Hey guys. Ever found yourself looking for ideas about whitewalls , because of the lack of funds for $900 Cokers? That is exactly where I am. I realise it is a supply and demand world we live in, but it doesn't cost any more to make coker wide whitewall tires , than it does a tire. Anyway, I am sure you have all seen the You Tube video of the guy taking a simple whit wall tire and making a wide whitewall out of it. I wanted to see how it really looked in person. So, I went to my local tire store that I always deal with, and they gave me an old crappy tire to experiment with. Now remember , I used a simple grinding disc that was brand new ,and not rounded yet at the edges. I feel that would help in taking lighter passes at the black portion of the tire. I took photos of the tire the way I got it, and 2 more after I did my thing to it. I gotta tell you, it turned out a heck of alot better than I thought it would. I spent 34 minutes on this little experiment,and I was pleased with the results. I am sure if you look close , you can see some flaws. But this was just a test. Doing this does not take long,and it is very affordable to do. There is only one drawback. You have to find 4 tires with whitewalls to do this to. And you want them to match. Now, for you guys restoring trucks to original,and the purists here on this site, I'm sure this is not something you want to do. But, for you guys who have one in college,and two more on the way, you might want to take a look. That is , if you are not putting the tires on a $20k ride.I put a caliper on the tire to measure thickness before and after. Such a small difference ,I could not see or feel any structural difference in before and after. But , I guess judge for yourself.
If you guys are wondering why it is only 1 3/4" wide and not 2 1/2", it is because I am not using this tire for anything. Once I get the tires I want, I will make them just 2" . It is good to find tires that have a thin line around it. Most tires will have lines on them. Then you can choose which width you want.
I saw a guy at a car show in Oct. that had a grinder or something made on the end of a grinder to make white walls bigger or make your own. He took a blackwall tire and was make flames on the side of it. I would like to try my hand at doing that.
Looks good may have to try that for what I don't know I reckon just to say I did it You just used a grinding disc on like a 4-in angle grinder? I have not seen the you tube thing so if anyone has a link?
Yes, but try to use a good used grinding disc. One that has been used on steel before. The reason I say that, id a new one is very square on the edges.It makes it a little harder to grind it smooth. But , that is what I used. Once I did all the rough cutting, I then used a palm sander and 80 grit sanding discs. You can buy everything you need at TSC. It really came out better than I thought. Just take your time, and don't try to take too much at one time. Also , just as the same as steel, make longer passes in a sweeping motion. That will cut down on the gouges and such.
There is a specific grinding disc that is used on an air grinder to scuff the inside if tire prior to applying a patch. It normally has a 1/4" arbor hole and is used with a small air motor that looks like a fat die grinder. This tool looks like a small bowl and is made of formed metal and has thousands of abrasive bits attached to it and is copper or gold in color. It is really ideal for rubber grinding and will not load up. It is available at tire shop suppliers. Your friendly tire store may show one to you. Now if a guy were to set one up to spin up, while a mounted tire were spinning down, it would be like 1970 when I saw this done. But, if a guy were friendly with a recapper, then he could just put the tire on the carcass lathe, and move said buffer to the side instead of the top and corner. Yes, I did work at a capper doing Bandag's all day. Yuk.........
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56' F-100 Mild Custom 3 year test build. Done/Never Done.
Did someone say COOKIES ??
Yes, as soon as I get my tires ,I am getting that bowl shaped tool you speak of. I worked for a truck stop when I was a kid, and that's what we used also to rough up the inside of a tire before patching it. I have a 1/4" air die grinder I plan on using.
a feller here in town did the ol' grinder trick to his 59 custom royal but he was fortunate to have a son in law or some relation like that who worked in a tire factory to tell him what model of tire had the largest white insert so's he knew what tires to buy in the 1st place. i'm thinkin someday when i can afford to get a full set of new matching tires for my panel i'll be doin' the whitewall thing till then i'll continue rollin' around on the tires i got free from work @ the dealership.......... used to score the unused spare tires offa abused trade in work trucks we didn't want to resell to our customers & put ol' skins on em before they went to the auction. (heh heh)
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You just used a grinding disc on like a 4-in angle grinder? I have not seen the you tube thing so if anyone has a link?
