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Thread: Home made lightweight wheel covers

  1. #1
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Home made lightweight wheel covers

    In trying to find some lightweight wheel covers for our kitfox to keep the grass and grunt out of the wheel bearing area I couldn't find any that had the correct amount of "dish" to them, so I made some.....using a technique called "Metal Spinning".

    First photo is of the wood plug fabricated on the Lathe out of 3" white spruce (that's all I had laying around for something that thick)

    Photo #2 is of the 0.017" thick aluminum sheet screwed to the wood plug (had some 0.017" laying around)

    Photo #3 is of the spinning process using a 3/4" hardwood dowel for a spoon (yup - the dowel was just laying around too)

    Photo #4 is the two completed blanks before trimming/deburring

    Last two are the trimmed/deburred wheel covers.

    Each wheel cover ended up weighing in at 1.45 ounces.

    Still have to paint to match and drill the three little mounting holes; but, this whole business up to this point took barely an hour....FYI - I have never done any metal spinning before but it works pretty slick - that is how aluminum prop spinners are made also but I am sure those guys have far more sophisticated equipment.

    Sincerely,

    Dave S
    KF 7 Trigear
    912ULS Warp Drive
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  2. #2
    Senior Member War Eagle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    That's quite the effort you put in to make those.

    They will look great on the plane.

    I used ones from Aircraft Spruce but had to make a center cut out for the axle.
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  3. #3
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    For your first attempt they look great Dave.
    New hobby?


    DesertFox4
    Admin.
    7 Super Sport
    912 ULS Tri-gear


  4. #4
    Senior Member jrevens's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    Those look just great, Dave! Good job!
    John Evens
    Arvada, CO
    Kitfox SS7 N27JE
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  5. #5
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    Wowww....great job...thank's to share...

  6. #6
    Senior Member ken nougaret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    that is very cool! I think anything you can say YOU made or DID yourself on an experimental, the more pride you can take.
    ken

  7. #7
    Senior Member HighWing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    I am impressed. I guess one more thing I need to try. I made some for my first Model IV with the 8" wheels, but of fiberglass. I always tell folks that I love my wife's job. As a flight attendant she is gone for days at a time and it gives me opportunity to use her kitchen without getting "The Look". I used one of her cooking pot lids as a mold.
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    Lowell Fitt
    Goodyear, AZ


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  8. #8
    Senior Member jdmcbean's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    Thought this may be a good time to show-off what we have been doing on the S-LSA aircraft for a few years now... Works Great and the Kitfox ALWAYS stays in the correct orientation.
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    John McBean
    www.kitfoxaircraft.com
    208.337.5111

    "The Sky is not the Limit... It's a Playground"

  9. #9
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    Hey John,

    That is the best use yet of the little axle stub sticking out in the middle of the wheel! Don't even have to stand on my head to read it!

    Nice addittion to the Kitfox line.

    Dave S
    Last edited by Dave S; 07-20-2014 at 12:49 AM.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home made lightweight wheel covers

    Completed and installed as of today........final steps of fitting, drilling holes (in the right place) prepping, priming and painting accomplished...got the new wheel covers complete and on the plane.

    Decided to stay with the insignia white/aerothane to match the fuse & gear. Have to see if I can locate some decals to go in the center now as they do look a little naked.

    Now I can take a little comfort in keeping the crap I drag my wheels through out of the outside of the hub at least

    The inspiration for this rather lengthy, detailed but small project started with the lenght of the axle sticking out...so the dome is a little higher than the "normal" off the shelf wheel covers.

    Sincerely,

    Dave S
    KF 7 Trigear
    912ULS Warp Drive
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