Bent Aluminum Wheel

[Usain_Boat]

I've been fighting a wobble in my steering for a while on my '78 280z and took my wheels to be balanced again. One wouldn't balance right so two of the wheels stayed to be looked at by wheel repair man. Now I know that the rear diver side wheel is bent and the front one is bent less badly. I have the 5 slot aluminum wheels that I believe were offered as a dealer option so I'm not exactly what wheel I should be looking to buy. So, if anyone has been through this sort of situation any advice on how to fix the wheels / what wheels I should be looking for to replace mine.

[Patcon]

Can they not be straightened? We have a company in our area that straightens wheels. I just had one done that had a 2" bulge in the rim. Can't find it now...

[Usain_Boat]

So that's the kind of advice I was looking for, should I just be asking around for a place that straightens wheels? 

[Patcon]

6 minutes ago, Usain_Boat said:

So that's the kind of advice I was looking for, should I just be asking around for a place that straightens wheels? 

Thats where I would start. Google might find one. Price the repairs and see if that makes sense over trying to source a replacement of unknown quality

[Usain_Boat]

Ok, thank you.

[black gold man]

Largest wheel shop .  Send all 4 for 500 they will come back like new. https://www.detroitwheelandtire.com/wheel-repair-refinish 

[siteunseen]

Check local car dealerships. They have wheel straighters and dent doctors that come by at least monthly, in my small town anyway.

[Usain_Boat]

So the one caveat to this whole thing is that the original person that looked at them said they weren't repairable. I'm not sure if it's because they didn't have the tools or if they are literally that bad. I'll just have to have them looked at.

[Pilgrim]

6 hours ago, Usain_Boat said:

So the one caveat to this whole thing is that the original person that looked at them said they weren't repairable. I'm not sure if it's because they didn't have the tools or if they are literally that bad. I'll just have to have them looked at.

They may be wrong. Specialists are what I'd depend upon.  Chances are they can be straightened by a specialist.

IIRC those are not factory option wheels, they were simply a very popular style that were often purchased for Z-cars throughout the 70's. 

[Usain_Boat]

Update: The wheels are bent in the center and cannot be fixed, so this leads to more questions.

I have done the Toyota S12+8 front brake upgrade and have stock fenders with zero plans for flairs. Given this, what wheel size / offset would be recommended for me to be able to just bolt on?

[Zed Head]

Aluminum usually cracks as it bends.  

You probably have the mounting surface machined to run true to the tire surface by a good machine shop.  Probably expensive to do though.

[ByStickel]

There are lots of 5-slots out there, and they're still reasonable affordable. The problem is finding the exact wheel. Many different versions of the 5-slot are out there. My Z came with two from one brand, two from another, and the spare was from a third company:

I think you have these

 

This style has more negative offset, and no raised disc at toward the center

 

If you want to find a replacement, write down all the markings on the back side, get the width and backspacing/offset measured, and learn how to spot the minute differences between the brands. I'm sure you'll find one.

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by ByStickel