H2 wheel...How much to machine?

[Task125]

Thanks for the reply,I am looking now for some wheels now. They are not that cheap anymore.

 

[nickleinonen]

Is the offset the same as stock?

i beilieve the H2 wheels have 5. 5"backspacing and are 8. 5" wide, so they come out about 1" more than stock wheels...

 

[DJaquez]

Hummer wheel machining in Santee, CA. I had my Chrome OEM Hummer Wheels machined by Oo. Ralls Prececision in Santee, CA. Oo. They are very nice, close tolerences and the price was right. I will be posting pictures tomorrow.

 

[JeepinDoug]

Bring this subject back up since I just won a set on eBay for $150 and supposedly less than 100 miles on them.

Yo Hoot's write-up says the H2 and Ram wheels are hubcentric. I haven't pulled my wheels and I'm still waiting for the H2s to arrive. I've heard others say they are lugcentric.

Anyone possitive?

The lug nut seats will be flat for hubcentric or conical for lugcentric, unless there's some weird engineering change.

Obviously if they are hubcentric I will be swinging mine on a lathe for the close bore tolerance.

I've seen H2 wheels used with older chrome Ram center caps.

Does anyone know if there is a mod involved in the cap?

I love the factory Ram's head on my caps but I plan on powder coating the wheels satin-black along with the caps. Plastic caps will not coat and my only other option would be to rattle can the caps.



The plan is to powder coat the H2 wheels, then raise the aluminum "U" shaped spokes to a polish. It should make them easily cleanable with a touch of bling.

 

[Blakers]

Definitely lugcentric. Is that a word?



I used a 4 3/4" hole saw to open mine up. Took 45 minutes to do all four and they turned out great.



I am currently working on a cheap and quick mod for the H2 hubcaps.



Blake

 

[JeepinDoug]

Great! Thanks Blake, I'll be using the holesaw then, simplified.

 

[Blakers]

Get the biggest and slowest drill motor you can find. Use plenty of oil. Hold it straight and go reallllllllllly slow. The hole saw will pilot itself in the depression that is around the original hole in the wheel.



I bought a Milwaukee hole saw for about thirty-some dollars not including the arbor. I think that was about $12.



Good luck!

 

[JeepinDoug]

I'm gonna use the holesaw on a brigdeport mill, speed, coolant and TIR will be in effect. I just won't need to adjust a boring tool. I also have a Milw. holeshooter that would do the job but the wheels are being shipped to work.

 

[Blakers]

I'm gonna use the holesaw on a brigdeport mill, speed, coolant and TIR will be in effect. I just won't need to adjust a boring tool. I also have a Milw. holeshooter that would do the job but the wheels are being shipped to work.

If you can get them into a Bridgeport with the tires on that is great. A Holeshooter is way too fast. Try to get something in the low 100's rpms.

 

[JeepinDoug]

No tires, so toe clamps will hold fine. Just indicate the bore and go. The holeshooter is variable speed, I've never seen a fixed speed holeshooter, don't know if they make them.

The nice thing about the Bridgeport is it's so rigid that the finish bore comes out really clean with a holesaw, much better than a hand drill, not that it matters being lugcentric.

 

[Blakers]

The holeshooter is variable speed, I've never seen a fixed speed holeshooter, don't know if they make them.

.

Doug, I know you are not going to try to use the Holeshooter, but for others I just want to let them know it is not enough drill. Way too fast and if you run it slow, you still don't have the control you need. What they need is a big slow speed drill that is made for huge bits like a 4. 75" hole saw.

 

[JHardwick]

Has anybody found a repeatable means of balancing the wheels once the center hole is butchered?



I still don't understand. You spend $75 or more on a hole saw and tool rental when you could have a local shop give you a precision hole for probably less $$.

 

[Blakers]

Has anybody found a repeatable means of balancing the wheels once the center hole is butchered?



I still don't understand. You spend $75 or more on a hole saw and tool rental when you could have a local shop give you a precision hole for probably less $$.

All I know is it worked, was easy to do, did not cost too much, the tires did not have to be dismounted, and there was no hassle dealing with shops and waiting for them to have the time to do it. And there was no problem with balance afterwards.



It may not be the most perfect way to do it, but it worked and it worked well. Others may want to do it the perfect way.

 

[Elite1]

I was at a tire shop today, they were rotating my tires. They do alot of work with the Hummer dealership. I was commenting to the manager that I don't really like the looks of my stock wheels, especially that center cap. I told him about TDR and that some of the guys were switching to H2 wheels. He tells me that that the hot ticket is an after market chrome cap made for the H2, but it doesn't say H2 or Hummer on it like the stock cap. He also has a machine shop they work with that does the reaming. I have a set of almost new tires already, just some low mile stockers will they fit the H2 rims?

 

[Motobeagle]

I just got a set of Chrome H2 wheels off of Ebay. $355 shipped hopefully by the end of the week.



I had a few local machine shops give me some estimates for the mill work and they were all around the neighborrhood of $175-$200...



Based on the assumption of the wheels being lug-centric I think I'm going with the 4 3/4 holesaw option for $35.



Do any of you pro's think an adjustable cylinder hone would work to finish the job (. 002)?

 

[JHardwick]

I just got a set of Chrome H2 wheels off of Ebay. $355 shipped hopefully by the end of the week.



I had a few local machine shops give me some estimates for the mill work and they were all around the neighborrhood of $175-$200...



Based on the assumption of the wheels being lug-centric I think I'm going with the 4 3/4 holesaw option for $35.



Do any of you pro's think an adjustable cylinder hone would work to finish the job (. 002)?

I'm done with this thread! This thread reminds me of watching a carpenter and hearing "1/4"!!! hell it'll be okay!!"



You are not going to get a round hole with a hole saw and hand hone, nor will it be concentric with the bead. If you guys can make it work and not have any balancing problems, then more power to you ... ... ... ... it still makes me cringe as a machinist for 20 years :{



I raced winged sprinters on dirt for several years as well ... ... ... ... the guys who cobbled stuff rarely finished and were most generally the cause of the yellow ... ... ... ... and just when I got out front too



How can you take a lug-centric wheel, cobble the center hole and then balance the whole deal off that center hole? I personally have never worked in a tire shop, but don't the balancing machines locate on the center hole? Tires are known to be out-of-round or out of concentricity ... ... ... thats the reason for balancing ... ... ... ... now you want to add an eccentric wheel to the mix? :-laf

 

[Motobeagle]

Edit.



I'll stick with the machinists that I've found then. Thanks

 

[JeepinDoug]

I just did mine today.

I bored them because I didn't want Hardwick to get his panties in a bunch, just kidding :-laf .

I bored them because it was easiest. A holesaw that size is $50 and not a typical on the shelf size.

You'll notice on the center bore there is a bore and a counter bore. The new bore 4. 774" +/-. 003" is just a hair larger than the counter bore, approximately . 010".

I'd bore these wheels all day long at that price, it took an hour, all four wheels.



Contradicting statements here, some say lug centric, some say hub centric.

Which is it?

Who knows for sure?



The wheel lug tapers are very shallow, right on the border as if it could be either lug or hub. The hub countersink is approximately . 250" corner break.

 

[JHardwick]

I just did mine today.

I bored them because I didn't want Hardwick to get his panties in a bunch, just kidding :-laf .

:-laf :-laf

 

[JeepinDoug]

:-laf :-laf

I'm glad to see you have a sense of humor, got a little worried after I posted thinking you might take the wrong way.