Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc.

Geoffrey L Gatton

Richard T Guernsey

Peter Yee

Lou Grenier

Dave Seiler

Jeremy Carroll

George M Reece

A wheel pylon includes a tubular mounting shaft that slidably receives a tubular support shaft. A helical spring is disposed within the shafts and a stop, formed from a resilient material, is mounted upon an end of the support shaft. The wheel pylon extends axially to accommodate wheel discs having different axial recess depths.

Universal wheel pylon

A protective cover that is shaped as a mirror image of a portion of a wheel surface is attached to a support plate of a wheel lathe chuck assembly to protect the portion of the vehicle wheel surface during machining.

Mask for a wheel lathe chuck that prevents whip chip

A single tool that provides multiple machining operations for forming a lug hole through a vehicle wheel hub includes an end portion having a first diameter and a mid-portion having a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter. A spade drill bit is mounted upon the end portion and a bore cutting tool is mounted upon the mid-portion.

Tool and method for forming a lug hole

A chuck for mounting wheel castings having different diameters upon a wheel lathe for machining the casting to final shape is provided. The chuck includes stepped jaw inserts that cooperate with corresponding stepped part supports to securely mount the wheel castings upon the chuck.

Lathe chuck with stepped jaws

A wheel chuck includes a plurality of moveable jaws mounted upon a support structure. A plurality of moveable counterweights are mounted upon the support structure with each counterweight opposite from and connected to a corresponding one of the jaws. Upon rotation of the chuck the counterweights develop forces in opposition to centrifugal forces acting upon the jaws.

Wheel chuck with counterweighted jaws

A wheel chuck assembly includes a support plate having at least one aperture formed therethrough. The support plate is adapted to be mounted upon a lathe spindle. An air conveying device is mounted adjacent to the support plate and is operable to induce an air flow through the support plate aperture such that metal chips are drawn through the support plate aperture.

Vacuum wheel chuck

A cutting tool having a crystalline tip is pressed with a uniform pressure against the outboard surface of a vehicle wheel as the wheel is rotated. The smoothed wheel surface is then chrome plated to provide a cosmetic finish to the wheel face.

Tool and process for chrome plating a vehicle wheel surface

A cutting tool having a hard tip is pressed with a uniform pressure against a surface of a vehicle wheel as the wheel is rotated to smooth and seal the surface. The smoothed and sealed wheel surface is then chrome plated with a process that includes applying a nickel layer directly upon smoothed and sealed wheel surface and a chromium layer over the nickel layer.

Process for copper free chrome plating of a vehicle wheel surface

A combined tool for both drilling a hole through a vehicle wheel and deburring the edge of the hole and a method for using the combined tool.

Vehicle wheel hole deburring device and method

A vehicle wheel has an outboard face which includes a smoothed portion to provide a cosmetic finish to the wheel face. The smoothed portion is formed by pressing a cutting tool having a non-symmetrical tip against the wheel surface as the wheel is rotated.

Tool and process for finishing a vehicle wheel surface

A wheel component has an annular extension formed upon an end. The extension is clamped to a wheel lathe and allows turning a tire bead seat upon the wheel component adjacent to the extension.

Growing community of inventors

Farmington, MI, United States of America

Geoffrey L Gatton