The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk warped rims!

I just dropped MAJOR bucks to powdercoat and install tires on my 55 1st series 16" rims. I put a pair on front and when I spin them the wheels wobble side-side very badly. Is this a common issue with rims?

Unfortunately I didn't pay any attention beforehand. The rims are in fantastic condition cosmetically with not even the slightest amount of rust pitting inside or out. Is it at all likely that the tire shop machine could have done this?

Rims are easy to find and purchase via mailorder but now I'd be afraid to make a purchase without mounting them first to check for warping.

If it isn't the tire wobbling instead of the rim, I believe you can have them trued at a spec. shop. Would have been better to do that first however.

yes it could have if the person that mount the tires on your rims did not have the clamps set for that size rim or not on all the way one of the other as far as new wheels i would not worry about get new ones that are bad i would get them and go to a diffrent tire shop for mounting or find you local fab shop and see if they car "TRUE" up the wheels for you it is about 40$ a wheel

I had my 50 year old 16" wheels straightened prior to painting.

I had to find a specialty shop that does wheel repairs only. Most regular tire shops do not have the special tools required to straighten steel wheels.

They first spun each wheel vertically to see how much wobble was in each wheel.

The price varied for me from $5 to $40 depending on how much effort was required to straighten each wheel.

The wheels were then placed on a horizontal machine which spun the wheels slowly.

A large, hydraulic drill press looking device with adjustable fingers was positoned over the wheel.

The fingers were positioned between the outer ring and wheel centre plate...hydraulic pressure was applied to the slow spinning horizontal wheel and corrected the wobble.

This was an additional cost for me, but I believe it is an area overlooked by most folks restoring their trucks.

Having straight wheels and running bias ply tires, I do not feel any front end shimmy or shakes.

Greg

The outer edge of the tires wobble a good inch side-side but I checked the rims too. They wobble about 1/8" to 3/16" at the outer edge. You may only imagine how shocked and disappointed I was/am.

I didn't know there was such a thing as having rims trued up or I would have at least checked mine first. I'll start calling around for a shop that can do it.

Thank You friends.

I had rims straightened at a frame shop. If you don't find a wheel shop with the equipment try calling frame repair shops. Good Luck.

That's a nasty little mishap, but it can be fixed for $$ of course. Thanks for mentioning it here; I bet not many people would think about it unless it is very obvious. I didn't know they could be straightened or I would have done the rims of my Dodge truck a long time ago, now I rotate the rims every month to prevent strange wear. I hit the ditch once with it and it never ran like before, they realigned it but there was this strange vibration at certain speeds. When changing tires I saw the “wobble” but here in our village they couldn’t do anything about it and forgot to mention that someone else could. Next time I’m in the big city I’ll get them fixed.
I just discovered something, my spelling checker doesn’t mind how you write dodge/Dodge but insists that Chevrolet starts with a capital C; I knew there was something special about that brand.

Tiny, that's a good idea. I figure I'll need to get some bending done at least to my front axle to have "perfect" alignment.

Truck'26, this is a family forum. Quit using those hideously bad words! :p

I just drive them to collect parts for Truck'26

Dodge doesn't have to be a brand name. I don't see how an eighth inche wheel wobble could translate to an inch of tire wobble unles the tire wasn't seated properly on the rim.

Is there a GM spec on rim runout?

Maybe it was 3/4" and 1/4" but it is really bad. 2 of 5 are like that. I'll have time for a closer look and to check the other 3 tonight.

It may not mean diddly but the work was done in a professional tire shop that has been in business for many years and this is an area where everyone knows everyone.

[I would check the hub mounting face before blaming the wheel. No telling how tight and unevenly tightened these things have been in the past. Just move the wheel a couple of lugs and reinstall, or swap to another hub/axle and see if it changes.

Maybe it was 3/4" and 1/4" but it is really bad. 2 of 5 are like that. I'll have time for a closer look and to check the other 3 tonight.

It may not mean diddly but the work was done in a professional tire shop that has been in business for many years and this is an area where everyone knows everyone. [/QB][/QUOTE]

One is worse than the others but all 5 have a problem and it is the rims. It may have been from continuing to drive after blowouts.

Both front wheel bearing nuts on this truck were loose as a goose when I bought it. They were so loose that the spindles were ate up and required replacement. Maybe that was a contributor.

Oh well, just one of many other hard lessons learned. I hope my experience will save others some time, cash, and grief.