MTFCA Forum

Having some wheels prepped for powder coating and the guys had noted a few spot were the spokes were separated @ the rim. Wondering if this could be repaired before coating and what would be considered worth repairing or common due to age/design of wheel.

The interior of the rim were the separations are looks like the other spoked centers. Any input would be great.

Seems to be splatter from Ford’s electric welding process. Unless the spoke can move when tapped with a ball pein, would think all is well. If loose, welding is the fix.

I have fixed a number of these. If the spoke is detached from the rim, I tap it aside and drill a 5/16" hole in the rim where it is welded to the spoke. Then the spoke can be tapped back into position and a mig welder used to weld it back in place through the hole. This avoids nasty looking weld build-up if it is welded on the outside. If the spoke is not detached, what you are seeing is the flashing from the electric welding process. I am guessing that the void showing needs to be filled before powder coating.

Allan from down under.

Thanks for the input, yes all the spokes are solid and it's this little "curling up" you see in the pictures. The welding shop i use will take a look @ these and hope to be a quick & easy fix.

Alan:
drilling the 5/16 hole works well , i will heat the spoke to make it streach and extend into the drilled hole then weld ... when the spoke cools it is under some tension ... has worked well for me ... always an optimist ...Gene French

Plug weld! Simple solution. Heating spoke, good trick!

Plug weld! Simple solution. Heating spoke, good trick!

Could one fuze the spoke on the outside (tig weld w/o rod)?

I had thought of fusing the gaps with an oxy flame, but rejected the idea as no matter how good you are, there will be visible evidence that is what you have done. If the factory weld is sound, it might be just as satisfactory to tap down the flashing to close the gap and paint away. That is certainly the way I would go when painting wheels with enamel. Don't know how powder coating goes over gaps.

Allan from down under.

Typical weld splatter on Ford welded spoke wire wheel. This one is powder coated , the coating fills around but on some a slight edge gap occurs, guess if you are picky , you could ask the coater what fill or primer is needed.

Dan, I understood that sharp edges as you find with these weld flashings, will result in the powder coating being thin at those edges. The electrostatic charge involved in the coating means that the powder is attracted to the surfaces adjacent to such voids, but does not penetrate far. The fellow I use demands that I fill such voids before he will coat them. That is another reason why I use enamel paints rather than powdercoat.

Allan from down under.