I'm interested in purchasing this unit and installing these wire wheels on my 26 coupe. I have 11" drums with wood wheels. These look to be small drum wheels. Did they make wire wheels for small drum cars. The frame appears to be 26-27 but the fenders are earlier I believe. I'd need hubs and all and don't want to go to smaller drums. Any help? Bob

The hubs are likely already there.You would have to change rear drum,but that is easily done. I have two sets I have put the small drum on the 26 hub.

Go look at it if the price is attractive. If it has been buried in the mud for a long time there's a risk the wheels are too rusty to use - it's easier to see with the tires off, the rims rust where the tire is in contact and keeps it wet for long times when outside in wrong climate zones..

The rear hubs may be true wire wheel hubs with redrilled small drums - in that case you can redrill your present drums and put them on the wire wheel hubs, but since all kinds of whack jobs have been made over the last 89 years to adopt wire wheels, it's best to look it up in person if it really has wire wheel hubs.

28/29 Model A hubs are often adopted to T's with some kind of adapter - check the wheel hub. On A wires there were reinforcing ribs between the lug holes, not so on rarer T wires.

Yes, much easier to swap to the large drum if there are small drums on the hubs now.

You will need a few things Bob, all of them are available from the vendors:

Swedge cutter - this will let you remove the old lug studs. You "can" just drive them out with a hammer but you may be enlarging the hole in the hubs when you do so. Much easier to use the cutter first.

Lug studs - you'll need 10 new ones of these babies.

Large Drums - a pair.

Press tool - this is what creates the swedge and locks the stud in place. It's a lot cheaper than the cutter.

50 Ton Shop Press - You use the press tool to squish the lugs studs in place. That seems like a lot of pressure but in order to create the swedge and deform the lug studs it took 15-20 tons just to get it to squeeze at all. A lesser press may not be up to the task.

After you cut old lugs out, put hub on new large drum, and then press lug studs in, you should be good to go. It may not matter but we made a point to press the lug studs in using a star pattern like when you tighten lug nuts, so that they were all even.

One thing you may want to look at is the bearings on the front hubs. If that chassis has been sitting outside the bearings may need attention or replacing.

While typing all of that Roger brings up a good point - those may not be correct Model T wire wheel hubs.

Model T hubs are occasionally available in the classifieds and on eBay for more realistic prices than buying the newly machined parts that the vendors sell. You might pay more for new front and rear hubs from the vendors (with all the necessary hardware) than it cost to buy the wire wheels in the first place.

The asking price for this unit is $600 but it's 4 hours away.

Isn't this the very same chassis?
http://carbondale.craigslist.org/pts/4871235439.html

It has a model wire wheels if it matters.

Four hours wouldn't stop me. The $600 is reasonable if the wheels are good. For those who may not be aware of the difference between T wheels (valuable) and A wheels (not), here are pictures.


The T wheel is flat between holes.


The A wheel has reinforcement ribs pressed in between the holes.

I used some wire wheels to roll my '25 chassis around when I was putting it together, and it seems to me the wire wheel hit the brake cam on the rear axle.

I blew the picture up and determined that the wheels are model A. I have both a Model A & T in my shop. Looking at the pictures Steve posted also verified my findings. Notice the distance from the indented ring on the outside of the bolt pattern in relationship to the outer lip. The model A is greater than the T. The A bolt pattern is larger than the T also which leads me to believe the hubs are also model A. The frame is 26 but the fenders are 25 or earlier. The unit is located in Ill. if anybody is interested.

They would look great all spiffed up with wide whitewalls on your coupe Bob!
(flame suit on)

Wes...Yes it is. I didn't want the other parts that he had listed with the frame for $1150 so he said he would take $600 for just the frame.

Gary, Here are some Model A wheels I widened back in the 80's. I wonder if I can do this with spoke wheels for my coupe and of course I'd run wide whitewalls as you suggested. And I thought having a distributor was shamefull on my coupe. Bob

Yep, looked like A wheels when I first looked at the photo.
Ya never know what you'll find out there. I went to an estate sale of a long-time "hoarder" (that's the county's definition of the guy!). Wasn't the first one there by a long shot--the "sale" had been going on for weeks. in the weeds were some stacks of wheels, mostly V-8 and some A and this one stack with a 21" A wheel on top just caught my eye. Hmm, the ones underneath the top wheel were ALL T wheels!
Let me just say that I couldn't have gotten a better deal if I'd had a shotgun with me! Now if I'd just had hubs to go with these. . . .
Oh, and no tires on any of them, the rims look pretty nice!
And YES, I have plans for them!
Just sayin' Ya gotta look around and check under stuff when you're out there!

Well I was referring to T wires and whitewalls on your coupe, not what you pictured on the tudor.

How about Model T wire wheels with good centers but rust-through rims? Any value to them? Seems like I remember reading about someone who grafted 21" Model A rims onto T wheel centers. I have 4 like this I could bring to Chickasha for something real Jelf cheap.

George, i would be interested in your bad wheels. i am currently trying to make real wire wheels, 21"drop center, 48 spokes, laced onto T wire hubs. so far, i have wrecked a few hubs, but i now know exactly how NOT to do it !, next round will be better. send me a pm with a cell number and i'll call you at chickasha. thanks, clayton

BOB
Offer him 500.00 smile and load it up.
Check to be sure that it has the correct front hubs, For what you want it will ALL fit.
Sometimes back in the poorer days when people used the old model T chassis (cheap) for wagons doodle bugs, tractors, feeding the cows and making saw mills they would drill out a set of wooden hubs for 5 holes and BOLT on wires.
Steve Jelf showed you the MAIN difference in the A and T wire wheels! Except for the AR wheels! All are worth $ if they are not rusted out. From sitting in the mud too long. Roger said this too.
You can sell the rest for a recoupe of most of you money. If they are T or AR wheels. And especially if those are the correct hubs on the front! If the rears are also correct and just have a set of redrilled earlier brake drums over the correct 27 hubs than you have hit the jackpot!
600.00 is iff'y in my opinion. But still better than the other ridiculous price I also heard here.

Joseph, The left front hub is missing. That's why the one tire is tied to the top of the frame. I've decided to pass on the opportunity to buy. Too many unknowns for me to fool with, My 26 is pretty much stock with original spoke wheels and hubs and in excellent shape except for safety items I've installed on the car. I'm going to use the money for a new radiator instead. "As for me and my house, we serve the Lord". Bob