TT Split 23" Rim Fixing

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: TT Split 23" Rim Fixing
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Skinner on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 05:30 am:

Hi - I am restoring a Ton Truck and need to know how the rear 23" split rims fix firmly once the tyre is fitted.
Unlike the car 21" rims there is no bolt or lug locator just a pair of locators.
Its the holes in the outer section of the rim that are confusing me.
Should there be a bent bar bolted front and back using these holes?
Thanks in advanceTT rim


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By keith g barrier on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 06:27 am:

I think you are missing something. There are several different types of latches. KGB


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Semprez-Templeton, CA on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 11:36 am:

The holes were there so that a tool could be used to "pinch" the rim ends over each other to mount the tires. Once the tire was mounted to the rim, the tool could be used to force the rim ends back together, allowing the "clips" to snap into place. The tool was a toggle affair as I recall, but I never found that I needed the tool. One came with my TT however.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Layden Butler on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 12:45 pm:

John is correct, the holes are for a rim tool.
a


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Skinner on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 01:24 pm:

Hey thanks guys - I am really worried about having no positive fix so may manufacture a front and rear rim clamp to be sure.
The issue is that the rims have become distorted with age so would not simply snap back into shape.
Cheers, Richard.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Layden Butler on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 02:58 pm:

Race car guys in the old days had a similar issue with the lock rings on their wire wheels. If the tire went flat it would sometimes beat around and knock off the lock ring. The tire would follow and be a hazard so the racing associations required the ring to be fixed on. One common "fix" was to bolt a link between the ends of the ring ( in your case- rim). Hint: the make up link for roller chain ( bicycle) works great.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dewey, N. California on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 03:24 pm:

Richard,
Your rim has (as you mention) become deformed--I would STRONGLY advise you to straighten it out before mounting a tire--this is a safety issue!
David D.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 05:57 pm:

I have had a few odd rims similar to what you show above. They never had any sort of real latch. But that little clip does the job a lot better than you may think. Even a common model T 21 inch "split" rim when it is missing the latch completely is a lot safer than you would think. Once the rim is mounted in the tire, the tire lines the ends of the rim together. The rim in question has little clips that help line up the ends of the rim. If you look closely at them, you should see that those clips are designed to hold the rim in line in all four directions (up, down and sideways). Even without those clips, or if the latch on a standard 21 inch T rim is missing, once the rim is lined up in the tire (and provided it is not bent so badly as to not be able to be lined up), and the tire is properly aired up, the rim almost cannot be popped apart. It would require almost enough force as to cut through the tire and rim in order to pop it apart. If you are really good, and know how to swing it properly, hit the rim straight in from the center of the tire, good and square and as hard as you can, you MIGHT be able to knock one apart in a single blow of a heavy sledge hammer with the tire properly aired up. Anything you likely could do accidentally, short of a collision, is not likely to pop one apart once assembled and aired up.

Remember. The term "split rim" refers to two totally different kinds of rims. While similar in that they are both a circular channel designed to hold a tire, the way they are split is totally different. One is potentially deadly dangerous. One is NOT. Any tire rim, given a flaw, under the right conditions, can explode with potentially deadly force. I have had two modern ('60s) drop-center rims do so. I have heard of others.
No tire and rim is totally safe. However, that rim that began this thread? ONCE THE KINK IS REASONABLY STRAIGHTENED, should be fine, without any modifications to its existing catch. And provided there are not any serious rust or metal fatigue issues not shown.

The dangerous "split rims" are the ones where the "split" goes all the way around one side of the rim. They can be two part, three part, and even four part types. There are many, many, variations. The dangers are partially in the variations. If the rings do not properly match the grooves in the rim? That is very dangerous. Another danger is that if the ring becomes bent, even slightly (and that is very easy to do), it may not seat and lock safely. That is also very dangerous. The other thing, is that if someone does not know what they are doing, or not paying proper attention, simply being careless, or stupid (a word I always choose carefully), THAT is the MOST dangerous.
Unlike the other type "split rims", these can blow apart at any time when being aired up if any one of many things is not exactly right. The real danger, however, is not in the much greater likelihood that they will blow up. The real danger is in the fact that they have multiple pieces. If the tire and rim explode, the smaller part(s) of the rim are thrown with great force by the heavier part of the rim and tire. The ring (not the rim) becomes a cannon ball attached to a grappling hook. They have killed many careless tire workers.
They are reasonably safe when properly handled. I have modern versions on my old pickup. I change the tires myself. I like them, and do NOT fear them. I DO respect their potential.
Do drive and work carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Semprez-Templeton, CA on Friday, October 17, 2014 - 08:44 pm:

Richard, The danger of your style rim is greatly exaggerated. As Layden and Wayne have pointed out, the rim is locked into place by the tire's bead and once mounted on the wheel is as safe as a non split rim.

The deformation your rim shows is that it has been "rolled" out a bit, probably by being run without a tire mounted on it. You can easily repair your rim by looping a chain around it's circumference, then by attaching a come along to each end
of the chain and slowly tightening the chain until you have reduced the diameter of the rim till one end overlaps the other by an inch or two when the chain is removed. This reduced diameter will allow your tire to fit over the rim whereupon you can then force the two ends of the rim back together until locked.

I would not inflate the tire until it is securely mounted to the wheel as the inflation forces may tend to flex the rim into a figure 8 if the latch is not completely engaged.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Skinner on Saturday, October 18, 2014 - 06:15 am:

Thanks for all of your help. I am currently working on the rims to ensure that when natural, they butt nicely together.
I'm still keen to add a positive clip to the front and rear of the rim.
When I was restoring a Type 59 Bugatti - they had a split alloy rim wire wheel!! The alloy was threaded for a clip to be fitted front and rear. This was probably belt and braces due to the 170mph top speed which I'm not aiming on taking the TT to ...
I'm not a big fan of split rims due to the distortion during long term storage and the general way it has to be distorted to fit or remove a tyre.
I am very glad these are not the 20" though - lots of scary stories on these!
Thanks - Richard.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerome Hoffman, Hays KS on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:45 am:

Finely got a chance to take a pic of a rim that was on one of my auction items from a couple of weeks ago.
pic one is of a 23" TT split rim, rusted way beyond use, maybe yard art for a few more years. This is the type of rims I need. This one is a Hays and what "poops" out for me is that the two lugs closest to the valve stem hole have the notch. Each going the opposite way of the other.
Pic 2 is a close up. In this one you can see how the rim is kept together.

IMG_20141023_171727m.jpg

IMG_20141023_171736m.jpg

As a side note: these pictures were taken with my cell phone then edited. It's screen is not very good but after getting it into my computer it"s very usable for this kind of thing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerome Hoffman, Hays KS on Thursday, October 30, 2014 - 12:30 pm:




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