Attaching Treads to IFI Wheel

[natis]

Does anyone know alternative ways to attach the threads to the IFI wheels ??
we appreciate your help

[sanddrag]

I think you mean treads, not threads.

[greencactus3]

i would expect gorilla glue to work too. any reason behind not pop rivets? we just learned how to use them.

[Ken Patton]

We found that the pop rivets supplied by IFI worked very well. We had an "assembly line" of 4 students: one marking, one drilling, one pre-placing rivets and eating Chex mix, and one using the rivet gun. Did 7 wheels in a little more than two hours.

Don't forget to make sure the end of the rivet gets through the wheel rim before you start squeezing - this was a common problem when we started.

We used the wheel rim itself as the template for marking the belts for drilling, and it worked well.

Can't wait to experience the high traction of these wheels. We feel sorta lame knowing that ours aren't anodized, but maybe we'll just put an IFI sticker on the quarter panel...

Ken

[Jay Trzaskos]

Ken, I'm sure we Ken get our machinist to annodize them for you on thursday night at GTR. What a great way to spend a weeknight in Canada. :p

JT
229

[Tim Delles]

Ken is right. The best way way that we have found is pop riveting them, it works wonders. Also make sure the tread is tight when you rivet it in place.

[eugenebrooks]

Does anyone know alternative ways to attach the threads to the IFI wheels ??
we appreciate your help

We machine our own rims using cast wheels from McMaster, but we use the same waffle tread. We bead blast the aluminum for a good glue surface. We take a belt sander (80 grit, I think) to the back of the waffle tread, taking off the low friction (also low adhesion) nylon backing and being very careful to just get to the first black rubber layer. We then clean the wheel and the rubber well with MEK, we clean it many times to prepare the surface for glue. We then use very long cure super glue, stretching the tread into place on the wheel, and zip kick it. After the glue is cured, pulling the tread off leaves black rubber on the wheel. Haven't needed any rivets or screws yet...

Have fun,
Eugene

[Smrtman5]

We started with one side unassembled. The tread was held in place to the wheel with a pair of vise grips and we used a red hot sharpened piece of metal to form the hole in the tread my pushing it through the hole in the wheel. (Note: the smoke of the burning tread was unpleasant. We faced a fan out the open door to remedy the problem) After one rivet was in place, we clamped the other end of the tread, making sure it was taught around the wheel and repeated the process for all the rivets.

[pacoliketaco]

i am pretty sure we used 4 screws to attach the two ends into the original rivet holes. Then we used caulk to keep them on. we also lock tighted all of the screws that attach the rims to themetal tread.