Composition of steering wheel spokes

[geneabb]

I have a Model T steering wheel with the solid iron spokes, not the stamped steel spokes. Are the solid iron spokes cast iron or cast steel? I'm thinking of bending them straight to make a racing style steering wheel for my speedster project. I understand cast iron can't be heated and bent successfully but cast steel can.

Thanks, Gene

[Henry K. Lee]

They are cast steel, Did few like you are doing. Look pretty cool!

Hank

[jiminbartow]

If you straighten them, won’t the spokes will be too long to attach to the wheel? Jim Patrick

[Allan]

Good point Jim, but may be solvable by using a rim from a later wheel which will be larger in diameter than the solid steel spiders.

Allan from down under.

[geneabb]

Thanks for the info everyone. Hank: what method did you use to bend them? I'm thinking heat with oxy/acet, then gradually press down in a press or with C clamps. I think hammering might break the spokes. I would bend the tips so I can locate it in the center of the rim. This would also take up some of the length.

Method of attachment: I'll have to drill new holes for the spokes. Lang's catalog lists special screws to use--necessary if you're drilling new holes? Would a threaded insert epoxied in and a machine screw be stronger?

I saw the wheel I want in a repro Frontenac catalog: $24.00. That was a lot of money in the 1920's.

Gene

[jab35]

Gene: Wood rings and Fordite composition rings used different screws. I believe using wood ring screws in Fordite can break the Fordite so be careful. Personally I would not use inserts in an old original Fordite ring b/c of the volume of material removed from ring. I know there's epoxy in the equation, but I would stilluse the oval head Fordite screws if I could get the spider fit to match the original hole location and screw angle. And if using one of the new 'Fordite' rings I'd still go with new Repo Fordite screws. YMMV, jb

[Henry K. Lee]

Heat well, low orange tone, use a vise to flatten by squeezing in. One spoke at a time. Nice and easy until desired form.

Hank

[jiminbartow]

A powerful hydraulic press and a large steel plate might work better to control the load as well as transfer the load over a wider area. You might want to take it to a machine shop and ask them if you can borrow their press or ask them to do it for you as you closely watch. Jim Patrick

[Tim Moore]

The dirt track guys often used a cut down buzz saw blade. They were after the springiness of the steel so their hands didn't get beat up-same thing you see in the Frontenac catalog. You can adjust for diameter when cutting off the teeth then design the spokes anyway you choose.

I would not torch cut but cut off wheel or jig saw and files as you don't want to upset the spring steel. An old saw blade should be cheap and more authentic. Of course you want to wrap the rim with cord also to be period correct!

Tim Moore

[Humblej]

Bending one is easy, bending 4 the same is the challenge. Then getting a wheel the right size for the modified spider is a whole 'nother problem. Good luck with it, its a bridge too far for me.

[Wayne Sheldon]

I have bent several of them. Some I heated, some I did cold. I had one that someone before me had straightened out flat, probably for a speedster or racing car. No idea why they didn't finish it and use it. It was a nice clean rust-free and primed spider, so I carefully clamped it in my big blacksmith's vise and bent it slowly one arm at a time. It was a bit tricky and slow going, but I got it to almost exactly match a rusty and damaged spider I also had (matching the undamaged portions). I got it to perfectly fit a decent original wood rim I had and all painted up it looks almost too nice for my car!
Another one I had years ago, I needed to fit it to a slightly odd size wooden rim. It required a bit of re-bending and I used it on a car for awhile. Then I got a better one for that car. The resized one is earmarked for another project that I may never get to. If I recall correctly, I think that one I also did cold.
I had another one that was really rusty and badly bent. That one I chose to heat and anneal the metal in part due to the deep pitting it had. I did most of the shaping hot. I found it was more difficult to get nice naturally rounded curves with the steel hot. But it still came out fine.

What was really tough to do, was tweak a cast aluminum spider to fit a solid but slightly warped original wooden rim. Took a lot of playing with all four arms to get both diameter and elevation to cleanly match the wooden rim AND spin true. I also did that with an early after-market accessory spider and rim where the spider was cast iron. Believe me, cast iron does NOT work as nicely as cast steel. But I was careful, and it came out nice, looking good hanging on my garage wall. I have a couple possible future projects that it would be great on (if I live long enough to get to them).

[TXGOAT2]

I'd guess the guys who make wood steering wheel rims could make one any size you needed.