Triumphrat

leylandauto

My rear wheel appears to be pretty true side to side but is out of round at the valve stem side. Maybe 1/4". Is this beyond reasonable repair? Not adverse to challenge. If not, I am in the market for an 18" conical rear wheel for a '71 Bonneville. All conical years or what years do I need to stay away from?

Snakeoil

All depends if it is runout due to spoke tension/adjustment or if it is a bent rim from hitting something.

Bent rims can be straightened. They even made a tool that would do it with the wheel assembled. My friend Lance has one. Not sure how well they work.

If you have a 1/4 inch inward bent portion, then you'll either need to get it straightened or lace up a new rim to your hub.

regards,
Rob

leylandauto

The cheapa** in me now has thoughts running through my head like "how about I slacked the spokes on the affected side, Apply incremental outward force (via pneumatic/hydraulic ramset) and then retighten spokes. Might have to over shoot a bit? Obviously, I have watched too much of the Red Green Show.

Snakeoil

Duct tape. Build up the low spot with duct tape and paint the rest of the rim with silver paint so the duct tape blends in.

If women don't find you handsome, at least they can find you handy.

regards,
Rob

1963wak

slackening the spokes and hitting it is how you should do it .

daturat100r

Try truing it up before hitting anything unless its a very sharp edged "dent" requiring replacement,if it gradually comes out of true and back again could just require a bit of spoke loosening and retrue

Snakeoil

If the dent is inward toward the hub and it is a deformation of the rim and just not out of true, then 63wak is not wrong that you could potentially straighten it with a good whack. But, and it's a big but, you need to use something like a rawhide mallet or a dead blow mallet, your swing needs to be true and you need to hit it in the right spot. I don't recommend this method if you have never done it before.

I have a '47 knuck rim that got bent by the original owner and he took a steel hammer to it. He mashed two nipples and beat the daylights out of an original chrome upgrade rim. It could have been straigtened in a press with the proper tools but his handywork made it into a wall hanger. That rim is another reason why I think tools, especially hammers, pipe wrenches, and vise-grips should be licensed.

regards,
Rob

leylandauto

I do not see any obvious dents in the rim where the issue is. I will not yet replace the rim and hope it can be salvaged in the shop this winter. I will look at it more after I move it to my friend's shop where I can finish the project.

Snakeoil

I'm using the word dent in the most generic of forms. Although I've seen rims with actual dents in them that look like dents, I've seen more with gradual deformaties that you really cannot see when the wheel is at rest, but is obvious to the eye when the wheel spins. They normally look much worse than what they measure with an indicator.

I've never seen a rim that did not have some runout, normally at the butt weld joint. The last set of modern Excel steel rims I bought were actually a little disappointing for brand new rims.

regards,
Rob

BirdoPrey

Some of the old rims were just not very straight to begin with. I have driven myself nuts trying to straighten them by adjusting the spokes, even to the extent of pulling the drum out of round. This was often more noticeable where the rim was welded together but sometimes could even be seen in other places as well.

Trying to kind of average the bumps and weaves can make it round enough that it's tolerable. But, you may want to find a new manufacture wheel that is straighter and start with that. I would be reluctant to go with NOS for the above reasons, I just think modern manufacturing from a quality company is a better way to go.

Good luck, Art.