Thread: fixing steel wheels?

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has anyone done this? ive got a set of steelies and the lip and area there the bead sits on the inside of the rim is bent/dented a little. would a little heat and patient hammer work get it straight enough to work?

Put the wheel on a tire changer, or bolt it to an old axle in a vise. A 48" crescent wrench will work on some wheels, others need a BFH and a punch or a dulled chisel. Grind the chisel to get a slight curve on the end, and round the corners off. I've done it without heat, but it is easier with it. The paint takes a beating from a torch, though!
If it's just the lip where it bends out, outside of the sealing ledge, I set the wheel on a hard surface, roll the damaged part down, and massage it with the hammer. Roll the wheel so the lip is just off the floor so you can finish it off slightly convex.

I had 2 old spoke wheels straightened at Stockton Wheel and they did a great job and was not that expensive. They also had a real quick turn around too.

Do you have pics? I would think you could fix the rim by patiently massaging the metal back to place. If the hit was hard enough though to bend the rim on the bead end it could of also bent the whole rim. Either or It still can be fixed but I would trust it to the pros. , they have the correct tooling to get that booger straight.