Assembling 3 piece rims~ advice needed
 

I have a nice set of lightweight aluminum 3 piece wheels I will be assembling soon.

Most people use the round headed hex bolts. I like that look, but I don't want to spend $100 on hardware.

I can get 80 bolts and nylock nuts for less than $15.

What torque do people use and what is the recommended sealant for the wheel halves?

Thanks!


KT

If you are using new bolts, torque them about 44 fpt. If reusing old bolts, torque 20-25 fpt. There are few good videos on youtube, type refinishing wheels. Also GE brand silicone sealant, #5000.

I used an in/lb torque wrench on my BBS wheels. More accurate, but I can't remember the specs.

Do the fasteners you want have the correct length smooth shaft? Are nylocks typical?

My wheels used a rubber gasket on an aluminum ring, but I ran a bead of high temp RTV on the inside for insurance.

I'm just leary in not using good hardware on my wheels.

The bolts I want to use are 1/4", grade 8.
Threaded all the way, not smooth.

44 ft pds seems a bit high.
A friend just sent me a torque chart.

1/4" grade 8 are at 10.5 ft pnds.

http://www.arcticchat.com/forum/atta...eads-chart.jpg

The wheels use 20 bolts per assembly.


KT

dude - use quality bolts - I've broken bolts on three piece wheels that used inferior quality bolts - turn 10 having a wheel split at Sebring - not for the faint of heart

And break the bolt or stretch to near yield....

Torque on rim half bolts is typically so low that the spec is given in in/lbs rather ft/lbs.

And use the hardware recommended by the wheel maker...

Or use the cheap hardware store bolts and torque to a random high number...then pray the wheels stay together during every turn.....

Really are these fasteners the place to be cheap?

And we use a Dow product to seal the halves, but it is pretty expensive...so just get some Home Cheapo silicone to seal the halves...

OK. What's better than grade 8?

They're 1/4" bolts.



KT

what are an example of recommended fasteners?

What wrong with GE silicone?


KT

I had to reseal a wheel once and used GE brand silicone (obviously the stuff made for aluminum). No leaks in the intervening several years.

Jeff Alton recommended Dow Corning 832 RTV Sealant Gray. Another wheel manuf told me that if I couldn't find that, then to go with 3M Super Silicone Sealant 08664 Black. I couldn't find either locally, so I went with the GE Silicone II for aluminum and metal.

Sounds good!

thanks


KT

Haven't built wheels in a few years, but iirc, I used between 15-18 lb ft tq on each bolt.

Did the wheels originally use metric or SAE fasteners? What grade fasteners were used by the manufacturer?

^^^ This is where I would start. And then use the manufacturer's recommended torque. This is not an application where you go to Ace Hardware and "wing it".

I'm doing the same thing (as soon as I get off my butt and finish) and I called HRE and got their recommendation on torque for my particular wheels.

when I restored some old BBS rims got the hardware here...
not sure if they have what you need,
Replacement RS Assembly Bolt - Chrome

Don't use Home Depot crap. I twisted a 5/16" bolt in half the other day with very little force.

Thats the kind I'm using on some bbs RA' I am getting soon. The torque settings are what I learned from another man who rebuilt them over the years. Not correct? Please help if you can. Thanks

I don't know.
These are old, unusual wheels.

1/4" bolts fit in the opening, but 5/16" doesn't.

I'm not seeing a grade higher than 8 for bolts.
Truthfully, I suspect any one of us could sheer off any 1/4" bolt on the market with a ratchet wrench.

So, that being said, what makes a wheel bolt stronger or more special than a quality hardware store, grade 8 bolt?

thanks,


KT

It was several years ago and I can't remember the torque specs.
I got my specs from Black Forest when I bought the fasteners, maybe call them. :)

ASTM A574 is the spec for common socket head cap screws (exceeds SAE Gr 8). Metric 12.9 fasteners exceed GR 8. Gr 8 is not really very strong in the world of high-strength fasteners.

Nothing, possibly, but how do you make that determination? The wheel bolts in your wheels might have been GR 5 orginally. Bolted joint design is complicated and unless you know what you are doing, I would either use what the manufacturer recommended or find somebody who knows what they are doing to select a fastener/torque for you. This is not a situation to guess.

Maybe I don't understand, but if I use grade 8 bolts that properly fits the holes for the wheel assembly and torque them to a proper value, why would they fail?

There are twenty bolts per wheel, how would they just start breaking?


thanks


KT