Anything welding

Anyone here ever converted conventional wheels to beadlocks?

 

helped a buddy with the wheels for his rover. Plain Jane steel wheels with the ballistic fab kit.

 

Pretty simple? Think one could convert SCS F6's to beadlocks?

 

I wouldn't do that. if you really want them beadlocked send to omf http://www.omfperformance.com/beadlocked_conversions.php

 

I'm a certified welder for a living. I'm not gonna pay someone else $200/wheel to weld rings on a wheel when I could do it at home lol.

 

Not doubting that you have the skills to do it, just I would worry about messing up (guessing this is the first set you're going to beadlock) and having to buy a new wheel. One of the few things I would pay someone else to do since thats what this company specializes in. If you feel like you can tackle it, go for it.

 

This is why I'm asking if anyone has done it before. To get an idea of how involved it is.
Seems as easy as buying the kit and welding the ring on centered properly. Which I would gladly attempt myself.

But then again I asked also because I don't know what the F6's are made of. That's gonna play a big part in weldability.

 

The F6 is a steel wheel? Ha gaaaaay.

 

I thought the f6 was aluminum?

 

I don't own the f6 yet or have my hands on em. Won't have em for about a week. I'm asking what they are. Not stating.

 

I'll play. There doesn't seem to be much stick welding around here or at least I couldn't find it, but I only have two pics of my welds and it happens to be stick, no pics of my mig/fcaw/tig. But here is a small repair weld at work I did awhile back 3/32" 7018:

 

And a few projects at my last job building all kinds of stuff for oilfield work:

 

Ahh, here is one of my very first mig welds I did years ago, I was making light brackets for jlg's:

 

And a few of my very first projects I built when I was learning to weld while taking welding classes in college years ago using chop saws, grinder and a harbor freight pos stick welder with a awful duty cycle haha:

 

99% sure they are aluminum

 

They are Alloy. Just asked Vin. Bummer.

 

Some stainless stick welding

 

Welds weird and slow doesn't it? Lol

 

Not near as weird as the Nickel rods for cast iron do

 

All SCS wheels are aluminum. In order to properly convert a wheel to a true beadlock you will need access to a large lathe to remove the original outer ring and create the exact press fit that is required to install the beadlock ring. This will have to be a very large lathe that can handle the size wheel you wish to modify, which by the way are not something you will find at any old machine shop. Also a press that can install the beadlock ring properly. Then a TIG welder that can handle up to at least 3/8" aluminum along with a rotary table to spin the wheel while welding. Then you will need access to a balancing machine and any other additional machinery required to correct the balance on the wheel so you don't get death wobble when you drive down the street. Or you can pay OMF $200 a wheel and save yourself a ridiculous amount of work and headache to get the job done by guys who have done it thousands of times and know what they are doing...

I was a professional welder for many years doing offroad stuff up to high tolerance aerospace parts with welders that cost more than my truck. Still would not do this myself in a 100 years. You will save a ton of headache just asking your boss for a few overtime shifts a week and paying the pros than attempting this yourself.

Now if we are talking steel wheels on a trail only rig, then go for it. Balance is a moot point with 35" tires at 10 psi...

My 2 cents, good luck with your choice either way!