Wire Wheels--One More Way To Make Them

[Straightliner59]

I put the old page from the SLM site back together, so, here's another method to make wire wheels for a dragster. This method is good for folks who don't care to work with metal. It's pretty straightforward. Sorry for the file size.

[SfanGoch]

Nice! Pretty straightforward and easy to follow directions.This method could be used for other than dragster wheels, too.

[Straightliner59]

6 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

Nice! Pretty straightforward and easy to follow directions.This method could be used for other than dragster wheels, too.

Thanks, Joe. You are correct, it could be used to make different styles of wires, as well. It requires no special tools or materials, and, the only "skill" required is patience!

[Darren B]

1 minute ago, Straightliner59 said:

Thanks, Joe. You are correct, it could be used to make different styles of wires, as well. It requires no special tools or materials, and, the only "skill" required is patience!

thank you for sharing, would also be amazing for motorcycle/chopper wheels too!!! will be trying this out as soon as possible.

[Straightliner59]

I looked around the web at other similar methods of making wire wheels, and did some refining, incorporating some of those ideas into this technique. First, I found one variation that cut slits into the inside of the wheel rim halves. This is an excellent idea, as it creates a more positive way to hold the spokes in place, which facilitates the second change I made. This time, as I laid the spokes in the opposite direction (The second lap around the rim), I slipped them to the outer side of the hub flange. Align them as closely as you can to the hub "cap" (also new), so that, after they are all laid in place, you can flip the wheel half over, and align and cement the outer spokes to the flange, with no, to minimal distortion. Mounting the spokes to both sides of the flange provides more "depth" within the pattern of spokes, and , a more prototypical look. The earlier edition of this tip also left the spokes atop the inner face of the rim, rather than nestled in it, which led to a slight gap, between the rim halves. All that said, here are a few shots of the outer half of a new wheel. I haven't done the inner wheel half, yet.

[TooOld]

18 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

I looked around the web at other similar methods of making wire wheels, and did some refining, incorporating some of those ideas into this technique. First, I found one variation that cut slits into the inside of the wheel rim halves. This is an excellent idea, as it creates a more positive way to hold the spokes in place, which facilitates the second change I made. This time, as I laid the spokes in the opposite direction (The second lap around the rim), I slipped them to the outer side of the hub flange. Align them as closely as you can to the hub "cap" (also new), so that, after they are all laid in place, you can flip the wheel half over, and align and cement the outer spokes to the flange, with no, to minimal distortion. Mounting the spokes to both sides of the flange provides more "depth" within the pattern of spokes, and , a more prototypical look. The earlier edition of this tip also left the spokes atop the inner face of the rim, rather than nestled in it, which led to a slight gap, between the rim halves. All that said, here are a few shots of the outer half of a new wheel. I haven't done the inner wheel half, yet.

 

 

 

I like the changes you've made , your sample looks much better !  This is definitely worth trying .