Posted by Matt Wilson on Monday, June 18, 2001 at 7:53PM :
Today I called Stockton Wheel in California and I asked them about welding a new outer section onto the old center section of my current rims. I have seen postings about this before in this forum.
The man I spoke to said Stockton recently discontinued this service for the "deep-dish" type rims like the ones we have on our trucks, as customers began having problems with cracking of the new outer rims, adjacent to the weldments.
He stated that they make a "Power Wagon" rim that is essentially a center section made of plate steel with the appropriate holes drilled in it to accomodate the hubs and lugs. He said that, with this rim, the tires would protrude outside the fenders by about 3". I don't particularly want to go this route.
I also talked with a gentleman at the company listed in the November, 1994 issue of the PWA (can't remember the name off the top of my head, and my PWA is at work). They still sell the outer rim described in that issue so that the customer can mount it to the old PW center section himself, or they will weld it to the center section for an additional fee, although they will offer no warranty either way for a 4x4. He said he had done several of the deep-dish type rims and didn't remember having any particular problems. He does remember that a few wheels they have built have cracked, but he doesn't remember if those were the deep-dish type like ours.
Anyway, the point of all this is that I'm wondering what other people's experience has been with such modified wheels. The last thing anyone needs is for my wheel to come apart as I'm driving the truck.
I would like to end up with a set of wheels that (1) balance better than stock, (2) which will accept bead locks, and (3) which will allow for some serious airing-down for maximum off-road traction. Does the original PW wheel allow for low-pressure operation? After such an off-road run, when you fill up the tires again, are you endangering yourself with the possibility that the split ring will fly off?
What other options exist for a similar size wheel to fit my Power Wagon, but accomodate a modern radial tire??
Thanks again, you guys are really helpful,
Matt
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