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Wheel prep for radials


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Between the eight 16” rims I have, I have selected four that match and appear to be in the best shape. No welds, major bent areas, etc. That said, there is a fair amount of rust and pitting and they definitely need some prep work. After reading previous posts regarding wheel paint colors and tire options, I am leaning towards tubeless radials. That said, I haven’t seen reports of slow leaks through the riveted portion in the middle of the wheel. I considered having them sand blasted and powder coated, but that would be expensive, limit the color options, and might be prone to chipping, especially during tire mounting. My other consideration was to apply POR-15 on the inside of the wheel (after appropriate prep) and then I could paint the exterior of the wheel however I saw fit. I suppose I could also put a tube in the radial if leakage occurs. The real concern is how best to “seal” the rivets for a tubeless application, but I am also open to other discussion items.

6B273AB2-1782-4E2D-83B8-6E0A18708FB3.jpeg

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I do not recall anyone having this problem, of the ones I went modern with tubeless also no leaks....most are concerned about the area of the valve..is this hole large, small or oval,...getting the right seal here is usually the prime concern.  watch for weak metal due to thinning of this hole surface at the edges due to rust over the ages....do not go extreme on the width of new tires of radial design due to the large side bulge and need for truly a bit larger rim width to support this....

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To sort of second what Plymouthy Adams said...when I had my tires mounted the tire guy put what he called "Truck valves" on my wheels.  Basically metal valves with nuts instead of the standard rubber to help seal the area around the valve.  Hopefully this pictures shows better than I describe.

 

Paint detail hubcap (2).jpg

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The four I’ve got that match appear to be the safety rims, I think, based on the description (vs. snow tire rims). I do have what appears to be a snow tire rim and one that has been welded all the way around that I wasn’t going to use. The valve stem holes measure 0.62 inches on all of them and are round without much rust. I was going to have the truck valves put on for stems and am looking at 215/85 R 16 based on the multiple previous discussions. Attached another view of the rim for consideration. Thanks for all the info.

1BFD98AE-2D7F-42ED-8B03-569536193B4F.jpeg

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I would sandblast and check for thin spots for sure, and Por 15 is a great idea for inside the rim, but just be careful where the bead edge meets the tire, as a run or bubble could be enough to cause a slow leak later on.

 

if you want really strong paint, sneak them into the house after a few coats and bake them in the oven.....only to be done by single men, and those who are planning to be ?, but a good friend of mine did it, and it makes the paint a lot less prone to easy scrapes 

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1 hour ago, NiftyFifty said:

If you want really strong paint, sneak them into the house after a few coats and bake them in the oven.....only to be done by single men, and those who are planning to be ?, but a good friend of mine did it, and it makes the paint a lot less prone to easy scrapes 

 

I did that with my exhaust manifold one weekend when my wife was gone, thinking that any evidence of my painting activity would have dissipated prior to her return. I was wrong. She is still here, but I am no longer allowed to bring any work near the house. ?

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3 minutes ago, Vet Doc said:

 

I did that with my exhaust manifold one weekend when my wife was gone, thinking that any evidence of my painting activity would have dissipated prior to her return. I was wrong. She is still here, but I am no longer allowed to bring any work near the house. ?

 

I would have sacrificed some onions and /or maybe a chicken in the oven, properly charred, before she came home.

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  • 1 month later...

Between the eight 16 inch wheels I have for the B1B, I narrowed it down to five for use. The three I opted not to use were bent, welded, and generally unsafe. Of the remaining five, two are 4 1/2 inches wide and three are 4 inches wide, measured on the inside of the wheel. One of the 4 inchers appears to be a “safety” wheel design.

 

i admit I didn’t check the width prior to sandblasting and realized it when I went to finish prepping for painting. I was planning on 215/85 R16 tires, using the safety wheel as the spare. Any thoughts or suggestions of which wheels should be mounted on front vs. rear?

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Just be sure to warn whoever mounts your tires that they are different widths. I had 4, 4” wide wheels, and 1, 4 1/2” wide wheel. The worker carefully set his mounting machine to one of the 4” wheels thinking they were all the same. When he mounted the tire on the wider rim it took all the new paint off the edge of the rim. 

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I faced similar issues on my 16" rims when I went to radials, rims were in bad shape and varied from wheel to wheel. So I bought new 16" rims at $115.00 each from Summit, plus $25.00 each to powder coat. Only draw back is no clips for the original center caps and cost more than sandblasting and painting. I suppose you could put clips on them.

 

-Roland

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