The Cal-look Lounge

Let me know if you guys get tired of this kind of stuff. Well to start, I want to clean a couple wheels I picked up on the lounge from dave, And thanks again! Here is a acid I use for cleaning alum before welding and works pretty good for cleaning the growth off old wheels.. I use and keep it ready in a plastic tub I leave it in with a plastic parts cleaning brush. Now I can check them out and get them ready to redrill bolt pattern from porsche to pre 67 vw.

Couple things different that will have to be changed. First wheel has a small spacer cast into wheel lug area that I will machine off. Second wheel is a wheel going on my car and what the first wheel will look like done for my spare in trunk. Well I hope !! And second thing is fill extra set of holes. I am going to plug but have not made my mind up between mag or alum rod. I want to try and keep natural finish.

Now that wheels are clean, Time to get set up on the mill for redrilling hole pattern. And I am no machinest. Any way I made a alum plate that bolt to my degree wheel. First I need to find center. This is a center finder that I use to get center close fast. The way it works is the pointed area move around till the sides line up and then you can dial in if needed. Now I take this old wheel I use for patch peices and bolt on plate. Now move table over and turn degree wheel till lug hole to line up with 3/4 inch endmill to slide into original hole very FREEly! Now That first hole is lined up I can turn the degree wheel for each hole that needs to be drilled. Or if you know from center to first hole, You can move table of mill to hole and then divid How many holes into 360 and that will give you the degree for each hole. Well I hope !!

Now that everything lines up, I can drill new holes in wheel. But first I need to machine off the cast in spacers on face of new wheels so they will bolt to face of plate. Then bolt to drum and hope it fits, May need to machine area in center to clear snout of drum. And I  am going to practice filling holes on donner wheel so I get the right amount of press and dont crack good wheels. Anybody know where to get 3/4 inch round mag rod in the states?

DG,

Did a quick search and came up with this:
http://www.metal-mart.com/main.html
Wonder if they have a minimum?

Good luck ... wheels look great!
Tom

Thanks tom, I will give them a shout !

Thanks for posting!

Metal Marts are great, I have one local in Portland. No minimums and they cut to size at no cost.

Hi Danny What are you going to Do on the Center Section of the Wheel?? it also has to be Machined so it will fit over the Tapper of a VW Drum  maching just the spacers off will no allow the wheel to fit the cone shape tapper of the Drum???

Hi gary, did you read any of what I posted ? I will have to machine center of wheel to clear the snout of drum.

For the 3/4 mag rod you need, why not drill the junk wheel you have with some sort of holesaw to salvage the mag from an original wheel? That way you would have the ferfect composition.

LOL Danny Just Reread your Post Guess I missed it the First time that's what happens when your Blind in one eye and cant see out of the other LOL  ;D ;D

Hey tom they have 250.00 min. And I thought about cutting slugs from donner wheel , Would be the perfect match- patch material. But I need 10- 3/4 inch slugs and there is not enough material to take from wheel. That and its uneven on back side and the hole saws dont cut that round and it would be hard to hold and turn round on lathe. And a hole saw has pilot drill that would need to fill.

  I bet someone out there has a wide five OG empi and all they need is 1 more porsche pattern to make a set.......

Hi jason, There universal now, Will fit both porsche and vw.Need material to fill holes and will be done. Funny that you said something about someone needing a spare porsche wheel. Last night about 2-3 hours after drilling new holes , I got a phone call wanting to know if I would sell one of the wheels.

Figures.  They weren't going to call until you drilled it!

I need TOOLS ! (and learn, learn, learn).

Got lucky again! Never claimed to be a machinst and makes me nervious doing this kind of stuff. Well here is the first universal empi wheel , Untill plugged !

Cool Danny!
I had an NOS set a few years ago and never could make up my mind just what to do with them.. so I sold 'em! :D
Can't wait to see how they turn out..
 

Hey Danny, you should have just made a slot from 5/130 to 5/205, then it would truly be universal and fit ANY 5 lug  wheel pattern ;D

I was praying my math was right, Or they would have looked like that. God knows I should have spent more time in the class room.