An eye catching set of rims is one of the first aftermarket items a car owner buys when customizing an automobile. Using different rims certainly gives a car a distinctive look over the factory model. If you want truly custom rims, the best option is usually to create them yourself. This may sound complicated, but it is not as difficult as you might expect.
Use a compass to draw a circle on a sheet of paper in your sketchpad. This circle does not need to be any particular size, but the larger you can make it, the better off you will be. Trace around the edge of a bowl or other circular object if you do not have a compass to use. The circle is representative of the custom rims you are designing.
Use a pencil to lightly sketch the design you desire into the circle. Erase and redraw any mistakes. You will get the best results if you use a ruler to draw any straight lines, and use your compass to draw any circular or semi-circular lines. Draw the more abstract lines freehand, erasing and adjusting as needed until you have completed the entire design in a manner that looks visually pleasing to you. Draw whatever rim design you would like to have. You can have shapes, such as hearts or spades cut out of the rim, or have intricate designs engraved into the metal. If you are unsure of what you want, try browsing through custom rim websites, such as wheelstudio.com, for inspiration.
Measure the width and length of all portions of the design using a ruler. Be sure to notate these measurements on the design. These measurements will be applied to the scale difference between your sketch and the actual rim size so that you will know precisely how large each part of the design will be on the rims that you create.
Look up local machine shops using the yellow pages of your telephone directory. Call the machine shops to ask if they have a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) lathe. Also check the rates of how much each charges to have a custom item created using their CNC lathe so that you will know who has the most reasonable rates.
Bring your design to the CNC lathe operator, who will program the dimensions of the design into the computer. A blank aluminum rim will be placed into the lathe, which will cut your design into the rim with exact precision. This process will be repeated until all four rims have been created.
