Bills72sj Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 I build day-two "Streetmachine" versions of Muscle Cars. These typically have wider rear tires and mags all around. Up until this point, I always had to sacrifice some other kit's rims to get deep dish rings to get the look I have been going for. Once upon a time, I ordered some aftermarket rims from Hobby Design for a (yet unfinished) project. They came with aluminum hoops and styrene (or resin) centers. I like the concept a lot. Ever since, I always wanted to make my own aluminum hoops. Especially since I have a boatload of nice rims that do not necessarily fit properly in the full model boxes of tires I have. I came into some extra cash around last Christmas, so I purchased a Taig mini lathe. Lathes are very messy and generally take up permanent bench space. My tight 2 car garage always must have two cars in it and I do not have a shop or basement. I made a fold down work bench and mounted the lathe on a base that can be stored on a shelf. This week I finally got to actually use it. I successfully made two pair of custom hoops for the Magnum 500 wheels for my 1969 BOSS 429 Mustang. I look forward to making more for future builds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89AKurt Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 Very cool tool. Lathes do make a mess, my dad had a large one for doing rifle barrels, he had a bus for a shop. Those look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Driver Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 I'm going to have to break down and buy a Taig. I'm sold, seeing what you've achieved here. Thanks for the valuable information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuces ll Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 😀👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 (edited) That is some mighty fine work! I have a cheap Chinese one. I have very little experience with it, but it sure has come in handy more than once. Edited May 16, 2021 by NOBLNG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 13 hours ago, 89AKurt said: Very cool tool. Lathes do make a mess, my dad had a large one for doing rifle barrels, he had a bus for a shop. Those look great! Thanks Kurt. BTW I made a serious attempt to move to Prescott. It didn't work out. My wife could not afford my pay cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 5 hours ago, NOBLNG said: That is some mighty fine work! I have a cheap Chinese. I have very little experience with it, but it sure has come in handy more than once. I was all set to buy one of those for a decent price. The ebay seller told me it all of a sudden was not available and then relisted it for $60 more the same day. It soured me on the whole deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 9 hours ago, Dodge Driver said: I'm going to have to break down and buy a Taig. I'm sold, seeing what you've achieved here. Thanks for the valuable information. It may not be able to do everything a bigger lathe can do, but I needed portability as I do not have the room to keep it permanently set up. It definitely does what I wanted to do very well. It also has 6 speeds that you can change in about 5 seconds due to the belt drive design. I even made mine reversible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 (edited) Nice job on those rims (hoops). Very clever marriage of kit's plastic centers and custom made aluminum rims. I've owned Sheline lathe for over 30 years, and it comes in very handy for many modeling (and other) tasks. About 10 years agoI also bought Sheline mill, and that is also very useful tool. Both American made, and fully supported by the manufacturer (spare parts, and accessories). Edited May 16, 2021 by peteski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mile High Scale Modeler Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Very Cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill-e-boy Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Cool project and an excellent result I have a Unimat 3 which is about the same size and it certainly has added another dimension to my modelling. It has a drill/milling attachment that I have used on occasion as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted May 22, 2021 Author Share Posted May 22, 2021 20 hours ago, bill-e-boy said: Cool project and an excellent result I have a Unimat 3 which is about the same size and it certainly has added another dimension to my modelling. It has a drill/milling attachment that I have used on occasion as well I like the idea of adding an end mill. Just do not have space where I currently live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 Made another pair of hoops to upgrade my 1973 Mustang BOSS 351. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 They are so nice and the concept is so simple! Might have to start looking seriously into this! Cheers Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 Made another set of hoops today for my 68 Shelby build today. I am getting a little faster at this now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondamatic Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 @Katsusauce check this out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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