Anyone ever weld A wheel?

iverson

iverson

Senior Member
I greesed the front wheel bearings on our 28 today and noticed two cracks on one wheel is welding a good idea? Or should I just make it a spare? All the others look ok
 

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It can be welded. I'd V the crack and get full penetration of the weld. I've seen several welded cracks like that.
 
I would buy another - used wheels are easy to come by. Unless you are a very proficient welder it would cost more to have it welded then to buy another.
 
I mig welded a crack similar to that one in the picture. Ground it smooth & shot it the orange paint and has been fine for years. I think I also ran a small bead in the inside also.
 
I'd weld it (TIG or MIG, Not stick) and watch that wheel for future cracks. Whenever something fails/cracks I wonder why it was at that place and not somewhere else. Was it a long time stress crack? Or was it a one time only event, say a bad bump or hole? Or was it something that happened when the wheel was off the car?
Terry
 
do like Tom said, but do all the grinding and welding on the back side. if you V it out right and weld it with 100% penetration you will have very little clean up on the outside of the wheel.
 
It may be overkill, but after making a "V" cut as Tom suggested, I preheat the weld with a gas welding torch, then TIG weld inside and out, then post heat to insure there will be no cracking during cooldown. Grind the outside of the weld smooth and refinish the wheel. I have had no further cracking after the repair.

Gar Williams
 
Drill a hole at the end of the crack, V it out inside and out then take it to a good TIG welder. When he is finished file the bead smooth and refinish the wheel. Bob
 
Mike V. Florida said:
28's in good condition especially early 28's, not so easy to find as 30-31's.
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Mike,
I'm glad you mentioned the EARLY '28 wheels. They're ONE of a kind & WON'T fit the later "B" hubs. The inside contours & dimensions ARE different. Using them on the wrong hubs will cause cracks in them.
I have 5 of them, that I can't use on my ' 29. They're Beautiful BLACK, with GREAT Firestone Blackwall tires/Original hub caps/ 23 new lug nuts & ready to just pop on the car. (See my SWAP MEET Ad)
Bill W.
 
If you do weld it, be sure that the weld bead does not interfere with the drum. A high bead could cause the wheel to distort when thightened down.
 
Thank you all for the good advice but after looking closer at the wheel I see the lug holes are wallowed out and the wheel was really wearing into drum even with the lugs tight! The wheel and hubcap I believe is original to the car and the very old Allstate tire still holds air so I hung it as a spare. I am going to put four new tires on soon so it will work fine for that. Funny I checked to make sure all the lugs were tight before putting car on the road and I have been throwing the car around corners harder than I would have if I had tires on it I cared about!
 

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Roadster62 has it right. Drill out the end of the crack. If you don't you can chase the crack until it becomes a longer and longer crack to repair. I am a welder and have done many of these. A good tig weld with full penetration, followed up with careful grinding, will work just fine. Good luck.
 
iverson said:
Thank you all for the good advice but after looking closer at the wheel I see the lug holes are wallowed out and the wheel was really wearing into drum even with the lugs tight! The wheel and hubcap I believe is original to the car and the very old Allstate tire still holds air so I hung it as a spare. I am going to put four new tires on soon so it will work fine for that. Funny I checked to make sure all the lugs were tight before putting car on the road and I have been throwing the car around corners harder than I would have if I had tires on it I cared about!
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Just throwing it out there, I have no idea if it is feasible, but since the crack would need to be welded could one use the lug nut washers and weld them in place to repair the wallowed out holes?
 
After it is welded the weld should be ground down so the bead is not proud of the surface.If it is left up as a bead,as it flexes it will crack at the junction of the bead and the original surface.On something like a truck frame,that is very important,with the flexing of the frames grossing 100,000 pounds.On something like a wheel it may not be an issue at all.I have a couple that I ground the outside down but left the bead on the inside.I also have some wheels that were redone by folks that didn't check the lug holes first,and found them wallowed out after painting.I used them on my own truck with the washers,been on there since the mid 90's.So far,so good.
 
iverson said:
Thank you all for the good advice but after looking closer at the wheel I see the lug holes are wallowed out and the wheel was really wearing into drum even with the lugs tight! The wheel and hubcap I believe is original to the car and the very old Allstate tire still holds air so I hung it as a spare. I am going to put four new tires on soon so it will work fine for that. Funny I checked to make sure all the lugs were tight before putting car on the road and I have been throwing the car around corners harder than I would have if I had tires on it I cared about!
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If in question you think the wheel holes are washed, take a lug nut and put to each hole and see if it extends thru the wheel, if so the wheel will never tighten to the hub. When I go to swap meets I put a lug nut in my pocket to check the holes.
 
iverson said:
Thank you all for the good advice but after looking closer at the wheel I see the lug holes are wallowed out and the wheel was really wearing into drum even with the lugs tight! The wheel and hubcap I believe is original to the car and the very old Allstate tire still holds air so I hung it as a spare. I am going to put four new tires on soon so it will work fine for that. Funny I checked to make sure all the lugs were tight before putting car on the road and I have been throwing the car around corners harder than I would have if I had tires on it I cared about!
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Given the information in Bill Williamson's post , and that you believe the wheel is original to your car, is there a possibility it has cracked because the brake drum /hub (to which this wheel was fitted) has been replaced with the incorrect later part?
 
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