How to Repair Bent Aluminum Wheel with Bottle Jack in Garage - DIY Alloy Rim Pothole Fix!

Today I’ll show how to fix a bent wheel with some fire, bottle jack, socket, and sanding block. Then I'll fix the remaining curb rash with a file and sand paper.
Products used:
MAP torch w/ trigger start: amzn.to/3xb3zI6
12 Ton bottle jack: amzn.to/3waPiKj
Rubber 8" sanding block: amzn.to/3dATBIm
Variety pack of sand paper: amzn.to/36kfk3j
File: amzn.to/3AhobjU
Related How-to videos:
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Prep wheels for paint: • How to Restore Alloy W...
Painting wheels: • How to: Paint Wheels/R...
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6thGearGarage

[@kevinfoster2308]

I'm impressed with your improvisional engineering

[@blacksoldierfly888]

Out of all the vids on DIY rim repair I've watched this looks like the best method and nicest job so far!! No smacking the crap out of your rim with a big hammer!! Well done!! Looks very doable for the average person at home with a few basic tools. Thank you for posting.

[@441meatloaf]

Except there are many other videos that shows proper equipment to fix this kind of problem.....

[@theshopspot9053]

Good job dude 🤙🏻 nicely done!

[@charliezdybek1882]

Those old school turbo fan wheels are such a cool concept

[@chuckbelow337]

Great video, I just did the same. For me, I would get the aluminum area quite hot both inside and out -then crank up the jack tighter, then heat it back up again, then a little tighter avoiding too much force. Same with the bent lip but used a 2lb. hammer with care. Cut a cardboard arc template from the good side of the wheel for a gauge.Dremeled smooth and painted the scars.Excellent, can't even tell.

[@RonnieGonzales520]

Upload timing couldn't be better I currently have a bent wheel that needs repair thank you for this guide your wheel turned out great

[@davidburcar7620]

Would you have looked for a video like this if you did not have a dent in your wheel? lol

[@RonnieGonzales520]

@@davidburcar7620 ive been subbed to the 6th gear garage for about 5/6 years

[@autocarservices3390]

Good job

[@thatfeeble-mindedboy]

Very resourceful! Couple of thoughts I had; That big socket is going to pull a lot of heat out of that rim, I would suggest heating up the socket to maybe a little higher temperature than the rim. My instinct tells me that leaving the rim pushed out with the bottle jack still positioned to apply force, one could continue the heat up/cool down cycles as time allowed. I would think with each heating phase, some additional metal molecules would become free enough to align better within its crystalline structure in response to the tremendous force being applied by the jack then during cool-down, the molecules might lock in that orientation, and with each heat up cycle, more and more molecules would lose the remainder of their tendency to return to their original alignment. This would retain the ‘new’ (but actually the original)“bend profile” better and for a longer time I would think, and possibly minimize the collateral damage to the rest of the rim.

[@6thGearGarage]

Excellent advise, thank you!

[@Doug_Narby]

I thought I was the only one this nuts. But it worked for me too. 😂

[@ikusny]

Great video ! Got 2 sets to fix small bents on them will see how it goes :D

[@seannagel8718]

How'd it go?

[@Suncascadian]

Nice method! Good work.

[@6thGearGarage]

Thanks!

[@balball2000f]

Really like dis video!!

[@GoodDank85]

Well done nice work

[@6thGearGarage]

Thank you

[@pigeonsil240sx]

to fine tune out the dent you should get a little dial indicator and make a device so you can spin the wheel like a hub assembly from junkyard then you can spin the wheel and see where you have dents by looking at dial indicator,then make sure it has under .005" + - runout

[@mccjoe01]

Just use a zip tie way cheaper than a dial indicator

[@JohnyDickhead-pr1kf]

Legend

[@mikeangeletti3285]

Thank you I knew there was a way because I can fix anything I was just worried about destroying my wheel I watch your video and I had the right idea thank you my wheels fixed and save me about 260 I really appreciate it keep up the good work.mike angeletti

[@6thGearGarage]

Glad I could help!

[@deiangonzales8406]

I'm in love!!! If you're not mexican then you just earned honorary adoption by me, now I just gotta find the bottle jack I aint seen since my Toyota Dolphin (think I gave it to the buyers???)

[@jerryclasby9628]

It might be helpful to make a template for the repair area using a good part of the wheel or from one of the other Wheels

[@6thGearGarage]

Good idea!

[@ratulahmed8767]

If the aluminium wheel is heated with a fire does it weaken the wheel or stay strong?

[@Warmsunset26]

what you can do next time is - make an TEMPLATE , of before and after. Even making a perfect correct sized circle and that will be even MORE accurate than the eye.

[@6thGearGarage]

Good idea. I measured a the end of the video to make sure it was round.

[@yotakid]

Nice, I have 2 piece Enkei’s on my 86 Toyota 4Runner

[@6thGearGarage]

I love some vintage Enkeis

[@eibura5978]

i'm trying trying this on a 3pc weds cerb outter lip for my sc300

[@migz9310]

How did it go?

[@unawakenedque]

reminds me of chrisfix lmao 🤣 i love ❤️ this method

[@Roman-pq6fy]

i did not see anyone asking : does the wheel ride smooth after repair?(i got 3 bent much less than that but car shakes like crazy above 60mph. was that repair worth it ?) thanks

[@6thGearGarage]

It rides great,no vibrations at all. I had 4 new tires installed and this wheel needed the least amount of wheel weights to be balanced.

[@oisinoconnor4773]

Where can I buy that half round platform the jack is sitting on

[@6thGearGarage]

There is a link in the description for amazon.

[@RaleighSvpremez]

I have 2 chrome wheels with a bigger bend in it, would you like to give them a shot?

[@6thGearGarage]

Honestly, I would take them to a professional repair for a larger bend.

[@jerryclasby9628]

Heat is very important

[@kadent7320]

How do you remove rust out of the inside of a box frame?

[@6thGearGarage]

First I'd whack it with a big hammer to break off all the loose chunks. Then I'd lift one end of the truck up real high and use compressed air into the factory rectangle holes in the side of the frame and blow it all out to the open end of the frame. Keep in mind there are baffles/gussets inside of the frame around where the cab and bed meet (on 80's toyota frames) so you'll have to lift one end first, then do the same thing with the other end lifted because the debris may bot pass through the middle of the frame. You could also use an attachment like this to scrape the inside: www.amazon.com/Gardus-RPS204-B-SootEater-Rotary-Cleaning/dp/B000GA9D9I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459041121&sr=8-2&keywords=SootEater+Rotary

[@stihltrotter3707]

Hey would you consider selling that bench seat from that 89 Toyota

[@6thGearGarage]

It’s already sold 👍

[@jeffnations6649]

I need to try this on a steel rim

[@6thGearGarage]

it's even easier on steel, as it's more malleable.

[@jeffnations6649]

@@6thGearGarage thanks I tried this today and it helped alot, I didn't see paying $150 each for rims.

[@drwisniewski]

When did Home Depot start selling Pittsburg products? Thanks for the DIY. Definitely worth trying before buying a new/replacement rim!

[@6thGearGarage]

Oops, I think I meant to say Harbor Freight there... good catch!

[@richkullberg7987]

Does the strength of the bottle jack make a difference

[@6thGearGarage]

It shouldn't matter for this application. Mine was 12 ton and it had no problems bending the wheel.

[@xmo552]

@@6thGearGarage I love your technique on this, I'll def be using it in the future. For right now, I've got a wheel that's shallow on the outside and the previous owner bent the lip just a tad... just enough to leak a few psi over a few weeks. I think I might rig something like a large crescent wrench and pry it back up. Heat seems to be the key.

[@Crawlerjamie]

These appears to be short clips of a man repairing an aluminum wheel in between your ads

[@ericbeaton3523]

Are you concerned at all about reversing the probable heat treatment that was done on the Al by heating and allowing diffusion to happen? The Al alloy is most likely weakened where the heat was applied.

[@6thGearGarage]

Heat seems to be the standard way to repair a bend like this. I have not heard of any failure due to repairing and mine has been fine, but I'm not using it on the track in any way. If this were a track car I would probably replace the wheel.

[@meTimetraveler]

can the socket shoot out under pressure

[@6thGearGarage]

I suppose anything could happen, but I wasn't too worried about it. I don.t think there would be too much force. I was more worried about the jack slipping out.

[@fladoodel]

The only thing i wouldve done different is cut out a semicircular block of wood I a flat section for the jack to sit on so it can distribute the opposing force a little more evenly and lower the chances of distorting the entire rim. However the chances of that happening are lower with an aluminum rim than a steel one, aluminum tends not to bend as easily as steel

[@6thGearGarage]

That's a good idea!

[@MrSagsta]

Nice video Did this wheel get balanced after, was there any issues? If wheel cant hold air due to larger buckle can it still be repaired?

[@6thGearGarage]

I had a tire mounted and balanced and it actually needed less weight than the other three wheels did. If the bend is to the point where it won’t hold air, I’m not sure if it can be repaired.

[@tamphuocthotnot7618]

❤

[@FranciscoMaldonado-zv5re]

Cuantas toneladas es el gato?

[@6thGearGarage]

lol he's a big boy isn't he?

[@robertschlumpberger22]

Great DYI video. I was quoted $125/wheel to take out the bend in my set. They will do both lateral and vertical alignment but the dang wheel is over 35 years old. It's not going to be perfect.

[@6thGearGarage]

Thanks! The wheel I repaired needed less weight to balance than the ones that were never bent & repaired. Patience and heat is key.

[@mindpowerx]

my kind-a-guy

[@jerryclasby9628]

Draw file

[@crazyg74]

it's force, not pressure.

[@ua7pyro591]

SKETCHY LOL

[@sage410.....]

It would be a miracle if you lived close to Baltimore Maryland

[@6thGearGarage]

Sorry, I'm 7 hrs away.

[@cratecruncher6687]

That entire wheel was distorting out of round. Sure much of it will spring back . But without a runout gauge you don't know if the entire wheel is now egg shaped. If that wheel is out of round it's going to ride MUCH worse than that isolated flat spot did.

[@6thGearGarage]

I did check it before taking it to have the tire mounted & balanced.

[@arandomdudeintoronto3983]

Cratecruncher is correct... get the proper equipment if you want to straighten wheels...

[@christopherbassit2757]

@@arandomdudeintoronto3983 for atvs this should be fine

[@orangecounty7144]

This is a quick diy at home. Why buy proper equipment if it's going to collect dust being stored away.

[@nerraw28]

@@orangecounty7144 you underestimate my ability to bend wheels

[@garyeckel1656]

Needs Two more", I cant stand those bent rim reworks they never feel right on smooth roads, always have that shaking harmonic vibration.

[@austinandannah5357]

If you run that wheel in the rear passenger you won’t even feel it

[@6thGearGarage]

I think the previous tire shop must have balanced it out pretty well before because I never felt it. Figured I'd try to make it better before I got new tires.

[@lilchico6908]

Thats a harbor freight jack not home depot lol

[@6thGearGarage]

You're right... crap I watched this like 5 times before uploading and somehow missed that lol

[@warlock-designs-customizations]

Dude you ruined my Christmas...all the other videos use a hammer and bang the hell out of the wheel!....Thanks for the help......

[@kamerontodd6665]

Makes a DIY video yet says “Disclaimer! Don’t try this at home” 🤨 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@6thGearGarage]

I said Don’t try this at home so nobody can sue me if they break their wheel :)

[@mccjoe01]

That was sketchy as frig. Lucky you didn't end up with summer teath.

[@kandlrex]

Summer here summer there

[@mazyata9958]

Too bad because I threw away some old japanese wheels because it was bent! I didn't want to pay for the repair. Could have easily been fixed or a lot better than before. That was almost 20yrs ago. Oh well!

[@6thGearGarage]

Damaged wheels always make great hose holders!

[@tm2pusatpressmadiun577]

Good job