Welding Golf Cart Aluminum Wheel
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Welding Golf Cart Aluminum Wheel
It appears the only way I can put aluminum wheels on my 1963 Cushman 3 wheel golfster (see posts on Golf Golf Carts and ATVs) is to buy 4 of the wheels I want from Vintage golf cart parts and cut two of them in half and weld the two halves together with the polished sides facing out. Have any of you welders or anyone you know done something like this?
#2
Group Moderator
I would go to a welding shop that is experienced welding aluminum. You can also check with a boat propeller repair shop as they also weld a lot of aluminum.
One thing that will help A LOT is a good clean cut. A jagged or crooked cut or seam will be much more difficult to weld up well and filling any gaps will require more time and heat which can warp the rim. If I were doing it I would clamp each rim in the mill to machine them in half. That way you can end up with two smooth, parallel and flat surfaces that mate together without any gaps.
One thing that will help A LOT is a good clean cut. A jagged or crooked cut or seam will be much more difficult to weld up well and filling any gaps will require more time and heat which can warp the rim. If I were doing it I would clamp each rim in the mill to machine them in half. That way you can end up with two smooth, parallel and flat surfaces that mate together without any gaps.
#3
Member
Thread Starter
Welding Aluminum Wheel
Fortunately for me, I have a friend who has the mill, and the skill to do a job like this. I agree completely with the things you mention about doing this cleanly and correctly. The true skill in being a do it yourselfer, is to know what your limitations are. Apparently the site that sold the stuff to the guy who built the one I saw on Buggies gone wild has closed up shop, and I cannot find the company (Ruppparts.com) that supposedly sold the kits to do this upgrade. Hopefully I can trip over a solution that is practical while I am doing other things.