Why do people put 1935 Ford 16 inch rims on a Model A Ford

[Guest AlCapone]

Why do people put 16 inch rims from a 1935 Ford on a Model A ? Does it improve handling, comfort, etc. Do they use bias or radial tires ? Will the 16's fit in the side mount spare tire wells in the fender ?

Thanks, Wayne

[motoringicons]

I think it started years ago because when the Model A was a twenty or thirty year old used car, the 19" and 21" tires were hard to find but 16" tires were easy to come by. Also, the early hot rodders put 16" wheels on Model As because they gave the car a lower look. With 16" wheels, you have a variety of tire sizes to choose from and many early hot rodders opted for a 7.50 by 16" rear tire because the larger diameter would give the car a "poor man's overdrive" as they used to say. The 1928 roadster pictured here has 6.00 by 16" tires in the front and 7.50 tires in the back mounted on original Kelsey Hayes aftermarket wheels. The 1931 sport coupe has 16" Ford wheels with 6.00 tires all the way around. Having had numerous Model As with both 16" and original size wheels, I don't think either one handles better than the other if they are both set up right. The 16" will not fit in a side mount fender well, unless the well is modified. Radial tires are available for 16" rims but I do not believe they are currently available for 19" or 21" rims. Both of the cars shown here have bias ply tires.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

That's a good explanation to a frequently asked question, Ike.

[Guest AlCapone]

Thank you very much, I certainly know more about them now than I did before. I have access to six good 1935 rims and I considered putting them on one of my Model A's. I wanted to know the pros and cons before I made a decision. Unfortunately all my A's have side mounts on them including the Roadster pickup. thanks, Wayne

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

By the way, it is a wheel. The rim is the outer portion of the wheel.

[Guest AlCapone]

First Born would not the rim be the inner portion instead of the outer ? I was going one part at a time.

Wayne

[Dave Henderson]

Actually, the widespread conversion to 16" '35 Ford wheels dates years back, to the WWII era. Because of the difficulty in obtaining Model A size tires, the conversion was a natural. '35 was the only year in the '30's that Ford outsold Chevy, and the junk yards were full of '35 wheels. With luck a serviceable tire came with it. During the war a tire that wasn't worn through to the cords was "serviceable". In addition, the larger cross section of the 16" tires improved the ride and gave a more solid, modern look to the A. Sometimes the '40 up Ford disc wheels were seen on A's, but not nearly as often.

[Guest AlCapone]

Actually, the widespread conversion to 16" '35 Ford wheels dates years back, to the WWII era. Because of the difficulty in obtaining Model A size tires, the conversion was a natural. '35 was the only year in the '30's that Ford outsold Chevy, and the junk yards were full of '35 wheels. With luck a serviceable tire came with it. During the war a tire that wasn't worn through to the cords was "serviceable". In addition, the larger cross section of the 16" tires improved the ride and gave a more solid, modern look to the A. Sometimes the '40 up Ford disc wheels were seen on A's, but not nearly as often.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks Dave !

Wayne

[ojh]

It also made an effective change in gear ratio - the 'roll out' is much shorter.

[Guest AlCapone]

ojh. Please explain. That is beyond my technical knowledge ! Thanks, Wayne

[motoringicons]

Basically, the larger or smaller the rear tire changes the final drive ratio of the car. A larger diameter tire will give a higher drive ratio and a smaller diameter will give a lower ratio.

Also, to clarity, the 16" 1935 Ford wire wheel will mount directly to the Model A hub (with the exception of the very early 1928 AR hubs). The 1940 Ford 16" disc wheel needs a spacer ring between the wheel and the hub or else the wheel or hub can crack because the two do not seat properly together.

[CarlLaFong]

My dad put 35 wires on his Model A Sport Coupe in 38, or so. The war had nothing to do with it. He did it for the same reason people put different wheels and tires on their cars today. To them, it looks better. It took an old fashioned car like an A and updated the look. In the eyes of the young teen owners, who were the main drivers of older cars, it was an improvement. Dad said his friends thought he had lost his mind when he paid 125 bucks for his car when the average price for one was 10 to 50 bucks. He said it was in absolutely perfect shape, with twin sidemounts, twin taillights, cowl lamps, quail, onyx gearshift knob and a bunch of other snazzy stuff.

Edited March 23, 2014 by 58Mustang (see edit history)