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H2OSB
Samba Member
Joined: April 14, 2013
Posts: 1291
Location: Modesto, CA
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 Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:20 am Post subject: Steel wheel repair |
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Greetings, I'm looking to be pointed to a shop who can restore a single 15x4.5 Lemmerz steel wheel.
When I acquired the wheel, it had an ancient tire on it but was still holding air. It was chromed but the chrome was in very poor condition (rusting badly and flaking). I had a local chrome shop dechrome the wheel with intent of having the wheel powder coated. During the process the wheel was wire wheeled to remove some of the flaky rust. With the rust went some of the steel. For the most part, the structure of the wheel appears to be sound (but what do I know), however, where the valve stem goes is now an oblong hole, about twice the diameter of a typical valve stem. Most of the pitting that can be seen is on the rim of the wheel where it would be inside the tire, and I have no idea if this needs to be addressed, but obviously I would need to have the valve stem hole welded up and redrilled.
Does anyone know of a shop that does this kind of repair for a reasonable cost?
H2OSB |
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slalombuggy
Samba Member
Joined: July 17, 2010
Posts: 9145
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:34 am Post subject: Re: Steel wheel repair |
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Just in case you're not aware. Early VW and Porsche wheels used what is known as a "fat bottom" valve stem it was much bigger than the ones seen on todays automotive wheels. A bit of pitting is OK it's only when you can see major corrosion that will weaken the wheel do you need to worry. Also look along the bead seat on the rim. If it is majorly pitted you will have problems sealing the tire although you could run a tube or use bead sealant to help the tire seal to the rim. A picture of the major rust areas would help a lot. As far as shops. I'm in Canada so can't help although hI have a couple friends who run wheel shops that repair wheels. Look in your local yellow pages under wheels, there should be someone local you can taek it to and have inspected.
brad |
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Mike Fisher
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 17968
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: Steel wheel repair |
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Muffler Shops have good welders!
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H2OSB
Samba Member
Joined: April 14, 2013
Posts: 1291
Location: Modesto, CA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 1:24 pm Post subject: Re: Steel wheel repair |
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| slalombuggy wrote: |
| Just in case you're not aware. Early VW and Porsche wheels used what is known as a "fat bottom" valve stem it was much bigger than the ones seen on todays automotive wheels. |
Thanks for this clarification. I was unaware of that. However, I will say the hole is more oblong than round. I will try to post a picture of the wheel, though I must admit I'm no wiz. 95% of the visible corrosion is right on the center line of the outer wheel. I suspect there was water inside the tire and sat in there for years.
I'm not in any way trying to make this wheel pristine. There is a chance my car would occasionally be in a show or two, so I don't want a rusty piece of s**t sitting there, but in reality I just want a safe wheel to use as a spare. Part of me simply wants to buy one of the several 15x4.5 Porsche steel wheels available on Ebay for $159 shipped, but I got my wheel for $50 so the cheapskate in me wants to try to make it work.
Assuming I can find a shop to clean up the wheel, is it worthwhile to have the hole welded up and redrilled to the smaller, modern valve stem size?
H2OSB |
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H2OSB
Samba Member
Joined: April 14, 2013
Posts: 1291
Location: Modesto, CA
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 4:07 pm Post subject: Re: Steel wheel repair |
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Since my last post, I've learned a lot.
Turns out there IS a wheel repair shop in my city. I took my wheel over and had the guy look at it. Unfortunately, the corrosion around the rim and into the valve stem hole is fatal. The rust is boring into the metal and causing it to separate. Even if all of the corrosion were removed and the metal treated, the metal has become compromised and unsafe.
Fortunately the guy at the shop, who told me it was beyond his skill level to repair, recommended a shop in Stockton, CA called Stockton Wheel, that specializes in that type of repair (and has been in business for 100+ years). Stockton is a 40 minute drive for me. The guy at the first shop confirmed the center part of the wheel is sound and reusable. I called Stockton Wheel and explained the issue. He said they could likely replace the outer rim with a new one for around $120. I can live with that.
Thanks for the input.
H2OSB |
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