Some of you may know of my little red 1905 Queen, and some of the many different things I've done to the car to put it into tip top mechanical shape.
A project of 2 and 1/2 years is almost completed. A brand new set of 28 x 3 clincher wheels!
The reason for undertaking this project is due to the design of the wheels originally installed on the car. An oddball arrangement known as Midgely rims. This wheel style utilizes a flat wall tire held in place on a thick cast iron rim with two pressed steel hoops. The hoops lock down into deep grooves in the rim with a threaded turnbuckle. If tires were still available, the system might not be so bad. Clincher tires just won't work safely with this type of rim.
Using my abilities as a millwright and machinist, I designed a rolling jig used in a horizontal mill to roll out .250" diameter rod, that I could mig weld onto the hoops at the inner bead diameter of a clincher tire, effectively changing a flat walled rim into one that will hold a clincher tire. My efforts proved to work very well, however it is extremely difficult to install tires. If you think T tires can be hard to do, these are many times harder to do. My other concern was the integrity of the hoop material. They're hollow and there's no way to check the insides for rust and corrosion. The turnbuckles too, being a concern. If anything was to break, there could be safety concerns if anyone was nearby. A friend of mine has an '06 Cadillac with these same Midgely rims only 30 x 3 1/2 tires. One of his rims came off and almost went orbital, and almost hit a bystander.
So, I started off my new wheel project by having Maclaren Rims make me a set of new 28 x 3 rims. They do excellent work, and are wonderful folks to deal with. I machined all new hubs, and hub plates, and various other parts myself. I filled a 40 gallon drum with metal shavings as all the hubs were made from 6.5" diameter solid steel. I made the front wheels to accept Timken tapered roller bearings, instead of using the original roller and thrust combinations. 4 separate bearings in each wheel hub!
Lang's supplied the felloe plates,bolts,and rivets.
My wheel man, Rick Merklinger, here in Ontario, and close to me has been making wheels (as did his father) for over 30 years. He used hickory that has been curing since 2004. His work is top notch and I would recommend anyone needing a "Canadian connection" for wood wheels to talk to him. His turn-a-round time depends on how busy he is, as this is a side line from his day job. Rick delivered my new wheels last Thursday, so now, all that is left to do is get them painted.
This car has been in our family since 1957...4 generations have looked after this car, and everything I do to it is going to make it easier for my children and hopefully their children to maintain.
Thanks for reading!
looking Good Darren,
I miss Ontario--Have a Great Summer
-Don
Nice new shoes, I am sure your car is enjoying them!
That Queen is beautiful!
Charley
Like!
Nice!
very impressive, well done!
Beautiful car Sir.
Love that car!
Darren,
Great work! They look beautiful and should run for years and years.
Respectfully submitted,
Hap l9l5 cut off
Great car. The pic looks like it was taken at The Old Car Festival. Will you have it there this year?
Thanks guys for all the nice compliments!
I would love to be at Dearborn this year but we have committed to quite a few old car events/tours prior to September, so we may have to put off the OCF until next year. Something I hate to miss
Here's some pics I really like:
My grandfather, Wes Wallace 1957 (his '13 T in pic too)
My father, John Wallace in 1957:
My grandparents at Dearborn in 1957:
Grandparents 1992:
My kids and my uncle 2002:
My oldest son Jake, taking the car for the first time June 2013
Gorgeous car !! Thanks for sharing. . . Good ideas for the wheels. Figuring it out . . Now thats RESTORING. I admire your abilities
The picture with your Uncle where did the extra seat come from?
Charley
Great car--great story!! Thanks for posting.
The rear seat section is removable. You can put it on or take it off in less than a few minutes. When the seat section is off, there's a deck panel which goes on making a little trunk area.
New wheels were painted last Friday. They'll be ready to install in a few days after the paint has had time to harden. According to my original owner's manual, the entire chassis should be red. This car has had the hardest paint to try to match up, but we got it very, very close. The photo does not do justice to what they look like up close. I can't wait to install them!
For those who have never seen Midgely rims before, here's some photos of how I changed the flat walled style to a clincher style as described at the top of this thread. They were available at the time as clinchers or flat walled. The turnbuckles have little covers that you install once the tire is in place to hide/protect them.
Darren,
Has your car been on the New London to New Brighton run (and/or you, of course)? It's a wonderful event for cars like your Queen.
Great car and history, thank you for sharing,
Rob
Went over to visit my friend Darren tonight.He showed me his newly restored wheels.The pictures don't do them any justice.
He cann't wait until the paint hardens enough to put the tires on them.
Thanks Rob & Scott!
I would love to participate in the New London tour, but unfortunately it's too far away for me. I currently have to rely on good friends to help me with transportation of my Queen and T. Hopefully I win the lottery soon and I can buy a nice truck & trailer
I always enjoy reading about your fabulous K Rob! I understand that Scott's son Christopher got to sit in it a while back. I wish I could see that beauty up close for myself too!
Darren - Your Queen is beautiful and the new wheels are a great improvement that will help to keep the car on the road for many years to come. We'll miss you at OCF this year.....
Keith