MTFCA Forum

I had a really loose spoke wheel on my 23 Depot hack.
Today I watched the DVD on how to tighten it and followed the guide. I drove metal strapping between the spokes at the hub on all but the joins over the holes. I also drove strapping around the hub to push spokes outward.
Seems to have tightened the wheel up perfect but after refitting it and spinning the wheel there is a notable wobble.
What have I done wrong?
Will the wheel center itself once driven?

Thanks

What you have done wrong is trying to fix a wheel that was really up for a rebuild,
If you have a generally sound wheel that has one or two loose spokes, you can shim them as a TEMPORARY fix, but from your post it seems to be very loose all around, so a rebuild is in order.
Be careful and consider the wheel unsound for anything but rolling in and out the garage.
A wheel like that will fail at the most inconvenient moment and cause damage to your T and possible injuries.
There are several wheelwrights that can rebuild your wheel and if you feel up to it, you can try it yourself, the forum has plenty info on either.
Drive safe !

When you say "wobble", I'm assuming as you sight down the side edge of the rim, you don't see it running "round and true".
That said, you could either have a bent rim and/or a bent shaft if it's a rear wheel. You didn't say which end of the car it is.
Also, my experience has been that a lot of right front wheels are this problem, after years of people beating the crap out of these cars hitting curbs, chuckholes, ruts in the road, etc. Just my thought. But I bet you have an "out of true" rim.

It could be if the spokes were getting loose that the hub could have got off just a bit when you added the shims to tighten up the spokes. You can see it when you have several spokes loose in the wheel and the hub gets moved ever so slightly. It doesn’t take a lot to get the hub off center or cocked to one side.

Do yourself a favor and have your wheels re-spoked!! Your safety and the safety of those riding in your Ford is much more important than saving a few dollars. Russ Furstnow

That's right. What is cheaper, $200 for the wheel or a $200,000 lawsuit, a damaged T, and lifetime injuries?

Read again what Russ and R. V. have written. Respectfully, jb

Your vehicle will perform far better with tight,true-running wheels. Power, handling, and steering stability all depend on sound wheels.

All true. "No foot, no horse" translates to "No wheel, no car"
Good advice here.

Original wood wheels are like original radiators. Soon or later age catches up to each of them. Could be it’s that way for your wheels. You’ll be glad you did after you drive your T with respoked wheels.

Hi kevin... sorry if it seems we're all "jumping" on you. I've had the problems you describe on more than one occasion. I recently sent a front wheel out to be re-spoked and what a difference! It runs true and I'm not worried about it failing. Being in NZ I'm not sure where you would get yours re-spoked. We're fortunate in the US to have several "experts" who do a wonderful job for a reasonable cost.

Thanks Tim, Well that was a first for me using this forum, normally get pleasant advice with several option but this time I got stood in the cross hairs.

Twrenn - Its a left front wheel which is the same as your right front so yes it gets more wear from Uturns, potholes etc.
The Hack drove perfectly, straight as a die with zero wobble the way it was, just loose clicking spokes under pressure, so no its not a bent rim/hub it ran straight and true on the spin as I I took it off, it is only the shimming process or the way I done it that has caused a noticeable wobble. I dont have to sight down the rim, you can see the wobble from side on and I was hoping there was a pleasant helpful member (as there always has been before) that could offer up some suggestions to rectify this. I was pleased with my first attempt with a spoke wheel as now all the spokes are tight, all my other T's have wire wheels, now I know why.

John Keuhn - Thanks for your reply, the 2.29am post makes sense.

Loosen the nuts, tap outer rim into alignment, re-tighten. Repeat as necessary until it runs square.

what you did to tighten this wheel, I would never do. If the tenons were still solid, I would have tried shimming the spokes, not the hub. I acquired a NOS pair of wheels. They got a bit loose in my dry environment. A great candidate for shims. Taking into account my performance expectations, I re-spoked them to be on the safe side. Money & piece of mind, well worth it.

Aotearoa Wooden Wheels are made/rebuilt in Fielding. Excellent workmanship in hickory, as is proper. Call Vern Jensen and discuss it with him if you feel the need. I have three sets of his wheels on my T's, and probably should have a fourth.

Allan from down under.

Its interesting how this has come about.

I purchased DVD made by the "Model T Ford Club of America" that clearly shows how and what to use to pack loose spoke wheel, step by step.
I followed this instruction to a T, even used the exact metal packing strap they advised.

Alan I had already spoke to Vern Jensen about this issue and he asked if I had tried packing the wheel, I said no and he said you should always try this first.

So following the experts advice I did just that but somehow I ending up being a villain?

Interesting how club members will take your money then bag you for following the advice they just sold you.

On a milder note thanks speedy I'll try that method and see if I can straighten it up.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:42 pm

what you did to tighten this wheel, I would never do. If the tenons were still solid, I would have tried shimming the spokes, not the hub. I acquired a NOS pair of wheels. They got a bit loose in my dry environment. A great candidate for shims. Taking into account my performance expectations, I re-spoked them to be on the safe side. Money & piece of mind, well worth it.

Shimming the tapers will enlarge the center hole. If you don't also shim the hub, then you don't have the spoke ends resting solidly against the hub nose, as they should.

Rata Road wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:46 pm

Thanks Tim, Well that was a first for me using this forum, normally get pleasant advice with several option but this time I got stood in the cross hairs.

You have been given good advice. Such advice was stated emphatically to stress its importance. It wasn't done to place you in the "cross hairs" or to chastise you. Instead, it was done out concern for your safety. I have shimmed wheels just as you have done. It's a very temporary fix. If you've been around Model T's for any length of time, you've probably seen a few broken wheels. Nobody wants your next posting to be of such a thing.

Here's another way to look at it. We don't know you. We don't know your abilities as a mechanic. We don't know what tools you have at your disposal. Therefore, it tends to be irresponsible on our part to endorse such a "fix", without knowing your ability to do it well enough to be safe. The only responsible advice we can offer, is to get it done right, by an expert wheel maker.

Don't be offended. I am sure that nobody here intended to attack you.

Jerry, I think you have that a little backwards. If you put a shim around the hub, the spokes will be driven towards the steel felloe. This will open up the gaps between spokes, making shims between them necessary. Rather than shim the hub, it is better to shim the end of the spokes at the tenon end. This will drive the spokes tighter at the hub end.
The two back wheels on my barn find Henrietta have been 'attended to'.There are a couple of steel wedges driven in between the spokes. The wheels are tight, the spokes almost paintless and they run truly. I keep an eye on them, and travel anywhere in her at moderate speeds. The moment they give any indication they need attention, they will get it. Until then, we shall proceed.

Allan from down under.

Good news - I took the wheel off, removed centre bolts, made some adjustments. Refitted wheel with centre bolts loose and checked wobble. pulled and pushed on some areas, tightened the bolts firmer, made some more pulls/pushes then tightened it up. Looks great.
Went for a test drive with plenty of firm uturns on full lock, no clicks or vibration, drives great. Jacked it and rechecked everything looks good.
I'm very pleased with my first attempt and now this wheel is the tightest on the car.

The best part it was done for free and it was done by me.

If your other wheels show any sign of looseness, you might want to give them a shimming, too.

Rata Road
Glad you found the wobble issue! I’ll bet that has happened over the years when shimming the spokes. Probably in the T era and driving on dirt and rutty roads people weren’t worried about any wobble but on smooth roads and a keen eye you could see it. Good luck.