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Custom Wheels for the Mark VIII

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Posted by: Lugi20

Ok guys, I can design anything metal that can be machined using a few different CAD programs, and I am pretty sure my school (University of Iowa) would allow me to cut from there machines if it net them a small profit, as they are in to making money and helping students out, so if they can do that at the same time they are pretty much overjoyed.

At any rate, the only thing I don't know would be the "standard" dimensions of the wheels. I can cut out many designed but I don't know if I am cutting the grooves for the tires right, the size of the big cavity in the reverse side of the wheel. I know its 5x108 so I got that much taken care of, but if anyone knows a lot about the technical side of wheels then please give me a PM or do a lot of typing on the board b/c I would like to see if this can happen and obvoiusly if it worked everyone here could give me imput on what good wheels should look like and maybe we can have something custom to the Mark VIII.

-Luka

Posted by: evillally

5x108 (5 lug, 4.25 bolt pattern)

Hub bore: 63.9mm

39mm Positive offset

Posted by: Lugi20

Quote:

Originally Posted by evillally

5x108 (5 lug, 4.25 bolt pattern)

Hub bore: 63.9mm

39mm Positive offset

I really don't even know what hub bore means... I also need the dimensions for EVERYTHING if I am going to design this right. If it works, we can have a wheel that fits perfect, specifically designed for the Mark VIII.

Also, make sure the dimensions are specific to the size of the wheel, for 18x9 or 19x9 whatever.

Posted by: 94m5

Really, the only thing I can tell you is to get ahold of a wheel that you want to replicate, and go to town with the micrometer and lms. I think your gonna find there is a reason for the price associated with the rims you buy.

Mike

*This post is not meant to be a discourager, just stating an opinion*

Posted by: lincoln32v

If you are referring to CNC milling wheels for a car, you can expect to spend plenty of money and time to do so. Not only is a solid block of aluminum/billet very pricey but you also have to consider the structural integrity of the design, the quality of the raw material used, and the complexity of the program you must enter that would have to run for close to a week just to cut one wheel. Just look at the price of Boyd Coddington's billet wheels compared to any other cast aluminum wheel. Plus he has engineers who design them to be structurally sound and DOT approved for highway use. It's just not a feasible task unless you have copious resources.
Now, if you really wanted to make something for our Marks that wouldn't be such an enormous project, how about a billet grille, or interior bits and pieces?
This may also be a more lucrative venture on your end.

Posted by: Lugi20

Quote:

Originally Posted by lincoln32v

If you are referring to CNC milling wheels for a car, you can expect to spend plenty of money and time to do so. Not only is a solid block of aluminum/billet very pricey but you also have to consider the structural integrity of the design, the quality of the raw material used, and the complexity of the program you must enter that would have to run for close to a week just to cut one wheel. Just look at the price of Boyd Coddington's billet wheels compared to any other cast aluminum wheel. Plus he has engineers who design them to be structurally sound and DOT approved for highway use. It's just not a feasible task unless you have copious resources.
Now, if you really wanted to make something for our Marks that wouldn't be such an enormous project, how about a billet grille, or interior bits and pieces?
This may also be a more lucrative venture on your end.

I've taken all of those things into consideration:

-Structural integrity: SolidWorks, Pro Engineer, and basically any new CAD programs have a stress testing model where the higher stress parts are red and lower stress are green etc.
Since these parts are "described" in a standard form for a majority of cutting machines to "understand" there are also a vast number of programs that interperet this code and can run varios stress tests on anything... in motion or standing still. You can even specify the material you are using, there are hundreds of different alluminums alone to choose from.
-Boyd Coddington cuts wheels in a week, regulations, yada yada. Chip Foose also designed custom never before seen rims on a few episodes of Overhaulin', I believe all of the rims are standard, pulled off a shelf and have a design cut in them, I don't think I'll be starting with blocks of metal like I initially anticipated. I'll bet there is a certain mininum area of material that can attach the center of the rims to the outside, I'd just have to find these "laws" and then I could omit stress testing all together.
-Yes, rims take a while to cut... because the part often needs to be rotated between cutting manuevers and also different machines do this at different speeds and the quality of your tool (the cutting edge) makes all the difference as well, but to cut patterns in blank rims can be done in HOURS, 4 rims could easily be completed in 1 day... but the FIRST rim may take a day itself just to troubleshoot if needbe.
-Yes, I can designed damn near anything... but it would be cheaper to make a grill using "the eye" and a welder, not cutting it on a machine, however, it would be fun to design what we want on computer and have some skilled welder put it together using the 3d image and every angle imaginable. Let me know because I actually enjoy drawing stuff up on there!

Your imput is great, do you know anything about my theorized "blank" rims where all that is left to do is but in the bolt pattern and rim design? If anyone has any more imput on this please let me know I'd really like to see how far I can get on this. Thanks!