MTFCA Forum

I'm new to the model T game so I'm just learning. What I'm learning so far is that this is a very expensive hobby! Ouch, anyway I have a 1926 Coupe with wood spokes. I just realized my spokes are loose. I'm finding different size tenon holes and lengths via the vendors. Is there a way to determine which ones I currently have so I can order spokes before trying to figure out how to de-mount the tire?

Also, as expensive as it would be to re-spoke all of them maybe I should just find hubs and wire wheels. Any experience out there with that?

Thanks a lot in advance

It takes removing the 4 nuts that hold the demount-able rim & tire. That will give you access to the tendons.
Since there are differences, It would seem prudent to remove all 4 rims to confirm that all 4 wheels are the same.
A set of wires & hubs will cost $1,000+ needing painting & some, hopefully only minor repairs.
On the bright side, the tires & tubes are interchangeable.

For some it’s wanting to stay as original as the car was built. Others will add the wire wheels if they didn’t come with the car. Which is cheaper? You “might”find a good set of the 26-27 wire wheels at a swap meet for less than a $1000.00. If you have the 21” spoke wheels respoked it will be close to a $1000.00 to do that or more. You might think about adding 21” 28-29 Model A wire wheels with hub adapters to fit the T hubs.
Cost for any of the above will be a 1000.00 or more or finding deals at swap meets.

You might find some good deals online BUT shipping is another added cost. If it were me I would see what you could find at swap meets. Keep looking for a good deal as they come around but you have to keep your eyes open. Any old or antique car hobbies aren’t real cheap but the Model T hobby is one of the cheapest. Try buying a nice good running 57 Chev 2 Dr hardtop, 68 Dodge charger, or any of the classic era cars. They are definitely not cheap!

I'd like to have an old cheap '56 Chevy 2 door 210 model with deluxe heater and radio, a 235 six and overdrive. But they ain't cheap anymore... I'd love to put a 261 six in one, or one of those big GMC sixes....

Welcome

First off, Welcome to the hobby!, we are glad to hear about a new driver starting on your journey. While the T is 100 years old it still can be very usable day to day. I hope you will have many years ahead of enjoyable motoring,

Don't despair!

Loose spokes can be tightened without replacing them (assuming they are not rotted or broken).

Shims

a) shims can be fitted between the flats of the spokes, (use strips of shim stock - not steel which rusts), you may not need them between each spoke, and they do not need to be very thick.
b) spacers (shims) (like large washers with a side cut out - looking like a big 'C', or when the spokes are disassembled just large washers) can be fitted around the tennons by the rim. The shims do not need to be very thick as the effect is multiplied by the spokes around the rim. See https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/1 ... 33153.html, https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/2 ... 1188008041 or https://forum.modeltfordfix.com/t/1919- ... els/2301/2

I have used both types of repairs on my Ts using original spokes and they have lasted many years (still no trouble now).

Have a look at this thread too: https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... ss#p363325

(I have seen NEW spokes needing to be shimmed as well! so you may end up doing this in any case)


Tighten the bolts

Obvious, remember to tighten the bolts by the hub, they can be loose and that allows the spokes to move too. Sometimes a good tighten (and then dot punch the nuts by the thread to 'lock nut' them) is all it needs.

Wheel press

Both fixes will require dismantling the wheel, adding shims, and re assembling. To do this a 'cheap' home made press can be made - do a search on this site to find posts about that. Steve Jelf has a great page showing what to do: https://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG108.html

'Doable'

All these fixes cost 'pennies' and are very doable by anyone with a little mechanical ability.

Sign up!

Don't forget to join your local T club, there will be folk there who can give advice and help you though the process (and help with the inevitable future issues too). Many things can be fixed with a bit of knowledge and repair work at home and more experienced owners are happy to help.

You can find wire wheels for 26-27 fairly easily. BUT you will need different front and rear hubs which aren’t cheap. I did it but would consider new wood spokes if I did it again. A lot depends on if you like the appearance of wood vs wire spokes.

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 16, 2026 7:03 pm

I'd like to have an old cheap '56 Chevy 2 door 210 model with deluxe heater and radio, a 235 six and overdrive. But they ain't cheap anymore... I'd love to put a 261 six in one, or one of those big GMC sixes....

Pat, a 292 Chevy 6 is almost as big in displacement and are a lot more plentiful. 302 GMC motors are scarce.

NoelChico wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 16, 2026 11:17 pm

You can find wire wheels for 26-27 fairly easily. BUT you will need different front and rear hubs which aren’t cheap. I did it but would consider new wood spokes if I did it again. A lot depends on if you like the appearance of wood vs wire spokes.

From my experience, there are as many Model T parts coming from Wisconsin hobbiests and vendors as anywhere in the USA. I used to think California held that distinction, but I'm beginning to think otherwise. Contact the local T clubs in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Someone might be able to steer you to what you need in driving distance.

Darren,
I've replaced the wood spokes in our '26 Coupe with a press that I made, as seen by Steve Jelf on that link, and the process works. I found "inexpensive" spokes that were too long and cut them down to size. When the money is low, the learning curve is high.

Pat,
I just bolted a rebuilt numbers-matching 235 to the transmission last night and it has plenty of power to get the job done, from stoplight to zoom to interstate merge speed.

Every man has to decide for himself, beforehand, where his level of contentment is.

Loose wooden spokes are deadly. However, if your car has been in dry storage it might be possible to tighten them by soaking the wheels in a cheap plastic kiddie swimming pool from Wallyworld or the like. It worked for me, nearly ten years later all is well.

You may find this thread useful. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25480&p=195555&hili ... an#p195555

Here is my opinion:

When there is a wood wheel starting to go bad I send it out and have it re-spoked by a professional wheelwright.
I have made spokes, watched spokes made, and bought spokes before and what I discovered is that buying spokes and installing them yourself costs about the same as having them done.
If you make the spokes yourself you will save money but it takes a long time, there is a big pile of tooling required and getting a tight fitting wheel requires precision. Plus buying the good quality wood is not cheap either.

Fixing the wood wheels, or switching to wire wheels plus the hubs all end up costing roughly the same.
You can always sell off leftover parts (or keep them for your next Model T) and recoup some of the cost. There are lots of bad wheels out there so they don't have a lot of value.
If you can find a good set where someone is removing them for some reason can save you money, sometimes. Inspect carefully before buying.

If you run old wood wheels (and I do on some of my cars) regularly inspect them for quality and tightness. Remember they are 100 years old now and VERY important when driving your car. Make sure the hub bolts are tight and peened so they do not come apart, sometimes this step gets forgotten.

Having wood spoke or wire spoke wheels on your car is a personal preference.
You will have to decide what look you want to have for your car.
Whatever you do make sure to drive on a safe, straight, and tight set of wheels.
Mike

292 is a fine engine... but not period!

When you compare the cost of just the spokes and then figure in making a press and probably messing up a bit, it brings you almost to the cost of having a professional do it. I send my wheels to Noah Stutzman, an amish man in OHio who can make wheels for just about anything. Last time I think I paid $175 per wheel but then you have shipping on top of that unless you drop them off. He gets enough work from Michigan that sometimes I've been able to send wheels with a friend. I would check with your local club - I'm sure there is someone closer to you that does that kind of work.

While you have the wheels off, check the front bearings and bearing cups and in general check how tight the spindles and linkages are. You don't want any wiggle here or you may experience the dreaded "death wobble" while driving.

When reinstalling the rear wheels (assuming the axles are good) there is almost no such thing as too tight. The major cause of axle and hub damage is loose wheels. Torque of 80-90 ft-lbs (or more) is desirable and should be checked after driving.

When I bought my 17 touring back in 2018, I spent more than I paid for it get it tour-ready. Since then, cost of ownership has been acceptable and I've had over 13,000 miles of great touring and made a bunch of new friends. I call it a good investment, plus, you come away really knowing your car

Finding a 55 210 2dr Chevrolet in good shape isn’t easy to find! Lot of those were hot rodded when I was in HS in the later 60’s. By now when you find one they are usually just a shell of a body at the end of the road. When you find one it definitely won’t be real cheap if it’s in decent shape.