War Department 16” divided rim: British and Canadian manufacture

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

This example has .....

Attachment 114791

..... Angle grinder cuts where the wheel nuts were cut off!

Not meaning to divert this thread, those cuts can be repaired to present a better finished rim before final painting.

While naturally a bead of weld will fill the grooves, the weld itself will require further grinding to clean it up flush and present a smooth lug nut seat. Some people might also have qualms about heat damage from the weld affecting the temper of the rim, and therefore it's structural soundness.

I have had great success with a metal filling epoxy called JB Weld. It can be shaped, sanded, or ground easily and binds securely to metal, so won't fall off in a slab years later. Readily painted with any automotive primer and paint system (ie Enamel or Acrylic). It doesn't just work on repairing grind marks, it also does a fantastic job on sandblasted rims that have hollows from rust pitting or gouges from kerb strikes. You'll have that rim looking like new again.

[Mike K]

Found this , haven't read it yet.

http://www.usarmymodels.com/ARTICLES/Tires/tires.html

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Found this , haven't read it yet.

http://www.usarmymodels.com/ARTICLES/Tires/tires.html

Lynn posted this link also, upon actually reading Kurt Laughlin's article I found an interesting drawing.

The US 16" rim was 15.965" in diameter and had 5 deg. bead angle.

US Combat Rim.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Lynn posted this link also, upon actually reading Kurt Laughlin's article I found an interesting drawing.

The US 16" rim was 15.965" in diameter and had 5 deg. bead angle.

Worth a read if you want to turn down your rims to fit new tyres currently available.

The 16” divided rim has plenty of thickness to allow machining 0.125” off:

9E8C1018-D13A-428F-9C3F-4ABF2BA7A16D.jpeg

[David Herbert]

In the article Jim describes his modification as not attempting to machine the 5 degree taper used on the Dodge rim but instead to machine the new seating area parallel and about the same diameter as the mid point of the bead contact area of the Dodge rim. I would have thought that any lathe capable of this machining could have just as easily reproduced the 5 degree taper and exact start and outside diameters of the American standard. This would provide a better seat for the bead and make dismounting easier if needed. It really is not hard to change the angle of the compound slide and turn the handwheel manually on any lathe !

David

[Grant Bowker]

One thing that would concern me about turning a taper would be to minimize the loss to the rim near the join line. In other words: if turning a taper, just put it in the area nearest the flange, then turn a parallel section further inward to maintain thickness/strength.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

“Jock Reed” mentioned

”Just checked a 16" blitz rim. overall width 8", Backspace= 4.25", (centerline = 8.00"/2=4" 4.25" -4" = +1/4" offset). 20" wheels may be different?“

“Wheel hub studs: 8 x 5/8-18 UNF on 10-13/16” bolt circle. This is as measured on my 16" rims. Doing the metric conversion it is 274.6 mm!“

B88C117F-1D88-4EB8-A38C-3A781660C0B8.jpeg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Thanks for the tip, will use it when I need to restore the rim.

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

..... Angle grinder cuts where the wheel nuts were cut off!

Not meaning to divert this thread, those cuts can be repaired to present a better finished rim before final painting.

While naturally a bead of weld will fill the grooves, the weld itself will require further grinding to clean it up flush and present a smooth lug nut seat. Some people might also have qualms about heat damage from the weld affecting the temper of the rim, and therefore it's structural soundness.

I have had great success with a metal filling epoxy called JB Weld. It can be shaped, sanded, or ground easily and binds securely to metal, so won't fall off in a slab years later. Readily painted with any automotive primer and paint system (ie Enamel or Acrylic). It doesn't just work on repairing grind marks, it also does a fantastic job on sandblasted rims that have hollows from rust pitting or gouges from kerb strikes. You'll have that rim looking like new again.

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

..... Angle grinder cuts where the wheel nuts were cut off!

I have had great success with a metal filling epoxy called JB Weld. It can be shaped, sanded, or ground easily and binds securely to metal, so won't fall off in a slab years later. Readily painted with any automotive primer and paint system (ie Enamel or Acrylic). It doesn't just work on repairing grind marks, it also does a fantastic job on sandblasted rims that have hollows from rust pitting or gouges from kerb strikes. You'll have that rim looking like new again.

I purchased J B Weld yesterday. A$18.20 from Autobarn Bairnsdale. The only place in town who had some.

Cheers Rick.