Welding polished race wheel

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I have some forgeline RS wheels on my car and hate the lug cover plate.  I have been running them with out it, but the wheel has a recess where the plate basically countersinks.  I am going to weld up the recess and have a wheel repair shop radius it back into the wheel with a lathe.  Should look very clean when I am done.  What filler would you use that would most closely match a polished forged aluminum wheel?  I am afraid 4043 will make a darker area after its machined.  This is not something I want to cut corners or risk damaging the wheels.  They are too expensive for that.  Any one have practical experience here?  Oh yeah, no worries about anodizing at all.   I am going to have the shop do a full mirror polish after the machining.  ThanksBrandonLots of toys.
Reply:Cast or Billett wheel??...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:3 piece Billet.Lots of toys.
Reply:Originally Posted by brandon751733 piece Billet.
Reply:After talking to the guy, its a state of the art shop btw, he said the 4043 is likely to have a darker hue to it.  I know when I have welded up the deck surface and heads and resurfaced it doesnt really show, but thats also cast.  Dunno, I am by no means a wealth of knowledge in aluminum.Lots of toys.
Reply:4043 will likely result in a poor colour match polished. Recently made that mistake myself on a part that was to have the welds polished out- had to remake it  using sheared strips of the parent alloy as filler. obviously not an option hereA common alloy for forged aluminium wheels is 5454 but other alloys are also used, some heat treatedi would have thought a wheel restoring specialist would know what works in this case
Reply:Same as you, he didnt want to make a decision for the simple liability of it.  I am going to call forgeline tech. in the morning and see if I can get a suggestion from them.Lots of toys.
Reply:Just googled them. The first wheel i clicked on came up with... forged 6061 T6 centres and spun 6061 T6 rims
Reply:Yeah was that the "RS"?  They changed and retooled most everything last year, so the most valid stuff doesnt apply, I THINK.Lots of toys.
Reply:go to their site and have a read. Doesn't say what alloy is used for the RS but everything else is 6061-T6.Welding will soften it locally- i wouldn't mention to them you plan to weld them, probably end the conversation very quickly!4043 and 5356 will both work, neither will be a perfect colour match if mirror polishingThere is another filler designed specifically for 6061 (contains both Mg and Si) that responds to PWHT better than 4043 due its closer chemistry. 4643, but probably not worth the expense considering how little you'll useMy gut says 4043 will be a little darker and 5356 a little brighter when polished out BUT i've not done a comparisonwhy not make just make some more attractive centre caps?
Reply:To be honest, you need to see the wheel on the car to "get it".  Everyone that has seen the wheels without the lug covers says it looks WAY better.  Thats even with the damn hub showing through.  Fabricating and fastening the hub cover (center cap) is a whole nother deal.  I am pretty sure it is heat treated 6061 as well after reading further, I do have some reluctance from welding it, but its more on the face that the base structure of the wheel.  Think its going to be ok.  To me 4043 is out, I just know its not going to polish right.  5xxx series would be a better fit.  Here is alittle recon below.The 6000 Series Alloys, which are heat treatable, all exhibit the same relative weldability. If welded with base alloy filler, all 6000 Series Alloys are very sensitive to weld cracking. These alloys must not be fused without a dissimilar alloy filler addition unless a compressive load can be applied to the weld. A compressive load applied by the clamping of two drawn beer barrel paths in a lathe can be used to overcome the welding solidification shrinkage stresses to permit welding without a filler addition. The 6000 Series Alloys can be welded with high magnesium content 5000 Series Fillers, or high silicon content 4000 Series Aluminum Filler Alloys.Since longitudinal shear strength values are lower than the transverse shear, the longitudinal values are used in establishing minimum allowables. Let's take a look at what choice of filler can mean. If 5,000 pounds per inch shear strength is required in welding 6061 alloy, either 4043 or 5556 fillers can be used. A single pass 1/4 inch fillet size is adequate with 5556, whereas a 7/16 inch fillet size is required with 4043. The 7/16 fillet will likely require three weld passes, so as to increase labor costs compared to the single pass 1/4-inch weld with 5556. In addition, the increased fillet size creates more weld solidification shrinkage to cause increased weld distortion and the possible need for a straightening operation. A few cents per pound extra paid for the stronger filler could save dollars in actual fabricating costs.Lots of toys.
Reply:that excerpt from alcotec(?) is talking about joing two pieces. You're doing build up work- adding material where there is none. Filler strength is immaterial.Doesn't matter whether you use a high or low strength filler, the act of welding is going to soften the HAZ to some extent regardless.Maximum stress occurs at the surface of a part, in this case the surface of the wheels hub!Personally I wouldn't be doing this to a perfectly good set of wheels but if you're going to then keep the heat input as low as you can- work on several wheels at once to avoiding any one wheel too hot