Shane Rutter Blog

Category: How To

  • Removing glued tyres

    Removing glued tyres

    It’s time to remove my Super Swamper tyres from the plastic rims they are glued to, I’ve got new metal beadlocked rims, foams and weights which you can see in this post.

    First step was to put a pan of water on full boil with the wheel in it. The idea is to boil the wheel and hopefully the glue will begin to crack and become brittle allowing you to carefully pull the tyre off.

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    I left it on full boil for a good 10 minutes just to make sure, I am not sure if there is a science to this.

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    Now when I took it out it was very hot, be very careful as boiling water may have got into your foams so when you apply pressure you may get a painful surprise.

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    I carefully started pulling the tyre away from the rim until one tiny section separated, I then followed this around the rim and gradually separated more of the type.

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    After about 10 minutes of carefully pulling and pushing I managed to free one side of the rubber.

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    Now it was time for the other side, this side was not so easy. I managed to get the first bit to separate by pushing the rim through the tyre, hopefully you get the idea from the image.

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    I then decided I would pull out the existing weights and foams, giving me extra room to apply force. The weights are actually in good shape, so I will reuse these.

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    I put the tyre back on boil, been out for a good 20 minutes now, and the glue on this side of the wheel is very strong.

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    Eventually with the help of a normal kitchen eating knife I was able to break the rest of the glue without damaging the tyre.

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    Now I have to repeat this step for the next 3 wheels and then begin fitting the beadlocks.

  • Beginning work on the fenders (Defender D90)

    Beginning work on the fenders (Defender D90)

    I’ve decided I don’t like the plastic fenders which are molded onto the shell so off they come. As I’m using a Vaterra Ascender chasse the wheels are hitting the shell creating a horrible plastic noise when turning (the RC4WD D90 shell is designed for a SCX10 chassis so the wheels don’t align perfectly).

    I’ve managed to acquire some rubber fenders, came in a set of 4. Here is a link where I brought them. Took about a week to arrive but I am very happy with them.

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    Being rubber they look much more realistic, whilst I will be cutting the wheel arches bigger granting more room for the tyre, I still expect some binding but the rubber should flex more easily than the plastic.

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    I’ve gone and cut the fender off the first wheel and increased the arching allowing the wheel to fit more in centre, it’s defiantly an improvement. If you’re wondering what tools I used….

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    Yep that’s a jigsaw blade clamped into a clamp plier, worked perfectly. I would recommend using clamp pliers as you don’t have to waste energy trying to hold the blade.

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    So let’s see how the rubber fender looks, to me that looks a lot better. There is a notch in the rubber so it slides onto the shell. I am only holding it with my fingers but I will be using tire glue to hold it on once I have resprayed the shell.

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    I’ve decided I like the look of the fender starting slightly back, it also gives the wheel slight more room when turning which is a plus. Now let’s do the other 3 which will have to wait for another day as its getting late.