O-rings

[fastkars52]

I need the O-rings that seal the inside bead of 2-piece wheels. Anyone know where I can buy some? Thanks.

[jim murphy]

Way too easy to nick when assembling and then they leak. I have for many years use GE aluminum sealant and it works great after you let it cure for a day or two. Just apply it on the joint and spread it with your finger to ensure that it goes deep into the joint without any breaks in the coverage.

Jim

[Scootin159]

I too plan on rebuilding some very-old two-piece wheels this winter. I was planning on doing what you describe Jim, but heard to just use silicone caulk (filling the groove post-assembly). I'm curious - the aluminum sealant, are you putting it on the mating surface of the two wheels before assembly, or only filling the groove left after assembly?

[jim murphy]

I too plan on rebuilding some very-old two-piece wheels this winter. I was planning on doing what you describe Jim, but heard to just use silicone caulk (filling the groove post-assembly). I'm curious - the aluminum sealant, are you putting it on the mating surface of the two wheels before assembly, or only filling the groove left after assembly?

Using the aluminum silicone caulk/sealant you could use both methods stated above as an extra cautionary approach - it cannot hurt. This is especially needed if the mating surfaces are not smooth, thus leaving tiny gaps.
Even when the O-rings were in good condition they just could not seal as well as the caulk/sealant. Be sure to let it cure (hard) completely BEFORE pumping up the tire.

Jim

[Brian]

I simply assemble the wheels and put a solid bead of silicone sealer around the joint. If you let it dry and cure before you put the tires on, it will be fine. If you are late to leave and put the tires on just as soon as the silicone skins over, it will slow-leak. I have proven that exactly 4 times...

[fastkars52]

Hey Jim,

I've just returned from my local Bond Auto store and they never heard of GE Aluminum sealant. Where do I buy the stuff??? Thanks.

Bruce

[Scootin159]

I had never heard of it either, but apparently it's something you'd buy from your local hardware store:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=1277628

[jim murphy]

Hey Jim,

I've just returned from my local Bond Auto store and they never heard of GE Aluminum sealant. Where do I buy the stuff??? Thanks.

Bruce

I have bought this GE Silicone II Aluminum Sealant from my Home Depot.

Jim

[fastkars52]

Thanks.

[Becker Motorsports]

TRY QUAD RINGS .COM
they have every type available in American and Metric sizes

[Dick R.]

What was recommended to me is to buy the correct o-ring cord diameter in bulk and make your own o-rings using a sharp knife and super glue. I forget where I got my last batch of material (it was a long time ago). This was for FF 13 inch dia wheels but your 10's would be similar I assume.

Dick

[R. Pare]

Dick:

Stick with the silicone and get rid of the 0-rings. The silicone is 100 times more reliable.

Just make sure that you clean the application areas really well - scotchbrite and MEK (or acetone). Once the wheel is assembled, just apply a bead of the silicone in the valley (rolling the wheel along the floor as you push the silicone into the valley works well when you don't have a lathe to spin it). Just make sure that you do not have false sealed areas - ie - gaps in the bead but with a thin film covering the gap at a distance above it (the proverbial air bubble). I usually push a decent bead into the valley and then smooth it out using my finger.

Reliable as all get out, and will last for many years.

[Dick R.]

Dick:

Stick with the silicone and get rid of the 0-rings. The silicone is 100 times more reliable.

Just make sure that you clean the application areas really well - scotchbrite and MEK (or acetone). Once the wheel is assembled, just apply a bead of the silicone in the valley (rolling the wheel along the floor as you push the silicone into the valley works well when you don't have a lathe to spin it). Just make sure that you do not have false sealed areas - ie - gaps in the bead but with a thin film covering the gap at a distance above it (the proverbial air bubble). I usually push a decent bead into the valley and then smooth it out using my finger.

Reliable as all get out, and will last for many years.

Richard,

Thanks for the advice! Question: My Compomotives are currently assembled with both O-rings and silicone in the mating areas. I don't recall whether I also used silicone in the valley. Is the scotchbrite MEK/acetone approach the best way to remove the silicone? The "putty knife/gasket scrapper" approach sucks.

Thanks,
Dick

[R. Pare]

As you probably already know, getting old silicone off can be a royal pain! Use whatever method works for those parts. It's been a while, so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but you might be able to "loosen" it up a bit by letting the siliconed areas soak in MEK in a pan. If you have a parts washer available, mineral spirits will lossen it up also, but it takes a while, and then you still have to scotchbrite and clean with MEK afterwards, or the silicone won't stick.

You can put some silicone in between the halves, but you probably will want to limit it to right at the OD - sometimes putting it all over the face of the two halves can lead to bolts loosening over time since the silicone that is in between the surfaces can act as a lubricant. I've never had that happen to me, but have heard of other having that misfortune. If you do put some right at the OD, get everything bolted up and torqued, and then quickly add the OD bead before the first bead starts to harden - or wipe the first bead then add the main bead right away.

The GE silicone you want is many time available as the DAP brand. I buy it at Lowes. For whatever reason, the Aluminium color has the best strength and adhesion.

Depending on just how sloppy the bolts are in their holes, you will want to check runout between the halves. Having a lathe to spin the wheel on is real handy for this job.