White Inner Tube?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2005: White Inner Tube?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis on Friday, November 23, 2007 - 09:02 pm:

I'm getting ready to put some new tires on the rear of my TT. It has 32 x 4-1/2 Ward's Riverside Standard tires on it now, but they are in REAL bad shape. I hate it, because I just love the writing on the side wall.

Well, when I get the tire off the rim, the tube looks like it used to be white, or at least light grey. Definitely a light color. The rubber valve stem is black and you can distinctly see where the black valve stem is vulcanized to the light colored tube. The logo is still visible on the side of the tube. It is marked in black ink and says "Riverside Molded Circle" with six different tire sizes that the tube fits. The tube is pretty dirty and is now a rusty color, but was certainly made from a light colored rubber.

I gotta say I've never seen a tube that wasn't black. Any ideas on how old this thing is. Short of slow leak in the valve stem, it was still holding air. I've been driving it regularly.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Jeffrey Cole on Friday, November 23, 2007 - 09:17 pm:

Strange for sure.I do know the 20 inchs tires I have on the back of my TT came off a Pierce Arrow and 1 of the tubes was red.It lasted a long time but finally checked out on me.I bet the new 1 wont hold out that long.And tractor supply sells a 700-20 tube that they are calling a pool toy!
And it has the size and all on it and is plainly a tire tube.Why they call it a toy and sell it for less than the tube cost in the catalog I dont know.But I am aiming to buy a couple and put them on the shelf for hard times!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Sizemore on Friday, November 23, 2007 - 09:42 pm:

Hal
How did you end up at Moultrie? Find anything worth going?
JS


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis on Saturday, November 24, 2007 - 07:38 pm:

Well.....I thought so. I found a tail light bracket that was suppose to be for a TT, but when I got home it wouldn't bolt to the frame. Guess I'll try to sell it. Picked up a couple of Model A water pumps to rebuild and sell.

I did get my '22 GA tag down there, but that was a done deal. That was just where I picked it up. I'm in the process of re-painting it now.

Anybody have any idea how old this tube is?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Winston on Saturday, November 24, 2007 - 09:25 pm:

I have found white, gray, and red vintage tubes in original tires before. I suspect the white is early teens.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By aaron on Sunday, November 25, 2007 - 03:24 pm:

I thought all rubber tubes were red and synthetic rubber tubes were black.
When I sold tires in the fifties that's the way it was.
We sold only rubber (red) because synthetuc rubber tubes (black) could/would develope pinholes at 30 to 40 below weather.
Synthetic would last better in extreme heat
Tubeless tires get rid of those downfalls.
I have seen gray tubes, but never white.
Remember that natural rubber is white untill carbon is added-or other coloring.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stan Howe on Sunday, November 25, 2007 - 03:28 pm:

I have a set of tan Monkey Wards tubes that came out of the front tires on a truck that hadn't been out of the barn since the 50's. They are marked "Montgomery Ward Premium Quality Tan Tube" or something like that--I haven't looked at them for awhile. I think these tubes are from the 30's or 40's. There were no patches, dispelling the myth of fixing tires all the time, they still hold air for a week or so but gradually go down. I could post a picture if anybody wants one.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis on Sunday, November 25, 2007 - 07:29 pm:

They could be tan or grey. Hard to tell. They're rust colored right now. Wonder if Bleach-White would clean them up to whatever color they really are?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Warren Mortensen on Monday, November 26, 2007 - 08:39 am:

Sounds like a natural rubber tube to me. These would be about the same color as a tan rubber band when new. I pulled a full set of Goodyears like this out of my '17 which was driven by the original owner until 1939. Red rubber tubes came after the natural tan ones and I would guess there was some overlap in production. I'm not sure when black tubes were introduced or if any black tubes were real rubber like the tan or red. If black represents synthetic rubber, then I would guess the first black tubes were the butyl rubber introduced around WWII.


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