I have been working for the past couple weeks on the tires and rims for the Speedster Project. I decided to post the pics here of installing the "Rim Savers" since the "speedster project update" thread is getting long. Two of my Disteel wheels were a little sharp for my liking. They probably were OK after I filed the edges, but Mark Strange had used some "rim savers" on his rims and had gave the extras to the museum for use on some early rims they had. There was enough left to do a couple more wheels, so Jerry sent me 4 rim saver. Enough to do 2 wheels. Thanks to Mark and Jerry, for their contributions to the project. The rim savers are made in Australia, and the guys over (down) there glue them in place with epoxy. Mark Strange tack welded his. I opted to just glue them in place. The tire will hold them firmly in place, so I do not think tacking is needed. (in my opinion). So here is a short photo essay of the installation. The pics are pretty well in order, but may be showing either the first or second rim save I installed. I am happy with how they went on, they did not interfere with mounting the tires, and they are almost invisible after installing the tires. I painted the insides of the rims with POR 15 after installing the rings. I also had some paint mixed to match my old original paint/patina that has been on the wheels for years. I mounted the rims to a front hub to act as a painting fixture. Then I used a foam brush to paint and seal the rim saver and wheel edge. Overall I think they are a good product. But I think they are only a good idea to use on a rare wheel that there are no other easy options. For use on a common wheel I think finding another wheel is a better choice. But in my case, finding more Disteel wheels is not an easy solution. My wheels could have been re-rimmed, but that is also a very time consuming and expensive solution. Please excuse my learning attempt at adding text to my pictures. ..........have fun and be safe ....
Glad they worked out well for you, Donnie!
If I had to use them again, I would glue them in like you and the Aussies do.
Mark, I think they worked very well. But for now I am "SICK" of tires and wheels. I actually did 7 tires and rims. I also installed two 21 inch tires on Model A rims that I sandblasted and painted for my "Gordon Smith" Model A air compressor. Then I had to hand clean everyone of those Disteel wheels so I could save the "patina" Any one who says it is easier to not paint it and just leave it as it is, does not know what they are saying. It would have been way easier to just sandblast the wheels, repaint, install and done. Hand cleaning is for the birds (or in my case the mentally challenged) Thanks again for the "rim savers"
Where do I get Rim Savers?
They come from Australia - Andrew Brand was kind enough to get a batch of ten from the supplier and ship them to me. Contact him to see if he is willing to do it again, click on his name in the attached thread to send him a PM.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/599638/648675.html?1465514647
If Andrew is agreeable, folks should speak up and combine their orders so that Andrew can send them all over in one shipment instead of piecemeal.
By the way, I have been running an early Hayes rim with a pair of tack welded rim savers for a year now with no problems. After tack welding them in place, I ground down the welds and smoothed out the seams with Bondo, then painted the rim. The rim savers are practically invisible.
Neat. The rim savers look like a nice idea for rims with sharp edges. I'm sure that they're not a cure-all for all rusted clincher rims however. I would warn to be certain that the rust has not progressed to the point where the rim is no longer strong enough to resist cracking due to being overly thinned. It does happen! That may be difficult to determine however. As always, just be careful and know that it's a possibility!
Donnie,
Thanks for the class on the install. I loved seeing the car the day of my visit and enjoy seeing the progress. Work on my car with Mike Walker is proceeding. We installed the engine and are moving on.
Here's another idea for the wood blocks used for holding the rim savers in place while the glue dries - cut each block on the diagonal, then use the two wedges jammed against each other. Then you don't have to cut each block to an exact width.
The reason I cut my blocks solid is so I could control the gap more precisely. After measuring several good rims I came up with a 2 inch gap between the beads is what they are when new. But even on very good wheels the measurement varied about 1/8 inch. The gap was consistant on each individual rim, but varied from rim to rim. So I just chose 2 inches as my measurement for the finished gap. I then figured out how much was missing from my rim. On my rims the worst area was 3/16, so I split the difference and cut the blocks to fit. I cut the blocks to use up half the 3/16 on one side and then use the other 3/32 on the second rim saver. I think I could have got a 2 inch block to fit but I thought 1/32 inch closer was good enough to not hurt anything. My good rims varied more than that. The sliding blocks would be easier to use, but a person would need to gauge the spacing as you inserted the blocks. The solid blocks make the spacing be correct just by driving them into place. ... but either way will work ..
Fantastic pictorial!
I'm glad you didn't blast and repaint those wheels. They are beautiful originals with gorgeous blue? pinstripes.
And I don't like disc wheels from that period.
:-)
These Rim Savers look to be a good product for restoring rims with sharp and eroded edges. Why can't these be manufactured here in the USA? I think that there would be a market for them. If they were made here it would help to make America Great Again.
But Bill, we want to be great again too..........
Bill, don't worry. If the vendors get hold of them they will go in a Made in USA bag just like the copper manifold rings also made in Australia. Here's me thinking only the Chinese knocked off everyone else's good ideas.
Allan from down under.
But surely the bags ARE made in the USA, even if the contents aren't!
What would really be nice would be some rim savers made from stainless steel. That would make rims repaired with them last a LOOOONG time. Dave