight, then anneal it again
you will crack most aluminum wheels trying to straighten them without annealing them

best way I've found is to roll the bare wheel on concrete (or whatever) while looking down the line of the beads for lumps, then use a 3lb hammer
Click to expand...





I was worried about heating it as I don't know much about aluminium.

If the tire has to come back off the will I will reassess it at that point.

For now I'll go with it.

Thanks for the input though.










As of right now I am not even real crazy about everything because it looks like I am gonna at least need some spacers in the back to get the tires away from the shocks.
 
My grandpa ran a tire and wheel shop and used to fix alloy wheels in the 70s and 80s by heating them in an oven first, then hammering or welding as needed, and then finally throwing them back in the oven to cool gradually. He did quite a few and none of them came back.

Not sure that it is a helpful anecdote but it's all I got :laughing:
 
Heat is standard when bending back aluminum rims. If that were my rim I'd heat it up in the oven until it's 500deg and try again with the bottle jack.

Click image for larger version Name: The-temperature-dependence-of-the-YS-of-aluminum-alloys-7075-T6-2618-T6-and-2219-T6.png Views: 0 Size: 6.9 KB ID: 206470
 
Lil said:
Picked up a set of FST wheels have always liked them since the first time I saw them.

Got them for a good price, they are off of an ultra 4 rig and one of them has a flat spot on the inside.

I started working with the one wheel today. Built a block for the inside if the wheel as to spread out the load and started pushing on the flat spot with a bottle jack.


Here and there but with no teal results.

the wheel isn't broken or cracked and I would like to keep things that way.


What are the thought's on applying some heat.

Will it change the structure of the aluminium/ weaken it?

Has anyone tried fixing a wheel before?

Am I wasting my time and should I just put the tire on it and leave it in the rear axle.

Pics incoming.
Click to expand...

A little heat won't hurt it. Had to do the same thing with a raceline and its still going strong.
 
Lil said:
I was worried about heating it as I don't know much about aluminium.

If the tire has to come back off the will I will reassess it at that point.

For now I'll go with it.

Thanks for the input though.
Click to expand...

yeah, "straight enough" is generally more than good esp with a big meaty fucker that ain't gonna ride nice anyways. Ain't like you're expecting them to roll smooth at 80.

common practice is to coat the alu with soot from an acetylene flame, then gently heat the back side until the soot burns off in open air. You run the torch flame over the side with the soot and it'll burn off immediately.
I've also used sharpie marker marks, but I don't know what temperature they burn off at.

iirc most commonly used alloys of alu will age harden back up near full strength within a week after the anneal

ETA: and yeah, don't heat it with the tire on it, they explode real good
 
Lil said:
I was worried about heating it as I don't know much about aluminium.

If the tire has to come back off the will I will reassess it at that point.

For now I'll go with it.

Thanks for the input though.










As of right now I am not even real crazy about everything because it looks like I am gonna at least need some spacers in the back to get the tires away from the shocks.
Click to expand...

I have a pair 1 1/4 aluminum spacers I'll send ya for 50 bucks. Also have 2 pairs of 2 1/2 spacers. 8x6.5
Pm if your interested
 
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