Repairing 1932 Rims

L

Lincolnville

Senior Member
Does anyone repair rims? Looking for someone in the Chicago area but at this point any name/ suggestion is better than nothing. I’m afraid that if I take a hammer to the rim, it will only damage it and maybe push it out of round/true. As you can see the damage is on both sides of the rim.
 

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Does it even spin true to begin with? If you have access to a press is better than hammering on it.There are tools to do just the lip but that damage is beyond that.Maybe find a better wheel.
 
Lincolnville said:
Does anyone repair rims? Looking for someone in the Chicago area but at this point any name/ suggestion is better than nothing. I’m afraid that if I take a hammer to the rim, it will only damage it and maybe push it out of round/true. As you can see the damage is on both sides of the rim.
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528495
 
Find another rim. They are not that rare and probably cheaper than trying to fix the one you have.
 
If it were a great wheel otherwise, it would be worth trying, but judging from your photo, it is not great otherwise or even close.
 
I have straightened many wheels like that. I use a big adjustable wrench to go over the lip and rest on the bead. It only takes a few minutes to get them back straight. It is easy to do and no hammering.
 
Idealy an adjustable three roller fixture would roll out the rim. Wish I had one as 'curb dents' are common in the old wheels and those are being regularly scrapped. Newc
 
As Andy said, a hefty adjustable wrench & carefully placed small bites, usually bends are on the outer most lip, if it extends further inboard it can be more difficult & wrenching it may require deeper bites, I sometimes use a lead balancing weight in addition to the wrench to keep the lip intact & in proper shape, additionally if you have the urge to use a hammer in the process, the lead weight can take the blows without rolling the edge & can especially save the finish on a chrome plated rim.
 
As others have said, a good replacement is not that difficult or expensive to find.
The people who fix wheels are called a Wheelright. I watched one in Seattle straighten a high-end European wheel. He came to our RG meeting and explained how he did things, and I went to his shop and watched him work. Another disappearing trade.
 
If you find another rim practice on that one. Heavy deadblow hammer. Hit on the outside of the dent and work both ends towards the centre. Metal has memory and wants to go back to its original position.
I roll rims on my smooth concrete floor. The way the rim wobbles as it rolls will show you most of the imperfections. The top of the rim will show you the smallest imperfections on the bottom as you roll it. It will wobble with every little dent.
 
Rolling it on the floor will show nothing. Put it on a spindle and use something thats steady as a dial gauge to show where to straighten the rim. A wrench and small hammer will soon have it looking much better.
 
my4dv8 said:
Rolling it on the floor will show nothing. Put it on a spindle and use something thats steady as a dial gauge to show where to straighten the rim. A wrench and small hammer will soon have it looking much better.
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You probably never tried it.
The smallest bend in the flange will present its-self as a wobble.
A quick roll across a level clean floor will show what you have to start with.

I have a truing stand for motorcycle wheels and have build wheels for british bikes , Harley’s and Indians, very rarely had a new rim. It’s best to straighten the flanges best you can before you lace them.
An old rim you think is good might show bend with a quick roll across the floor. (Try it when buying old rims if there is a smooth floor)

Yes a dial indicator is the way to go on a spindle.
Not everyone is going to have a spare spindle and a brake drum laying around. I have one set up with a spindle and wide 5 front brake drum for my wide five rims. I also use the drum to mount wide 5s on balancing machines.
 
So, I decided that I have nothing to lose by trying to fix the flat spots... still have a little more work to go... blue cap points to both areas that have been worked.
 

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You did a good job, now if you can bolt it to the brake drum and spin it to verify the repair. you may see that it needs a bit more tweaking.
 
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