cruisedeisel
Toyota's for life
Nice 1st attempt.
38" Swampers + ProComp Wheels + DIY Beadlocks (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter woytovich
- Start date
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cruisedeisel
Toyota's for life
FYI: Welding with a mig and a little bit of wind will create pin holes in your welds which will lead to leaks.
Yea I had the same issues with leaks. Had the tires off 2 more times to track down leaks and still leaked. Got heavy duty tubes off eBay 25.00 a piece. Been about 2 years since and works great. Here I am recently at 5psi...
View attachment 1548353
View attachment 1548353
I believe it takes very little pressure for the tube to stretch to the point it contacts and conforms to the tire carcass. I have had the tubes for about 2 years now and they have seen a fair amount of trail use including moab. If a tube does get a tear in it then you still have the tire carcass itself to prevent air leakage except for any pinhole leak in the bead lock ring which may slowly leak out. I coated the tubes with talcum powder b4 installing to help it slip initially into place as I installed it as a trick I found online from bicyclists and how they install tubes. The first 2 tubes ended up tearing though. I found out that with a new tube in a tire, you have to air it up to like 10psi first initially, then pull the valve stem core and let it deflate, reinstall core, then fill it to normal pressure. If this is not done then the tube can get a pinch in it and it will tear at full pressure. I found the tubes on ebay, they are agricultural tubes and are pretty thick(1/8" or so). I expect that at some point the tubes will wear out, but Im not really sure. If so I'll just install some new ones.
Why don't you use soap bubbles to see where the leaks are before you break them down? Could be that you need to re-torque the bolts.
Sorry, missed that. Bummer. Cool idea, but it seems like fully welding is the way to go.
- Thread starter
- #50
I will try to see what the actual failure was. Yes, fully welding without pinholes would be a great solution. I was/am hoping that "my" method would/can result in a "better" solution... but that is not working out so well yet. R&D is a bitch.
- Thread starter
- #51
Well, pulled one ring off and am attempting a re-seal at the gap with RTV this time. A second wheel underwent inspection and it seems the only leak I could see was.... the valve stem. I tightened it up and aired the tire back up... will check again tomorrow - fingers crossed.
- Thread starter
- #52
So I added a thin layer of black RTV over the "gap" between the welded on ring and the wheel lip, let it sit overnight then bolted the ring back down. After 20 hours or so the redone wheel seems to be holding air.
If it continues holding I'm going to redo the other wheels this weekend.
If it continues holding I'm going to redo the other wheels this weekend.
- Thread starter
- #54
Update: the original goop I tried to use did not seem to want to work as I intended.
I have since replaced it with Ultra Black RTV from Permatex.
I scraped out the old goop from the groove between the wheel lip and the welded on ring, cleaned well with mineral spirits and a little wire brush, let dry and them applied RTV making an effort to push it down into the groove with my finger tip. After going around once trying to get the RTV deep down into the groove I went around again and "topped off" the groove, trying to not leave any excess RTV above the flat plane of the ring. I let that cure overnight.
Then just before bolting the ring back down I applied a schmear of RTV to the underside of the bead where it'll rest on the welded on ring. I then bolted it down promptly and aired up to 30psi. I am concerned that if the last "wet" RTV were allowed to cure before airing up the tire that when the tire was inflated the expansion of the tire right at the bead might want to pull the RTV out of the groove - if you know what I mean.
I have done this on 3 tires so far and they are holding pressure at 100% - no leaks. Time will tell if that changes after time and/or use.
I have since replaced it with Ultra Black RTV from Permatex.
I scraped out the old goop from the groove between the wheel lip and the welded on ring, cleaned well with mineral spirits and a little wire brush, let dry and them applied RTV making an effort to push it down into the groove with my finger tip. After going around once trying to get the RTV deep down into the groove I went around again and "topped off" the groove, trying to not leave any excess RTV above the flat plane of the ring. I let that cure overnight.
Then just before bolting the ring back down I applied a schmear of RTV to the underside of the bead where it'll rest on the welded on ring. I then bolted it down promptly and aired up to 30psi. I am concerned that if the last "wet" RTV were allowed to cure before airing up the tire that when the tire was inflated the expansion of the tire right at the bead might want to pull the RTV out of the groove - if you know what I mean.
I have done this on 3 tires so far and they are holding pressure at 100% - no leaks. Time will tell if that changes after time and/or use.
Given the multiple attempts to seal the rims, I would not recommend attempting this path moving forward. I feel like you're always going to be chasing leaks. Fully weld the rings (inside or outside, doesn't seem to matter) and be done with it.
- Thread starter
- #56
I would agree with you if I had not heard multiple reports of fully welded (obviously not) wheels leaking. This seems to be a regular occurrence and I was hoping to come up with a viable alternative.
As far as the "multiple attempts"... that what you get with R&D. I have no problem with that part of this.
I will report back on long-term viability with this method.
As far as the "multiple attempts"... that what you get with R&D. I have no problem with that part of this.
I will report back on long-term viability with this method.
It's a regular occurrence because people who do DIY beadlocks skip prep, or don't know how to weld properly 
