Hot Rods Has anyone ever had custom aluminum wheels made?

I would like to have a set of wheels that to my knowledge has never been made, and I am curious if anyone here has ever worked with a custom wheel manufacture, or foundry, or ? to have some made? I realize this wouldn't be inexpensive, and I would be prepared to buy a bunch of them to offset cost, then sell the leftovers? Or, maybe find someone who can machine them from a solid block and just do a couple ?

I saw that ET/ Team III says they do custom stuff on their website, but I have tried to reach out to them by phone and email, and gotten no response.

Basically what I want is a traditional straight spoke "Torq Thrust" looking wheel, with a 5 screw attached center cap, but in 16"x 4.5" or 16"x5"

 

https://www.evodindustries.com/wheels

 

There a number of high end machine shops around the country that have the ability to design and machine what you want. Takes a dam big chunk of aluminum and a deep pocket book to make it happen.

 

These Sebring wheels were built by Phil Schmidt when he owned P.S. Engineering, now called Vintage Wheel Works.
They are two piece, I was able to custom spec. the center location for my needs.

 

Do you have a tire picked out? Tire selection in 16" isn't great.

As far as wheel selection goes, unfortunately Vintage Wheel Works was bought out by Coker and I don't know if they will actually start production again or not. The V40 and V45 series 16s were a cast one piece that would have a proper vintage look, they are out there, you could buy some 7s or 8s and have them narrowed.

 

I wish I could still buy Vintage Wheel Works wheels ! I have a pair of 16x7, and the spoke shape and size is great, but they would have to be narrowed both front and back to keep them looking right, and that would be pretty tough. I have a pair of ET 16x8 also, and while I like the shape and girth of the spokes for a rear wheel, its a bit "heavy" looking for what I'm looking for in a front wheel. I have a few pairs of TTO 15"x5" and they are a good looking front wheel, but I would really like a 16"

 

Those Sebring wheels look great !

 

Do you have a few thousand dollars to spend on each wheel?

 

Is it Curtis Speed that makes one offs?!? He was the machinist at Coddingtons’ and has his own wheel shop now.

 

Yep.
For some reason I was thinking he was Evod wheels.

 

Some of the high end builders like Foose and Kindig, design their own wheels, so why couldn't you find out which wheel company does it for them. In an age of CAD design you should be able to work with them.

 

Might be worth a call to Wheelsmith. They don’t show exactly what you’re looking for, but it would still be worth a phone call. They’re just south of Riverside CA, not exactly next door but at least west coast. They’ve done custom stuff in the past.

https://thewheelsmith.net/

 

That’s what Mike Curtis and a few others do.
A friend of mine sent his cad file to I think Curtis and got a killer looking set of wheels.
Machine work was outstanding.
One method would be to have the wheel you want to copy sent to the machinist with dimensions needed.
The old wheel gets scanned and modifications made in CAD

 

American racing shows a 15 x 5.5. I'd imagine it would be that price again to narrow it per the thread on narrowing aluminum wheels though. If there is enough meat on the back side to do it properly.

 

Many custom wheels are not machined from a solid block of aluminum.

Many are made from pre-prepared one-piece wheel blanks, or are bolted together from a custom centered, and premade rim valves.

I have not seen many wheel blanks that narrow, and many simply don't have enough metal in the center to allow the full spoke profile to be produced. Typical web thickness are as thin and 3/4".

It would be a challenge to find a combination of wheel parts to make a bolt together wheel that narrow, and the design would have to hide the fasteners. That constrains design options.

While it is possible to machine one out of a solid forged billet, the materials alone are fairly costly.

Most shops I know of charge by the hour for scan time, CAD work, and what we call spindle-hours.

This is why machining a wheel center, or a premade wheel blanks will always be less expensive than machining a raw forged billet.

Any and all of this can be done, it is just a matter of budget.

Billet blocks are not hard to get.

Wheel blanks are not, either.

Wheel parts are also not hard to obtain.

None are exactly inexpensive.

If you want USA made parts, there is a premium.

 

We had another set made that the company only machined the center.
Fit to their pre made hoops

 

In February EVOD said on their Facebook page custom wheels start at around $2500 a piece and were about 8 weeks lead time.

 

Is there such a thing as a metal 3D printer?

 

I had Mike Curtis make me a pair of 15x4 wheels to match my 18x5 Divco type wheels, They are Billet,Had them powder coated Black to look light steel wheels, He did a Excellent job

 

Yes, it uses laser sintering and a powdered form of the base metal desired.

 

Yes, but they cost as much as an average US home.

 

Well. There ya go. learned something again today. This site has the answers without the aid of Google. But @coreythompsonhm could they withstand the forces of a modern wheel, IE cornering at speed Etc.?

@wildwest How deep are your pockets? New business venture to re-coup your initial outlay?

 

There is also a relatively new process which adds beads of weld, effectively. The finish is what you'd expect it to be, so machining will be needed, but strength is apparently comparable to forging.

 

Not that deep ! I wish I could get in contact with a wheel manufacture, I would have a bunch made and re-sell the extras if it got a mold or form or whatever you cast wheels in made, and it think it would be a really sellable size, especially now that there are a wide variety of reproduction bias-ply and bias-look radials being made in 16". I really think it would be the perfect front wheel for a 32-34 highboy

 

I'd see about having centers made.

Those could be static designs, CAD adjustable for hoop diameter.

Those could then be welded into premade hoops, or bolted into rim halves.

Fit snugly into the outside of an outer rim half, and bolted from behind would disguise the three-piece nature of the assembly.

For something that narrow, a forged wheel blanks may not exist.

This would leave you buying a forged billet blocks, and paying for a whole lot more machine time.

 

Keep trying with ET/Team III.

They are not all that big of a shop, and don't have a whole lot of people to take phone calls.

They are good people, just busy.

If you can't get through, I can drive over and ask them.

They are one town over from a facility I am building.

 

I had E/T make 1 inch back spacing .

 

Can you settle for a 7.00 Firestone on a narrowed 17"x7" TTO wheel?

 

I haven’t a clue. We are using the technology in aerospace for some complex parts, but I am not in that division so no clue on what its capabilities are with loads and stresses. As mentioned above, one of the NC welding processes may be better for strength under those loads.

 

^^^Thank you for the response Sir. One of those things like Quantum Physics. Inquiring mind.