DIY beadlocks

[Tydra]

so i decided i wanted beadlocks for my buggy, budget didn't allow for them. my uncle built a couple sets for his rock crawler before he bought his trailready rims. so i figured i'd give it a shot. did some research, here's the process i came up with.

i bought rims and tires, 26x12x12 ITP blackwaters on 12x7 ITP delta steel rims for the rear, 25x8x12 ITP mudlites on 12x4 steel trailer rims on the front. i designed the rings and had them lasered, they are cut from 3/16th plate. i used spacer (anti-cone) rings, 2x 3/16th on the rear, 1x 1/4 on the front. each rims took 16x 5/16"x1-1/2" grade 5 bolts, 16 poly-lock nuts and 32 washers. i wanted to add as much width as possible so i chose to weld to the outside rim (added almost an inch to the mounting width). overall i'm pretty stoked with the results.

[Tydra]

i took one of my front axles, mounted it in a vise, and mounted the rim, i used a wire wheel on a grinder to take the paint/powdercoat off the welding surface around the outside of the rims and around the existing valve stem hole which needs to be relocated.

[Tydra]

after tacking it in place, i put it back on the axle, and welded it in 4-5" section, after working my way around the rim, i set it aside to cool and start on the next rims.

[Tydra]

i ground the high points off the welds the cleaned the it up with a flap disc. i also drilled the new valve stem location, making sure on the front rims that was between the bolts.

[Tydra]

i welded the anti cone rings to the front outer ring, on the rear there is one on the inner ring as well.

[Tydra]

to mount the tires i used irons to to get it over the outside rim, aligned the outer ring with 4 bolts at 12-3-6-9, locked it down then worked my way around in a star pattern until all the bolts were in. this time i just clamped the rings down, when i reassemble them after powdercoat i'll torque them properly.

[Tydra]

the complete set

[artie on edge]

Mate looks bloody good! How much weight did that add to each rim?

[fabr]

Lots of work but damn nice results.Kudos to you!!!!!

[artie on edge]

i welded the anti cone rings to the front outer ring, on the rear there is one on the inner rim as well.

was that cause the rear tyre has a thicker bead? What was the thickness you used on all the steel?

Im really interested in this. Im using 14' rims and over here I just cant find any one to buy this stuff off at a reasonable price (15" is freely available, 'I'm odd')..so, I had thought I would have to make it... thanks for the inspiration...

[SPEC]

VERY....VERY.... NICE.... TY
Thats a Fooken great idea...and it looks like you executed it nicely

[Tydra]

thx gents.

the rings weighed 6.6 lbs per tire (the laser program told me so, lol) plus hardware and weld, i'll guess around 8 lbs per wheel. it's alot of unsprung weight but the added strength is huge.

the rear tire has 2x 3/16" spacers because the bead of the tire was thicker then the front, i bead on the front was a little under 3/8" and the rear was a little over 7/16".

the process didn't add to the diameter, it added to the width. i size the inner ring based on the outside diameter of the rim, then welded it to the outside of the lip, the outer ring is a little smaller. i've read about putting it inside the lip or cutting the lip off as well but the extra width was an added bonus. the profile of my tires looks quite a bit better, the rims are more like 12x5s and 12x8s now.

[Admin]

Excellent job Tyrdra, Ill be honest, I don't like the pointed design, But damn fine work indeed, and creativity...

[LiveWire]

I sell beadlock kits. I priced out making them myself since I get a lot of stuff laser cut. It did not pay off because the ones I buy made, they put 10" inside 12" inside 15", etc. So they make better use of the material.