The Ford Barn

daveymc29 · 03-09-2015, 11:18 PM

It appears, from a search and reading of old lines on this, that the proper way to straighten a wheel is to do it by the heat method. Many of you seem to agree on that and some are adamant that no other way will work. So when you are all done straightening the spokes and the wheel appears straight enough, some agree that an 1/8 run out or wobble would be acceptable, do you then take the wheels to a facility that can heat treat them? A friend had his done after he had done the straightening and welding up cracks and broken spokes. After the heat treatment they rode very well and he didn't worry about cracks reappearing or broken spokes rebreakng. As far as I know he has never had a wheel problem since. He told me that they had been heated to 500 degrees F. and kept there for a while, then cooled over the weekend, so that they were touchable when he picked them up on a Monday morning. Is that a good thing to do? The shop owed him a favor so I have no idea what it would cost if I took mine to a metal treatment specialist. Any other ideas out there?

BRENT in 10-uh-C · 03-10-2015, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveymc29

It appears, from a search and reading of old lines on this, that the proper way to straighten a wheel is to do it by the heat method. Many of you seem to agree on that and some are adamant that no other way will work. So when you are all done straightening the spokes and the wheel appears straight enough, some agree that an 1/8 run out or wobble would be acceptable, do you then take the wheels to a facility that can heat treat them? A friend had his done after he had done the straightening and welding up cracks and broken spokes. After the heat treatment they rode very well and he didn't worry about cracks reappearing or broken spokes rebreakng. As far as I know he has never had a wheel problem since. He told me that they had been heated to 500 degrees F. and kept there for a while, then cooled over the weekend, so that they were touchable when he picked them up on a Monday morning. Is that a good thing to do? The shop owed him a favor so I have no idea what it would cost if I took mine to a metal treatment specialist. Any other ideas out there?

I wonder if they actually "heat-treated" them or whether they were just brought up to temps in an oven so the metals would be normalized? Realistically, IMHO your friends wheels would have 'ridden' exactly the same before and after the "heat-treating" process.

poweredbylincoln · 03-10-2015, 07:26 AM

There was a write up in the restorer i believe maybe 2 years ago about straightening them correctly. I believe if they are treated good and not some careless heating and welding done to them. They will be fine. And do not need any heat treating. I think that is un necessary

I do like that they cooled them slowly. At the same time i had a long talk with the dropped axle guy about their whole process and was suprised what i learned. Heated in the ford factory and air cooled. Now heated to remove perch pins air cooled the. Heated again!! To drop them and air cooled again! Also about the molecules supposedly lining up like wood grain ect ect

I am a certified welder and majored in welding. As long as they were abused when worked on theyll be fine. Not like they were in a brush fire...

daveymc29 · 03-10-2015, 09:28 AM

My friend had the heat treatment, and that is probably misnaming what he had done, to relieve the tensions built up when he welded and bent things back to straighten spokes. He used the tool to straighten, probably unaware of the heat method. He drove to Oregon with me just after that and he claimed the better ride. Probably in his mind better, but he was sold on what the heating and lounge cooling process did for the wheels.

Marco Tahtaras · 03-10-2015, 04:34 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by poweredbylincoln

I do like that they cooled them slowly. At the same time i had a long talk with the dropped axle guy about their whole process and was suprised what i learned. Heated in the ford factory and air cooled. Now heated to remove perch pins air cooled the. Heated again!! To drop them and air cooled again! Also about the molecules supposedly lining up like wood grain ect ect

Unfortunately that will leave you with an axle far softer/weaker than what Ford produced (see below). The axles made from Ford's type EE steel were treated the same except annealed at a slightly lower furnace temperature.

Unfortunately I don't have any specs on how, or what they did the wheels.

03-09-2015, 11:18 PM	#1
daveymc29 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Danville, CA Posts: 1,553	Heat straightening wheels It appears, from a search and reading of old lines on this, that the proper way to straighten a wheel is to do it by the heat method. Many of you seem to agree on that and some are adamant that no other way will work. So when you are all done straightening the spokes and the wheel appears straight enough, some agree that an 1/8 run out or wobble would be acceptable, do you then take the wheels to a facility that can heat treat them? A friend had his done after he had done the straightening and welding up cracks and broken spokes. After the heat treatment they rode very well and he didn't worry about cracks reappearing or broken spokes rebreakng. As far as I know he has never had a wheel problem since. He told me that they had been heated to 500 degrees F. and kept there for a while, then cooled over the weekend, so that they were touchable when he picked them up on a Monday morning. Is that a good thing to do? The shop owed him a favor so I have no idea what it would cost if I took mine to a metal treatment specialist. Any other ideas out there?

03-10-2015, 07:26 AM	#3
poweredbylincoln Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 1,696	Re: Heat straightening wheels There was a write up in the restorer i believe maybe 2 years ago about straightening them correctly. I believe if they are treated good and not some careless heating and welding done to them. They will be fine. And do not need any heat treating. I think that is un necessary I do like that they cooled them slowly. At the same time i had a long talk with the dropped axle guy about their whole process and was suprised what i learned. Heated in the ford factory and air cooled. Now heated to remove perch pins air cooled the. Heated again!! To drop them and air cooled again! Also about the molecules supposedly lining up like wood grain ect ect I am a certified welder and majored in welding. As long as they were abused when worked on theyll be fine. Not like they were in a brush fire...

03-10-2015, 09:28 AM	#4
daveymc29 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Danville, CA Posts: 1,553	Re: Heat straightening wheels My friend had the heat treatment, and that is probably misnaming what he had done, to relieve the tensions built up when he welded and bent things back to straighten spokes. He used the tool to straighten, probably unaware of the heat method. He drove to Oregon with me just after that and he claimed the better ride. Probably in his mind better, but he was sold on what the heating and lounge cooling process did for the wheels.