23" wire wheel rims + lockrings

[Trained Monkey]

Looking to put together a good set of 23" wheels for my Mercer. Spoke configuration is outer: 28/28 inner :14. I have a good set of hubs so I only need the outer rim part and the lockrings. Trouble is that I need 5 of them.

I would also like to find a 6th wheel if possible. Needs to have an 80mm 124 spline rudge whitworth hub.

PM me with offers/ leads please!

[Ivan Saxton]

Talk to Don Pedersen and/or Harry Windsor who set up respectively their Series Six Mercer and A model Duesenberg, using new 23" rims made by someone in Ohio or similar region. Your wheel centres have the English/European 70 spoke pattern. Later Mercers have the American 72 spoke pattern. (The two American licence holders to manufacture Rudge Whitworth wheels were Standard Roller Bearing in (I think) Scranton PA, and Buffalo, who supplied Packard with Rudge 100s for Twin Six, and 80s for the early series six cylinders in the 1920s . The later are your most likely source for USA. I'll see if John Hancox can give the name and location of the man who recently bought the four late 20's Lincoln wheels which had been adapted to Rudge 80 wheel centres by John Boyle to run on his 1925 Series 6 Mercer Raceabout at some time. (It must have looked dreadful).

If you pick up 72 spoke centres you might still find plenty of good 23"Ash wire wheels about which will give you good spokes and rims.

I used to give Rudge 80 centres away to gracious and deserving people; but I am in deficit of my own needs now.

With these fine spline Rudge wheels, it it actually the inner taper that should take the drive. Always cut rings of annealed copper sheetof 20g or less, which will slip over the splines and deform over the taper on the hub when you slam the wheel on the first time. The steel bites and grips the copper both sides. There was a fellow here with a Delage 30 years ago, whose wheels would jump the splines. The copper filling fixed the sandwich.

You may find that Brian Black in NZ can make 23"well-base or "drop-centre" rims.

For a car designed to be driven and not just displayed, that is the way I would go if I needed new rims. There is no chance then that a tyre will overtake you if it deflates, and you wont lose the lock ring. This would have consequences if you were in busy traffic.

Give me your phone # and time of day to call by Private Message if you want to talk. (On my voice over internet service it cost me a total of $1 for two 10 minute calls to Western USA.