New wheel idea. (pics)

[7T2]

Why isn't there a general forum for wheels and tires? Oh well, Suspension is the next best thing I guess.

Some of you may have seen me talking about this idea in another thread, but here's pictures of the finished product.

My plan was to get a set of the ridiculously cheap Centerline Smoothie wheels, but give them a different treatment so they don't look like everyone elses. When I saw what the appropriate factory hubcaps looked like for a 57 GMC my mission was clear - get those hubcaps on those wheels!

Since I didn't know if I would like them once I got them on there I wasn't too excited about drilling holes into a new set of wheels, no matter how cheap they were, but the idea crossed my mind if I could somehow screw a mount to the hub or something I wouldn't take a chance on ruining the wheels. But how?

Lug nuts.

Yeah! Lug nuts are only $20 a set! I could ruin a whole set and not feel too bad! Maybe they could be drilled and tapped to accept a bolt or something?

During a totally unrelated conversation I stumbled upon the answer: threaded inserts. You use a tool to install these (that my stepdad just happened to have!), and they stay put with compression. They look real similar to the inserts in the top of an air bag. So I got the ones I thought would work and started drilling out the lug nuts to accept them. Made sure there was enough depth for the insert when the lug nut was installed on the stud, and everything checked out. The end result looks like this:



So with that solved, I needed to make a mount that would get screwed on with bolts and hold on the hubcap. I tried a few different designs, but the one I settled on I found by accident:



This was actually intended to be installed facing the other way, but for some reason I decided to put it into the hubcap upside-down and found out it fit perfectly! The aluminum ring actually bottoms out on the face of the hubcap and the clips are exactly where they need to be to hold it in place. Sometimes dumb luck does triumph over expertise!

Since I was now mounting my ring backwards I had to add spacers to space it out from the lug nuts (it was originally going to mount flush on them the other way around, but that was leaving a gap between the wheel and hubcap that wasn't going away). I ended up using some nylon spacers that I found at the hardware store. They are actually quite rigid after everything is tightened up:





The end result almost looks like it was made to be there:



After these photos were taken, I went back and painted the backs of the hubcaps red to match the logos on the front. The way these hubcaps are made they actually cut in about an inch in the back and taper down. Since they're not cheap ($40 a piece) I also wasn't thrilled about the prospect of cutting off the flange on the back so they would sit flush, so I just left it. The result is that the hubcap sits about a half inch above the surface of the wheel at the outer edge. By painting the back lip red, the red is reflected in the polished aluminum of the wheel and kind of makes it look like there is a red trim ring around the hubcap.











I'm really pleased with the end result. For not a ton of money I have something unique that you won't be seeing anywhere else anytime soon. It was kind of labor intensive, but at least I could unbolt everything and sell it if I get tired of it.

[Frizzle Fry]

That is AWESOME!!! I love it!

[MrShelley]

Awesomely original! I love it!

[70stroker]

Looks great. Appears as if it came from the factory. good work

[gringoloco]

I gotta be honest, when I saw your first post regarding drilling and tapping lunuts, I thought . Seeing the end result, it seems your insanity is closer to genius.

Looks great!

[grinch4om]

so cool and ingenious, dude, thinking out side the box, I love it

[bigtruck81]

now that's slick! good work!

[entourageguy]

good job and nice end result....

Brian ..

[pissonNOS]

[QUOTE=gringoloco;2216710]I gotta be honest, when I saw your first post regarding drilling and tapping lunuts, I thought . Seeing the end result, it seems your insanity is closer to genius.

Looks great![/QUOTE
haha ya i thought the same thing about the other post those turned out really nice i like them

[1LoC10]

That is awesome.... good job

[72CSTC5]

DUDE that is freaking amazing!!!!!!! I am speechless that you thought about this

[CG]

Those look really nice. The whole ride is pretty darn cool.

[NONHOG]

Very cool ! how about some details on the inserts and how did you come upon
the spring clips ?
thanks

[AirMale]

Originally Posted by gringoloco

I gotta be honest, when I saw your first post regarding drilling and tapping lunuts, I thought . Seeing the end result, it seems your insanity is closer to genius.

Looks great!

SAME HERE! Very nice work

[7T2]

Originally Posted by NONHOG

Very cool ! how about some details on the inserts and how did you come upon
the spring clips ?
thanks

The inserts are from a company called Marson. Here is the tool I used:

http://www.alcoa.com/fastening_syste...5&prod_id=1077

Harbor Freight sells a similar tool which may work (I didn't try it with these inserts) but I don't recommend getting the inserts from Harbor Freight. The aluminum ones we tried that came from Harbor Freight had the threads pull out just as the tool was getting the insert tight. Again, the HF tool might work, but the inserts don't.

I got the inserts from Fastenal ( http://www.fastenal.com ) in steel for around $1.25 a piece, or $7.50 per wheel. I would recommend seeking out a Marson dealer in your area for the fasteners themselves.

The spring clips are just replacement clips for 55-59 hubcaps. I got them from Classic Parts for $1.50 each. I'm really not sure how they're supposed to mount in a factor application, but they seem to work real well the way I have them pictured. Like I said it was just dumb luck that I figured out they would work that way. It looks like the inside face of the hubcap keeps it from going too far onto the clip and getting stuck. I doubt I could engineer it to fit any better. It just "worked".

[1LoC10]

will this weakin the lugs and make them break though? I really want to do something like this, but not sure about messing with the lugs

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by 1LoC10

will this weakin the lugs and make them brake though? I really want to do something like this, but not sure about messing with the lugs

Look for lugs that are drilled all the way through vs. drilling them yourself.

[n2billet]

Saw this in person @ Columbus, they look great! I asked my buddy: I wonder where he got those made?

[7T2]

Originally Posted by 1LoC10

will this weakin the lugs and make them break though? I really want to do something like this, but not sure about messing with the lugs

I don't think it will be a problem. I'm going to check them out when I get it back home from Columbus, but the part I drilled through turned out to be really thin anyway so I don't think it will affect anything. I think they're just the same as open lug nuts now.

At any rate, I can't see all 20 of them failing at the same time, and if one should fail somehow it should be pretty obvious, as it would be trapped inside the hubcap and rattling around.

[1LoC10]

cool, so when are you going to start making these things to sell...lol

[67Fleet]

I would get a patent and then call Wheel Vintiques and sell them your idea.

[72BlckButy]

Excellent craftsmanship! Definitely thinking outside the box on this idea, but what a beautiful outcome.

[jonzcustomshop]

nice tech thanks!

[dznucks]

have the pics been removed? i see red X's.

[colin_havens]

I can see the pics

But talk about bringing back a thread from the dead...great info and idea though!!!!