Wheel straightening advice

Bent alloy. I have zero clue how it happened. I can't have it straightened traditionally because its not a lip that is bent, its the center. Its not out-of-round, it is bent sideways and wobbles laterally, like I slid sideways into a curb. Only I didn't.

Took it to a wheel repair guy and he said he won't touch it. Too much liability.

Are there good shops that will do it? Seems like wheel repair is slim around here.

Buying another wheel is an option, but they are GTA mesh wheels from 80's F-bodies. Finding any is tough, but finding someone who will separate a set is nearly impossible.

Can this one be fixed?

Is finding just one really that hard? It seems to me that when I search CL for wheels the ones I want are always a set of 3. I suspect one got ruined in the accident.

I know there is a guy in Carlise, PA who has 3 to sell if he can not find a fourth (but that does not help your situation.)

Please post a pic of the wheel in question and we will try to find you one.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/wto/5258833127.html

http://dayton.craigslist.org/pts/5204067232.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gta-Trans-Am-Rear-Wheel-F-body-/191710773156?hash=item2ca2da3fa4&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-Pontiac-Trans-Am-Wheel-OEM-1986-1992-Factory-GOLD-REAR-Firebird-GTA-Rim-1508-/271954917270?hash=item3f51c6b796&vxp=mtr

https://youtu.be/OJWJE0x7T4Q

If the center is bent, I think it's unlikely a wheel repair place will be willing to try to fix it.

This one from ebay says Rear Only. Does your bent one say that? I wonder if the rears were somehow lacking the needed resistance to turning. Could it be this turning that bent yours closer to the hub?

Are you sure the hub face and brake rotor faces are clean and parallel? If you cant find a replacement find a machine shop with a 20 inch swing lathe remove the tire indicate in off the bead lip them skim cut the hub face true to the lip. will not take but a few thousandths as the radius of the hub is small.

44Dwarf wrote: Are you sure the hub face and brake rotor faces are clean and parallel? If you cant find a replacement find a machine shop with a 20 inch swing lathe remove the tire indicate in off the bead lip them skim cut the hub face true to the lip. will not take but a few thousandths as the radius of the hub is small.

Pretty sure. I did four tests; 1) I put the wheel on it from the other side and it didn't wobble, 2) I put a different tire/wheel on it and it didn't wobble, 3) I used a straightedge on the axle flange to the floor and marked the floor, then turned the axle flange and verified that it met the same mark at all times, and 4) took it to a shop and put the wheel on a balancer and watched it wobble. I think that is definitely a bent wheel.

I was hoping it was an axle flange. That is actually a cheaper/easier fix than finding a wheel and stripping/polishing/painting it.

Pretty easy to find rear GTAs. Most people want the fronts (like I do) because of the zero offset which leaves a ton of rear sets out there. The application is something like 82-87 Camaro/Firebird GTA. The front wheels are zero offset. The rears are positive offset. So I need one front wheel. You'll hear about "dimples" and "non dimples." which refers to a small difference in the spoke casting. I'm not picky about dimples because you can't really tell from 10 feet away anyway.

Here are the ones I'm looking for. I don't care what color they are because I'll repaint them a charcoal grey.

JohnRW1621 wrote: Is finding just one really that hard? It seems to me that when I search CL for wheels the ones I want are always a set of 3. I suspect one got ruined in the accident.

The closest I found ANY were in Waynesboro which is an hour away, and they are rears only.

I know there is a guy in Carlise, PA who has 3 to sell if he can not find a fourth (but that does not help your situation.)

If you know a guy in Carlisle with some fronts to sell, hook a brotha up

If the lips are true what 44Dwarf suggested will fix it. Should only cost you an hour of labor. Though the forces required to screw one up like that are great enough I'm not sure I'd trust that wheel anymore.

JohnRW1621 wrote: This one from ebay says Rear Only. Does your bent one say that? I wonder if the rears were somehow lacking the needed resistance to turning. Could it be this turning that bent yours closer to the hub?

The only difference in front/rear GTA wheels is offset. They mark them front only and rear only so you don't confuse them. Mixing them up would cause contact with the brake caliper in the front and fender rubbing in the rear... at least on F-bodies.

It is pretty common practice for non-F-body folks to use four GTA fronts on their A, G, or X body since they are zero offset.

44Dwarf wrote: Are you sure the hub face and brake rotor faces are clean and parallel? If you cant find a replacement find a machine shop with a 20 inch swing lathe remove the tire indicate in off the bead lip them skim cut the hub face true to the lip. will not take but a few thousandths as the radius of the hub is small.

I'll have to do some measuring. The bend is pretty severe (and again... I have no idea how it happened) but I would say lateral runout at the lip is nearly 1/4". I tried taking a video but I couldn't get the tire speed to work right with the shutter speed and it didn't show the wobble.

My concern is that it will take more than a few thousandths to true it up, and I would be concerned about taking too much off; primarily because it might make a weak spot, and also because the lugs won't be parallel with the holes.

... But I really like the idea. I'll see if its feasible.

It's already weak. IT BENT. It's not going to get any stronger. Pitch it and get a replacement if you can, or get a new set.