Ben944Turbo

One of my rims was bent in an unfortunate incident, I planned on replacing the rim but I have been unable to source where these rims are from. And after my tires were slashed recently I decided it may just be time to get new rims and tires altogether. I know since my car is a 1986 it has the early offset of 23.3mm, But I'm unsure of whether new bolts and spacers were added to run the rims that are on the car now. I do not know the rims offset but I am running 18" all around with 225mm front and 265 rear. As far as I can tell the rims are RH AG cup rims but I'm unsure. I would imagine these rims have to be running the late 52.3 offset. My question is whether the car has the right adjustments to run the later offset as that would greatly increase my options. And I don't want to buy early offset rims to find out they don't fit either. I cannot necessarily check anything because I'm off at college and have no access to a lift or even basic tools. I've tried to search for what I need but can't quite seem to wrap my head around offsets. If anyone can set me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Ben

Humboldtgrin

You can have that rim straitened. Search the web in your area for a company that could do it or send it off for you. When I was in the army at ft hood I hit a center median and bent my phone dial. I found a shop in Killeen,TX that sent my rim to Dallas and was back the next day. It was strait and painted. I still run that set on my 86 944. Much cheaper then buying a whole set with tires.

Ben944Turbo

I took the car to a wheel specialist in town and they refused to work on them saying it would destroy the rim/ it wasn't fixable. After that I took it to firestone and they said they attempted to fix it and they couldn't. However I doubt they tried to use the same methods a specialist would. Can anyone detail what process is used to fix rims such as this one so I know what I'm working with? Ive seen blowtorch methods of heating the rim and hammering out but I'm not sure thats the right way to go. Even if I get the rim repaired I will likely sell the wheels. I only started daily driving this car for about 2 weeks before I bent the rim on the terrible roads here. I don't have the money/ time to make this a common occurrence no matter how great the rims look on the car.
Thanks,
Ben

Ben944Turbo

I took the car to a rim specialist and they refused to work on the rim saying it would destroy it/ it wasn't fixable. I took it to firestone as well, they said they tried to fix it but couldn't. I wouldn't imagine they would use the same technique as a specialist shop. I've seen that there are methods of blow torching the rim and reshaping it. Would this be the right method to take with this rim? I want to know what needs to be done before I take it to another shop because I've already seen how willing they are to take me for a fool. Regardless I'll have to get new tires but even if I can get the rim repaired I will likely replace it with a new set of wheels. I barely drove this car for two weeks before the terrible roads bent a rim. I don't have the time/ money right now to chance this being a common occurrence.
Thanks,
Ben

Ben944Turbo

I've taken it to a specialty rim shop that said it couldn't be fixed. I also took the car to firestone and they said they tried to fix it but couldn't. I'm not sure either of these shops knew what they were doing though. Can anyone detail how a rim like this should be repaired? I've heard of blowtorching the rim and straightening it but I'm unsure whether thats the best method for this wheel. Even if I can get the rim fixed I will likely sell the wheels. I barely drove the car for two weeks before the terrible roads here bent the rim. I don't have the money/ resources to risk it being a common occurence.
Thanks,
Ben

Black51

Would you be interested in a set of factory fuchs?

Ben944Turbo

Black51 Yes I would be interested in a set of fuchs. I've had them on all of my other 951s and I love the look. What would be the price on them?

Black51

Pm'ed.

drift a 944

Where are you located Ben?

The fabrication shop I work at straightens rims out regularly. Bent rims, cracked rims, all sorts of damage. We have a special hydraulic press that we use for this, along with various other tools.

Most big cities have a local wheel repair shop or mobile service guy. Many times they will claim they can't fix it if they foresee it not being a profitable repair for them. A lot of times this is because a torch is needed to slightly soften the metal to shape it nice and round, and the heat disrupt the finish of the wheel. Either by bubbling or melting the paint, discoloring the polished lip, etc. Our shop also does professional paint & body work so this is not a problem for us.

Anyhow the wheel is definitely repairable if you can find the right person who is not afraid to do it.

If you do get new wheels and want to sell those on the cheap, let me know. I wouldn't mind rocking some RH's!

PS- what's up with the Ferrari logo on the fender?