MTFCA Forum

Is this 21" split rim worth salvaging? it is sprung and even when ends are spread apart and are butted together the rim is not straight. The hole and the threads for the locking bolt are oversized and would have to be repaired, but the rim has been galvanized and no tire mounted since.

Yes, In my opinion, it can be salvaged. When you get a tire on it and inflate it, it should straighten out. Do you have the latches? Here are several photos of how I repaired the latch locks on all five of my rims that broke off after being rusted in place for many years. Jim Patrick

Yes it can be salvaged. Its sprung like that because the rim spreader was used incorrectly. And it can be used correctly to remedy the rim.

jiminbartow wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:57 am

Yes, In my opinion, it can be salvaged. When you get a tire on it and inflate it, it should straighten out. Do you have the latches? Here are several photos of how I repaired the latch locks on all five of my rims that broke off after being rusted in place for many years. Jim Patrick


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Jim, Yes, the latch 'bar' is on the rim; its just that the raised part of the rim that the hole in the 'bar' fits over and the locking screw goes through, is oversize and an original locking screw won't come close to catching threads. Of course, i can use an oversize bolt that the rim hole is now threaded for, but it won't look original.

George House wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 08, 2023 12:52 pm

Yes it can be salvaged. Its sprung like that because the rim spreader was used incorrectly. And it can be used correctly to remedy the rim.

George, Yes, I have a rim spreader. I was just afraid that the rim was too badly sprung to ever run true.

Unless it's your spare, the bolt head doesn't show if it's attached to a wheel.

Yes. I had to re-thread (re-tap) the hole to use a larger bolt, which I ground down on the inside and bradded with a ball pien hammer. When tire is mounted and the rim is installed, onto the hub, the bolt cannot be seen, as it is inside the hub. If a full sized nut head bothers you, you can grind it down, using a dremel tool equipped with a metal cutting disc, so the profile is about half as high and shape it to a round size to resemble the original round flat rivet that was originally on there. Better than throwing the rim away. Jim Patrick

PS. Be sure not to tap the wrong hole. The tube stem hole is right next to the hole you need to tap.

Model T split rims are soft steel. Easily bent, and fairly easily straightened. They also weld or braze easily.
Use a very flat surface and draw some very round circles on some cardboard to determine where the rim is tweaked and what way. My car trailer has some great spots to hold the rim and twist it by hand, cold. Occasionally heat may have to be used to shrink a small area. Work it slowly. Check, bend, recheck, bend as needed.

Wayne. Once the latch is fixed, could you latch the rim closed and use the rim spreader in a different direction to convert the oval to a circle? I have a Hercules rim spreader and it really made easy work of changing out my (5) 52 year old Universal tires for a new set of (5) Goodyear tires in the summer of ‘22. Jim Patrick