Demountable Rim Straightening

[Hubert_25-25]

I have 2 rims on my 1925 Buick that could have been damaged by overzealous use of a rim spreader used improperly.  The rims have enough extra bend in them (starting at 90 degrees from the split) that I could not get the bare rim on the wheel.  I spent much of the last couple of days trying to come up with an elegant solution to tweak my demountable rims back to useable condition.  The first photo shows the section of the wheel that is not matching the wheel curvature.  I preferred a cheap fix, but it does take several attempts to not go too far trying to straighten these rims.  You can not put any pressure on the latch, as it is a casting and not very strong.  The 2 metal tie straps make it easy to get the wheel on and off so making multiple small size adjustment attempts was easy to do.  Another option I was given, was to weld the split, get the rim round, then cut the weld.  You can also put curvature into a rim using this method and different sized wood pieces, so mistakes can be corrected.  I also used a pipe wrench and a cheater tube on the handle to take out one small rim dent.  The rims fit well on the car now.   

Hugh

Edited June 20, 2016 by gr8success (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

Innovative fix.

[27donb]

Excellent!  Great info to share.

[dibarlaw]

Hugh:

 Now you can get into a side business. I had the same issues with my 21"rims that someone switched for the 22" ones. The car always had a decided "HOP" so when I had the new tires done at UNIVERSAL near me at Hershey I had asked if they had any source for truing the rims. Answer, NO... I thought my spare would be better but that one turned out to be the worst at over 3/8" out of round. When I tried to get it on the right rear wheel that was the first time I ever knocked a car off a jack stand!  Dave Blaufarb came through with some "rounder" rims for me. The car now has just a bit of a hop. 

[Mark Shaw]

One could also use a shop press with a removable lower beam like this one:  http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-shop-press-33497.html

 

The other issue is reducing the spiral twist that sometimes happens when pulling the rim from the tire. 

I just put the rim in a vice and pull it back in alignment prior to re-installation.

[Hubert_25-25]

Larry,

    I too originally started feeling like I was going to push the car off the jack stand.  If you look at your rims next time they are off, you may be able to remove some of the hop in the rim with this method.  I used a marks a lot on the rim to limit adjustments to small areas.   

 

Mark,

      I thought of these presses at the time, but I was not aware of the easily removeable bottom C channel.  This is a good way to work on these too. 

Hugh

[Brian_Heil]

How about fixing bent rims along the axis of the axle, or wobble as I call it (the previous above condition/solution being out-of-round 'hop').

 

Anyone have any luck with straightening wobble/bent rims?

[Mark Shaw]

Brian,

     That takes a bit more finesse to prevent crushing the channel.  You might try using a bench vice and a pry bar inside a steel pipe.  Clamp one side of the channel in the vice next to the bend.  Slide the pipe over the end of the rim so the end of the pipe is at the bend and use a pry bar inserted into the other end of the pipe to pry against the bend.  Use wood blocks & hose clamps to the to keep the blocks in place to prevent the rim from being crushed by the pipe. 

Edited June 22, 2016 by Mark Shaw (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

On 6/19/2016 at 2:43 AM, Hubert_25-25 said:

 

 

Hugh

I see in the illustration you call for two pieces of flat / angle iron but are only showing one? Should there be one on the other bolt that runs through the 2x4 or ?

 

[Hubert_25-25]

Lamar, 

   You have good eyes.  Yes, there are 2 angle iron pieces, and I somehow neglected to show one.   Hugh. 

[MrEarl]

We'll let you slide this time.

Appreciate your detailed posts, always some good stuff.

[Terry Wiegand]

An out-of-round rim can most generally be brought back to a round condition.  If you have a twisted or bent rim, you might as well haul it to the scrap yard.  It is an almost impossible task to straighten a bent and/or  twisted split rim.  Hugh, you surely have a good sheet metal shop in your area?  If you do, take the rim to them and they can run it through their THREE roller machine.  Ask me how I know this.  I ended up having a new rim made for the spare on my 1920.  It wasn't a cheap proposition at the time.  I think it was around $300.00 and it fits the tire and carrier perfectly.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas