fury fan
Senior Member
Is this filler disc a high-demand item? It would seem to me that it would be quite easy to vacuform from plastic, and then CNC the OD to size. A road wheel center makes a perfect mold.
Road Wheel Fillers.
- Thread starter Big_John
- Start date
I don't think so. Most people scratch their heads and go "huh?" when I mention them.... Then they go on to say "you can just paint the wheel".
Vacuum forming sounds like a great idea though.. I know the process and it could be done with a minimum of work... Clear .030 lexan and paint the backside (like the slotcar bodies I did in the sixties!) for a chip proof color.
I'd trim the OD by hand though.
Hmmmm.... Interesting... I could have different colors etc...
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
fury fan
Senior Member
I figured was a low-volume thing and not really worth pursuing.
Good idea on the lexan, back-side paint and chipproof! that idea might make people buy vs painting the wheel.
And if you used inserts for different looks, you could get them done with some of those new wrap patterns -- skulls, carbon fiber, flames, etc. Of course it would take all morning to get all 4 wheels off, centercaps off, inserts swapped, and everything back on. But cool idea nonetheless!
Yep, the hardest part of forming is generally the mold, and Mopar built thousands of molds for us starting in 1970.
Although if using the full-chrome 15x7 wheel, simply painting the wheel like people suggested sounds like would need re-done periodically due to adhesion issues? And how does one get a nice round tape edge when painting? It's hard enough painting a black wheel lip without spending all day, let alone a circular edge that's gonna 'wobble' when you drive the car.
BTW - vacforming in this case was my idea and therefore patent-pending - I'll license the idea to ya though. And if I make any from lexan I owe you a couple of bucks...
Good idea on the lexan, back-side paint and chipproof! that idea might make people buy vs painting the wheel.
And if you used inserts for different looks, you could get them done with some of those new wrap patterns -- skulls, carbon fiber, flames, etc. Of course it would take all morning to get all 4 wheels off, centercaps off, inserts swapped, and everything back on. But cool idea nonetheless!
Yep, the hardest part of forming is generally the mold, and Mopar built thousands of molds for us starting in 1970.
Although if using the full-chrome 15x7 wheel, simply painting the wheel like people suggested sounds like would need re-done periodically due to adhesion issues? And how does one get a nice round tape edge when painting? It's hard enough painting a black wheel lip without spending all day, let alone a circular edge that's gonna 'wobble' when you drive the car.
BTW - vacforming in this case was my idea and therefore patent-pending - I'll license the idea to ya though. And if I make any from lexan I owe you a couple of bucks...
fury fan
Senior Member
That machine looks very much like the one I made based on other internet articles. Got it finished a few weeks ago but have yet to try it out. And it's big enough to fit a wheel, although the vacuum/sealing would need to be figured out. Might need to just make something that would attach to the wheel and make the wheel function as the vacuum chamber....
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Cut the center out of an old rusty one. Small sacrifice.
I think you could do it with a complete wheel. You'd just need to use an 18" x 18" piece of plastic and frame. Seal it to the bottom of the vacuum box with some RTV or maybe some plumbers putty.
fury fan
Senior Member
That was my first thought.
Soemthing like this was my 2nd thought. Could ducttape the 16 slots (would that hold up?) and make a round wooden disc to bolt thru the boltpattern area, and seal that with some RTV or weatherstrip. Plumbers putty is a good idea also.
Let me know when one of you retired guys gets your vacuum forming up to speed for tail light lenses... I have a set of 49's that are worth nothing more than patterns...
I'm still waiting to hear someone has figured out a extrusion machine for Formal weather stripping too...
I'm still waiting to hear someone has figured out a extrusion machine for Formal weather stripping too...
You can cast small lenses. There are kits.
Looked into it for a while some years ago... I will continue to hold onto the remains I have, but the home done repops I have seen for those lenses never seem to look right. Bernbaum thought NOS was worth $600 each...
They wont take too much space... someday I will do something with them... like donate them to someone who still has a car...
fury fan
Senior Member
I can't visualize the lens you are talking about, but for most any lens I have ever seen vacforming won't work due to the geometry of the lens (fresnels/fluting, bosses for mtg screws, etc). Vacforming can basically only do a uniform thickness throughout the entire part.
Fresnel! That was the word I was searching for! LOL!
I tried to write about it last night and gave up when I couldn't remember that word!
I tried to write about it last night and gave up when I couldn't remember that word!
CanCritter
Senior Member
Similar threads
