Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A method and apparatus, and a modified wheel made thereby for varying the wheel offset dimension of an automotive vehicle full face wheel of the type disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,482 and having a predetermined first wheel offset dimension. The disc-rim part is formed in progressive die tooling of a transfer press operable for multiple stage successive forming, from a flat circular blank, the disc-rim part into the final die formed shape thereof having the given styling configuration. A wheel offset shift zone portion is first selected in the disc-rim part, consisting of the outer peripheral portion and/or the central bolt circle mounting portion of this part. The selected portion is shifted axially of the wheel a predetermined distance to thereby provide a second predetermined wheel offset dimension, different from the first such dimension, when the disc-rim part is joined to the rim. Then a corresponding predetermined wheel forming offset dimensional change modification is made in the first draw stage of the press tooling. A spacer is provided having a predetermined selected thickness dimension sized and installed to shift only a selected portion of the tooling and utilized in the draw stage to form shift the selected offset zone of the disc-rim by a distance corresponding to the difference between the first and second wheel offset dimensions. Corollary spacers are likewise installed in the remaining successive stages of the transfer press tooling in those areas engaging the selected offset shift zone to thereby accommodate the first draw stage offset change.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim