Sending For New Spoked Wheels

[Willy]

I have many questions about sending to have new spoked wheels made. What do I do with the steel rims that fit the wood rims? Don't they heat, then fit them? If so, I can't paint them. I would guess, just sand, clean them. That would mean the inside of the steel would just be bare metal. Will the hubs be removable, once I get the wheels back? What do I use for bolts, as mine are shot? Half one front wheel, half one rear wheel - is that right? Must I send the (two) brake drums, and are they removable, once I get the wheels back? My 1918 wheels are too poor a condition, so I need new ones. Any help would be appreciated. Willy

[nearchoclatetown]

Why wouldn't you just ask the guy that's going to make your new spokes. His instructions and perfeances are the only ones that matter.

[trimacar]

I agree, discuss with your wheel maker.

 

Until then, here's what I do and what I've done, and some thoughts.

 

You take your wheels apart, saving a couple of the best spokes for patterns for your wheelwright.  Note if your front spokes and rear spokes are the same or different.  This should be part of your discussion with him, he may already have patterns if it's a car that he's done before.  If not, he'll need a pattern when he turns the new spokes.

 

Bead or sand blast the hubs and rims, then paint them immediately after blasting with an epoxy primer.  Use a two part primer, such as Dupont DP-90, NOT a rattle can "epoxy" primer.  DP-90, or the equivalent, will stand up fairly well when he heats the rim to install on the wood felloe (assuming your wheels have such a felloe).

 

If you don't have good hub bolts, the wheelwright can sometimes make or supply them, another thing to discuss with him.

 

When you get the wheels back, the rims will not be removable.  The brake drums will be removable, but if he's made the wheel correctly, the hugs may NOT be removable.  In addition, if the hubs are tight, you don't want to drive them out, as then you're messing with the geometry of the wheel.

 

If you want to stain the wood to a natural color, make sure you tell your wheelwright that fact, as it makes a difference on which pieces of wood he uses for the spoke.  He'll make sure the spokes have nice looking grain.  If you're going to paint all the wheel, then this doesn't matter.  A lot of people stain wood wheels, but remember that this is a fairly recent restoration fad, as originally most wood wheels were painted.

 

Good luck with your wheels!

[22touring]

Hubs and felloes powder coated (I never did like the way ordinary paint on felloes gets scratched when you change the rim and tire.) Done by Calimer's wheel shop of Waynesboro, PA.  I got to paint the spokes myself.

Edited January 19, 2018 by 22touring (see edit history)

[Spinneyhill]

Just make sure all the spokes on the wheel are the same! Some early cars had more than one section in each wheel.

[trimacar]

4 hours ago, 22touring said:

Hubs and felloes powder coated (I never did like the way ordinary paint on felloes gets scratched when you change the rim and tire.) Done by Calimer's wheel shop of Waynesboro, PA.  I got to paint the spokes myself.

 

Very nice!  You could write a whole chapter of a book on how to seal and paint wood spokes, quite time consuming!

 

You could powdercoat your metal first because your wheels don't have the wooden felloe, the spokes are "pegged" directly into rim.  Calimer, who also has done a few sets for me, I believe heats his rims before putting them on a wood fellow wheel, and not sure how powdercoat will stand up to that heat.  I know powdercoat is heated to apply, just don't know the temperatures used by powdercoater vs. wheelwright.

 

Powdercoating uses a lot of energy, by the way.  I worked at a processing plant in Sacramento, the plant was running about 2000 HP in steam boilers.  Talking to a representative of the gas company one day, negotiating gas prices, and I mentioned that he'd better be nice to us since we were the largest user of gas on that side of town.  He said, no, David, you WERE the largest user, until that powdercoating operation opened up down the street, they use a LOT more gas than you do running their ovens.........