Technical CHROME REVERSE, HELP NEEDED

That was my assumption, that they were just trying to limit their liability.

 

It looks as if most of their products are for agriculture use which is not intended for highway speeds. Also I mentioned earlier the ID of the shell is smaller that that of Kelsey Hayes, and custom machine work will be needed to mate the center and shell...

 

I wouldn't be able to sleep nights! The only time I can bear non matching wheels is when the difference is vast and on purposeful (ie drag tires on slots or steel and front runners on skinny Cragars like pictured above)

That would be miserable! Now Brown beer and golf all day, sign me up!

These don't have centers so mounting them to the house would be a task. I could use a hose hanger but then the wheel is just a poser isn't it?

Maybe to much liability to cert them for road use? Welder isn't certified? I get it when mufflers are not road legal or driving lights but wheels? It cant be that they're not round otherwise Coker would have the same disclaimer.

 

Laughed at “It cant be that they're not round otherwise Coker would have the same disclaimer.”

 

Glad you got it handled, and as an aside, I found a front wheel source for my Tractor. Power of the HAMB indeed!

 

Soooo Bandit Billy, how did you remove the centers from the hoops without destroying either??.....( we could also call the " hoops" " rims" and the complete unit of " rim" and " center" a " WHEEL " but that just opens up a can of worms!!)

 

We shall, for the purpose of this tutorial, leave the above mentioned can of worms tightly sealed and left on the shelf in the HAMB pantry alongside a partially eaten bag of "dizzy" crisps.

Ancient man built the wheel, modern man perfected it and clad it in rubber (sans white letters of course) but it requires a gear head to destroy all of that progress and hot rod it. Requiring less effort that chiseling a stone center out of a granite smoothie, my technique required only a cut off wheel (less the guard so it would fit in the wheel and allow me to see what I was doing), plus full face and ear protection.

I am no stranger to cutting up brand new goods and upon occasion all I managed to create was shiny refuse. Working as fast as possible (since I haven't any patience at all) I cut the welds as close to the center flange as possible, basically cutting a straight line between the flared edges of the wheel vents. In the visual aid attached below you can observe the masterful stack of pesos on the right and on the left hand side of the picture, barely visible is a completed cut.

I ran the blade through the cut until I could see the edge of the rim, a hairline separation evidently caused by a weld that didn't penetrate the hoop at this point but merely lay on the surface. That is not really a good thing but it did make disassembly rather simple.

I failed to take pictures of the next bit as my hands were rather occupied, one with a 5 pound hammer which I named Mjoldsnir. A sort of tribute to both the god of thunder and the tool used most when rebuilding my 442 decades ago. In the other hand a 14" long, 1" diameter brass drift (no name sadly) that I use to weld up firewall holes and such though this day it was a heavy punch that would not hurt harm the wheel center...in theory.

I laid the wheel on its face on the concrete floor of the shop and drove the center out the front of the hoop with evenly spaced blows from Mjoldsnir and the Drifter (new name). It was more difficult that it sounds as the fit was rather tight and it was dragging a bit of weld with it in spots. Once liberated from it's non-reversed steel shroud I dressed the centers slightly with an air grinder prior to packaging.

I had worked up a mighty thirst only a Norse god could comprehend so a tall grog (Crown and Coke) did both slake my dryness and rinse the bits of metal down my throat that I had inhaled. And my wife wonders why there are rust stains the lavatory.

 

Damn it you guys. I had a real hankerin' to open THAT (wheel) can of worms...again. Maybe I can find something else in the HAMB Pantry to get folks fired up

 

Wheelsmith received the centers 2 weeks ago yesterday, today the fed-ex truck dropped them back off. 15X7 chrome reverse wheels with a minimum 2.25" backspace. I cannot believe it took 5 months of waiting on Wheel Vintiques to perform when all I needed to do was chop up some brand new wheels and get some real help from Rex at Wheelsmith. Thanks Rex! And thanks @Moriarity for the idea. Out of destruction comes rebirth.

Nice welding out back...

Deep reverse out front. Chrome is perfect.

These reverse hoops are sweet looking. One has to wonder if the Wheelsmith might have made a copy or two off those centers I sent him. I guess we will know if he starts offering vented wheels next season.

Off to the tire store to have those auburns mounted up finally and the all important (and months overdue) test fit on the truck.

 

Right on!..about time, I know it's been holding you up.

 

Ain't the HAMB great!

 

Still a better looking wheel than any displayed in my local tire store.

 

Wait till you see it mounted with its wide white and spider cap!

 

Mmmm, pie crust

 

Big sugar donut!

 

Off with the Old(s) ,

On with the new,

Nice back spacing, plenty of clearance,

Fills the fenders damn near perfect!

Rubber rake, almost 5" diameter difference front to back, I'm thinking the front needs to drop an inch still but I'll wait until the hood and bumpers are on to make that decision.

I love chrome reverse wheels and even though it was a ginormous hassle, took nearly 6 months to get right, had to cut up a brand new pair of wheels and in the end paid $400 each for the rears...it was all worth it the moment I let the jack down. On to body and paint! If you want to follow along go to https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/yeah-its-got-a-hemi-41-shop-truck.1112750/

 

Sweet. I’m glad you got this worked out. Those look absolutely gorgeous.

 

Looks great!

 

Yes

 

Perseverance paid off.

 

Perfect!
Have to do something similar for mine.

 

It generally does. Once I get an idea in my head it is hard to go any other route. I needed those wheels!

Knowing now how to go about it I wish I had done this months ago. It would have saved a lot of frustration and my build would be on track.