Wheel conversion

Hi all:

Just new here as I stumbled upon this site and had a quick look around before deciding to join you folks in this wonderful world of diecast models. I collect mainly 1/18 of Ford Trucks , my own vehicles and really anything that I think is cool.

I have a question to all you experienced customizers out there. I had a look around the site and couldn't really find the answer to my modifying questions.
The first and easiest mod that I want to do is do some wheel and tire conversions to match my own cars. How the heck do I remove the rims and tires from 1/18 Ertl Authentics and AutoArt? They are expensive models so I don't really want to do any experimenting. My Ertl is the 1985 Monte Carlo SS that I want to change the 1985 rims to the ones found on the 1987 Welly Monte Carlo SS to make it a correct 1986 model year. Also thought about switching the correct Goodyear Eagle GT's from the '85 onto the '87 rims.
Also, I want to take off the premium rims off the 2005 AutoArt and replace them with the chrome bullit style rims from GMP. Anybody out there that could point me in the right direction so that I don't mess up my models.
Thanks in advance.
Great site!
Jeff

Take a photo of both sets, it would make it easier for us to guide you along.

Welcome to AF!

I have the Ertl Authentics Monte Carlo.. Take the tire off.. And the rim will come apart in 2 pieces... and there will be a screw on the inside..

As for the AutoArt. im not sure. id imagine its just like any other Maisto Or Ertl with the snap pins..

Thanks SF. That worked perfectly. However it is going to be a much larger chore to adapt the Welly "honeycomb" to the Ertl. I managed to get the Welly wheels apart as they just pulled straight off. Looks like I'm somehow going to have to put the Wellys on a steel shaft to hold them in a lathe so I can turn the diameter down to the size that will fit into the "hub" that screws onto the axle. I hopefully will then be able to use the Goodyear Eagle GT's back onto the new wheel because they will now be the size of the old, original rally wheel and hopefully the tire will hold the 2 piece rims together as they originally did. Thats only the beginning though. Ertl has now come out with a 1985 that is silver with grey interior. My 1:1 is black with grey interior but Ertl ,until this point, only made a burgandy interior. So I either wait to see if a black one with grey interior gets made or I go about switching over the new silver/gray SS I just bought. :eek: Talk about going from the frying pan into the fire.

The AutoArt is the 2005 Mustang. I had a real good look at it tonight and it may be next to impossible to do.The AA has the two sides of the brake caliper wrapped around the brake disc , just like in the 1:1, and the disc is attached to the centre of the wheel. Rotate the wheel and the disc rotates but the caliper stays fixed in one spot. Oh yeah, the caliper and axle are molded together.So :dunno: . The GMP chrome bullit rims I bought are straight push pins. Hole thats pushes onto the plastic axle pin similar to the Welly. For some reason there are two that are one diameter and two that are a smaller diameter.

I tried posting so pics but no matter what I tried I couldn't get the photos down to less than 80k. Even the small format on my dig. could only get it down to 200k.

So.......... looking for advice from all you guys with experience. Hope you can help me.

I've got a third 1:1 vehicle that I've just started restoring. I've had it since I was a teenager and it was my first vehicle. I've been waiting for about 25 years for a diecast to be made of it. Any scale! Diecast or even plastic or resin! No luck yet with that one so I guess I will keep on waiting. Never figured that I would have it restored before any kind of replica was made of it. What is it you ask? 1967 Ford F100 :grinyes: . Nothing fancy but my first one nonetheless.

Thanks again guys.

the GMP wheels you have you ream out the axle of them, and make the other axle smaller and glue them on.. the only way they will roll is if you put them on a GMP.. The Auto Art Should be fairly easy take the axles off the car toget a better idea of what you are working with as apose to them being on the car.. you get a better 360 degree view of them that way.. and hopefully you will get more options on what you can do to get them off...
Also for the photo's.. go to www.photobucket.com

Any idea on how to do that? The rear axle as well as the front spindles have the wheels attched the same way. The chassis is attached to the body with six screws. Two on either side of the wheel up front and two directly underneath the rear wheels so they are almost impossible to reach. I don't see any way the front spindles or rear axle are attached unless they are screwed from the inside.

I'd love to take a tour of the factories where they build these things just so we have an idea how to take them apart easily to modify them.

Any idea on how to do that? The rear axle as well as the front spindles have the wheels attched the same way. The chassis is attached to the body with six screws. Two on either side of the wheel up front and two directly underneath the rear wheels so they are almost impossible to reach. I don't see any way the front spindles or rear axle are attached unless they are screwed from the inside.

I'd love to take a tour of the factories where they build these things just so we have an idea how to take them apart easily to modify them.
They are WAY easier to put together than they are to take apart..
For the screws that are under wheels almost impossible to get at.. take the tire off.. that will give you alot of clearence to get to the screw...

As for the axles.. chances are the rear are held on with 2 screws on the other side.. and the front is either held on by 1 or 2 screws under the engine...

Its been a couple of weeks since I was last on here but the time was spent at my job :banghead: and experimenting with the wheel conversion :grinyes: . I finally got it working. Thanks to SF and his help on taking apart the Ertl wheels, I was able to successfully make the proper conversion. The modifying consisted of turning down the diameter of the Welly rim and milling it down to the proper thickness in order to fit the backing hub of the Ertl wheel so that the proper Goodyear Eagles could be used. I then added detailing to the rim by using chrome paint to simulate the polished edges and outter diameter as well as "chroming" the nuts and valve stem. I think it looks really good myself and have now changed the 1985 into a 1986. Other small changes that make it into an '86 are a third brake light in the rear window and eliminating the storage compartment directly below the radio and heater / ac controls. The '86 model year got rid of that in favour of small change tray attached to the centre console just above the shifter.
However; these changes probably won't happen. A major part of the conversion to my own 1:1 was to change the interior from burgandy to grey and I was hoping to do that by swapping out a grey interior from a just released Silver coloured 1985 Monte Carlo SS by Ertl. I thought it would be easy as I saw that there were only 6 screws ( 1 each in the rear wheelwells and 2 each in the front ) that held the chassis to the body. When I took these out nothing happened. I had to pry the rear of the chassis out ( successful ) but once I got to just behind the front wheels, it wouldn't budge no matter how hard I tried without exhibiting enough force to break it.
I see nothing that is holding it in that can be removed. The engine, tranny, exhaust and plumbing seem to be holding it in place but :dunno:

Unless someone knows the trick to do it then I guess I will just have to wait and hope they bring out a black / grey one :disappoin

Anyway, I got some photos to share on photobucket.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155/tmlclark/mydiecast1006.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155/tmlclark/mydiecast1001.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155/tmlclark/mydiecast1005.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155/tmlclark/mydiecast1013.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155/tmlclark/mydiecast1009.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155/tmlclark/mydiecast1010.jpg

there are 2 hidden screws in the front... hold on ill snap a picture real fast so you know where they are...
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w68/Customdiecastpimp/85%20MC%20SS/DSCF3716.jpg

Sweeeeeeeeeeet !!! :bananasmi

Scarface, you're my new best friend ! :cheers:

I guess that means I'll have to take the day off work tomorrow to get straight to work on finishing my conversion. Cool. I can't wait now. Will the engine, tranny, exhaust , etc all come out easily whith the chassis or are there other tricks to get them out?

engine and tranny will come out really easy.. you have to disconnect some hoses and lines in the car becasue the firewall is screwed to the body also.. but thats not that hard...

Did you notice that when you spin the rear wheels the drive shaft spins as well??

Yeah, thats pretty cool. That was one of the first things I noticed. Now, with the careful proper wheel conversion, the wheels still spin and so does the driveshaft. I found that the easiest way to get the tires off was to use a heat gun on a fairly low setting and heat then up real carefully and just enough so that they became more pliable. They just slipped right off.

I will try to disconnect the hoses when I get that far. How did you get at the front two screws? Looks like you may have used a dremel tool and carefully ground the plugs away. Did you? I just tried to use a very small precision flathead screwdriver to pry them out and all it did was muck up the plugs and left a few small marks in the chassis

I remember one of the screw covers coming out really easy.. and then the other one was a bitch to get out.. ended up gouging up the chassis.. but thats ok.. most of the detail on the monte carlo im doing is in the interior.. trunk and engine bay.... oh and the body.. Shaved door handles, antenna, side marker lights, front clip molded to the body as well.. painting it kandy tangerine.. and it has 24in wheels.. but dont worry.. rolls and steers..