DIY wheel widening (1 Viewer)

[firefighterjed]

Welding is done. Have a bunch of spatter and slag to grind off, then off to the powder coater !

 

[firefighterjed]

All cleaned up. Prepping for powder coat.

 

[steffan]

well done - excited to see the finished product

 

[firefighterjed]

After consulting with the powdercoater I used a little JB weld to fill in a couple spots, sanded them smooth and then dropped them off for color!

They’ll be Sky White which will match my bezel and roof.

The Attached pic shows the only wheel that needed more JB Weld then the band butt seam. The band ended up a little proud relative to the rim. So I had to add a little Jb Weld fill to the rim side. After it cured, it sanded smooth and off th the powder coat eta they went!

 

[brian]

Putty and paint makes what the welder aint

 

[firefighterjed]

 

[firefighterjed]

 

[firefighterjed]

Things we’re going great, and I am stoked with how it’s turning out, BUT………..

 

[firefighterjed]

Apparently my powder coating got done on a Friday at 4:30…. Or a Monday morning after a holiday weekend….. bucause four of the 5 wheels cracked and peeled around the lug nuts.

 

[firefighterjed]

So, back to the powder coater we go.

On a positive note, the wheels look great and they held air. No issues with balancing.

Just need a quality cosmetic finish and this project will be done.

 

[B y r o n]

My guess is they didn't blast the wheels before powder coating and the powder coating didn't make a good bond to the old finish.

 

[firefighterjed]

My guess is they didn't blast the wheels before powder coating and the powder coating didn't make a good bond to the old finish.

They were bare metal when I dropped them off. Already sandblasted. The bond between the primer coat and finish coat of powder seems to be where the failure is. I also think the finish coat was too thick.

 

[-MaTTi-]

View attachment 2812491

Why spacers after all of this?

 

[firefighterjed]

Rh

Why spacers after all of this?

The spacers have been in there since I’ve owned it. I’ll take a look at the stance when i finally get the wheels on and make a decision then.

 

[firefighterjed]

Finally finished this wheel widening project. Had to take the wheels to a different powdercoater.

Super pleased with the results.
Top pic has factory suspension with longer shackles, stock 6” wide wagon wheels, and 31x10.5r15 BFG AT
Bottom pic is 2.5” OME shocks springs and shackles from Cruiser Outfitters, OEM Wagon wheels widened to 9” and 33x12.5r15 cooper stt pros.

 

[germaneighter]

They were bare metal when I dropped them off. Already sandblasted. The bond between the primer coat and finish coat of powder seems to be where the failure is. I also think the finish coat was too thick.

I haven't had anything powder coated in years because of the poor quality and/or excessive lead time of local vendors. And I'm certainly no authority but I have never heard of a "primer coat" with powder coating. Is that a thing? I have always understood the powder had to be attracted to the item with an electrical charge. How could it attach to something with paint already on it (unless that paint conducted electricity) like weld-through primer? The yellow-ish base coat doesn't look like it would conduct.

 

[germaneighter]

I also meant to comment that the quality of your widening project looks really nice. The jig is impressive!

 

[firefighterjed]

Primer coat was powder also. Basically just two, or in this case, 3 coats of powder. I think you’re supposed to sand between coats and that didn’t happen. I don’t really know what’s proper. I do know that this was enough of a hassle that I may just paint next time.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Yes. I will post up when I do a set.

Sky is the limit on the 15” wheel outers. Deep dish donk…

15 Inch Wheel Shell, 15 x 14

Whether you’re restoring a vintage circle track car or just need to create a special wheel offset, Speedway offers separate steel wheel centers and shells for building custom wheels. These 15” wheel shells will accept steel centers with 12-5/8” O.D. Strong steel construction for heavy-duty use...

www.speedwaymotors.com

Impressive work on the wheels. They look awesome!

 

[firefighterjed]

It’s probably worth adding that I used JB weld in the seam between the wheel center and the wheel shell. Original JB weld says it tolerates 500 degrees. I mixed and thinned the epoxy with a little acetone and scooped it into a large syringe. Then dispensed it like a caulk gun into the seam. The purpose of this was more than cosmetic. A previous set of wheels I had powder coated has begun to wick rust out of that seam. I wanted to avoid that, and I’m not confident that I could do a visually pleasing welt of that size in all five wheels, so a sealer/filler was necessary.