restoring old wheels that look good

[gla448]

what is the best way to save the wood in a old wheel that looks good thankyou for letting me know bernie glass

[Allan]

Looking good is not enough. The wheel needs to be tight, with tenons through the felloe whole and intact. Check the individual spokes for tightmness by rapping each with a knuckle. A loose one will speak to you Then I would suggest you hand scrape all paint from the spokes and sand them. Apply a couple of coats of Penetrol as a wood preservative and to prepare them for repainting. Some will recommend linseed oil, but it does not penetrate the timber to the same degree and can take an age to dry enough for refinishing.

There will be other suggestions, so settle in to pick your way through them.

Allan from down under.

[Wayne Sheldon]

Allan's first point is spot on!

But a question. Are these earlier wood felloe non-demountable wheels? Or are these later steel felloe demountable wheels. Makes a big difference in how the wheels need to be worked with, and potential problems that may need to be looked for.

[vping]

What should you look for in a steel fellow?

[gla448]

the wheels are 21 inch with split rims on a 1926 model t ford it is good to have someone to ask thank you bernie

[John kuehn]

Have you had the rims off of the tires? You have 21” split rims. When you change the tires for new ones take car how you treat the split rims removing the tires off and on. The split rims can be sprung and out of round when using pry bars the wrong way. They not the same as a modern steel wheel and fairly flimsy! ! Today’s tire shops aren’t familiar with these types of rims so they need to be careful!
If the tires haven’t been off for many years they could be rusted and pitted. That usually happens for most T’s with tires that haven’t been replaced in a long time. Good luck with your T!

[gla448]

thanks john the car sat for 70 years inside but it looks good and all there i like it bernie

[Norman Kling]

Your wheels might be good as is. If the dowel type end in the felloe is good but the spoke is loose, what I have done is glue a strip of Oak Veneer to the side of every other spoke on the side which does not have a bolt hole. Then assemble the whole hub, spoke, and felloe. You press the spokes onto the hub. with the beveled side toward the side of the hub which has the bolt holes. Be sure the holes in the hub are aligned with the holes between the spokes. Then take tongue depressor sticks and wedge between the end of the spoke and the hub until all are tight. Then bolt the whole assembly together and peen the end of the bolts. Good to use new bolts.
If the dowel ends of the spokes are worn or if the spokes look cracked or rotted, replace the spokes with Hickory which are available from the vendors. Replace all the spokes and press together in manor described above.
Norm

[DHort]

One word, Stutzman.

[Allan]

Talking to a wooded boat builder at a swap meet today about timber finishing. While he agreed with my suggestion of Penetrol, he uses a different approach which he says rrsults in deeper penetration of the timber and a longer lasting job. He uses boiled linseed oil and natural pine turpentine in a 50/50 mix.

Allan from down under.

[jiminbartow]

If the wood is solid, just prime with a good exterior oil based primer such is sold by Sherwin Williams and paint with a good exterior enamel in the color of your choice, however, if the wood is soft, or dry rotted, there is no saving them, for wheels are load bearing and must be solid and as strong as when first made to avoid a sudden and disastrous failure while driving. Take no chances. Everything depends on the wheels. There are 2 part epoxy wood restorers, such as that which is manufactured by Abatron (www.Abatron.com) which, when mixed and painted on the wood, is absorbed into the wood and hardens, restoring the integrity of the wood, but this product is for non load-bearing wood such as Model T body parts and house parts, ie., rotten porch wood, siding and rotten window sills and parts. Jim Patrick

PS. Sherwin Willam’s paint and primer goes on very nicely with a high quality 1” wide artist’s chisel tipped brush. I hand painted my spokes and rim with in 2010 when I respoked my wheel.

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[Norman Kling]

Remember this. The front wheels must be strong enough to withstand sideways movement when going around corners. The rear wheels must resist sideways pressure when going around corners as well as torque movement when starting and stopping. So they must be strong and tight.
Norm

[Wingnut]

What D Hort said, Stutzman, you don't put bandaids on gaping wounds , nuff said.

[Tadpole]

You don’t need new spokes! Just a can of this!

[Steve Jelf]

What should you look for in a steel fellow?

Petty much what Allan said. I agree with the guys who recommend a good wheelwright like Stuzman for wood felloe wheels which take skills above my pay grade. Steel felloes? I've always put them together myself with a Regan press.

So-called "natural" wheels have become very popular in recent years. That's pretty much a modern fad. I prefer to paint my wheels, as God and Henry intended.

[RGould1910]

Wood felloe wheels can be restored if the wood is sound. There have been a number of posts explaining the method. All four wheels on my 12 roadster are reworked originals. I personally agree painted wheels are more attactive than stained, but they are a ton more work.

[Line_Noise]

So-called "natural" wheels have become very popular in recent years. That's pretty much a modern fad. I prefer to paint my wheels, as God and Henry intended.

1925-1927 21" wheels were available in natural finish, they are in the parts books and encyclopedia. So that would be one correct option for gla448's wheels.

[Steve Jelf]

Oh, I don't contend that "natural" wheels were not an option in the last three years of Model T production. Yes, they were. But today you see them even on 1915 Fords, and earlier brass cars, where they are wildly out of place. Given the fact that "natural" wheels were an option during the last three years of production, how many people took that option? Looking at period photos (other than advertising) how many do you see on actual cars on the road? For somebody with the time, that would be an interesting study.

[RGould1910]

I purchased a 26 chassis years ago I used to make a hack. It came with wood wheels that were originally stained not painted. The color resembled antique furnitue, a reddish brown color. Really nice looking. I still have the wheels but the color has faded.

[DHort]

You can get that red back. Just watch 'The Red Violin' to see how it is done.

[RGould1910]

Lol!
Ive seen it!