Does anyone know a place that can remove tires from a 1930-vintage wire wheel in Northern VA?

[hursst]

Hello, I wanted to ask if anyone knows a place in Northern Virginia that can remove tires from the wire wheels of my 1930 Plymouth. The tires have intertubes. The local tire shops won't touch them. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[keiser31]

On my 1931 Dodge which has very similar wheels, I always remove the tires and tubes with the wheel still on the car. I was getting flat tires a lot because of the inner part of the wheel. It had been powder coated and there were burrs inside. I got so tired of removing the wheel to fix the flat that I tried removing the tire and tube while the wheel was still mounted. It came off 90 times easier than trying to do it flat on the ground. Fly me out there and I will do it for you in a few shakes....

Edited December 6, 2014 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[hursst]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not familiar with how these tires are mounted or removed. What do you use to remove your tire(s)?

[keiser31]

I have a couple of tire irons that I use that have a spoon head and a dull blade end.

#1-Remove the valve core.

#2-Slip the dull blade end into the outer edge of the tire and leave it there.

#3-Slip the spoon head bar in between the tire and wheel and slide it around the rim while holding the blade end bar in place.

#4-Pull outward on the back of the tire while sliding the bar around the wheel making certain that the rear bead of the tire slips down into the lowest inner part of the wheel where the inner tube sits.

#5-Do the same thing with the rear bead of the tire.

Let me know if you need photos of the tools or??

I should make a video of the process. It is fairly easy.

Edited December 7, 2014 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[hursst]

Thanks again. I don't have any of these tire irons, but I may be able to make due with something else. I'll give this a try and see what I can do.

[keiser31]

Very much the same as changing a bicycle tire. Just gotta be very careful with the pointy objects that you choose to use.

[joe_padavano]

Thanks again. I don't have any of these tire irons, but I may be able to make due with something else. I'll give this a try and see what I can do.

Tractor Supply sells tire irons here in NoVA. I got mine at the Leesburg store.

[cahartley]

Hello, I wanted to ask if anyone knows a place in Northern Virginia that can remove tires from the wire wheels of my 1930 Plymouth. The tires have intertubes. The local tire shops won't touch them. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Good Lord almighty!....... :mad:

The way newer tire machines operate there is no reason on earth to prevent them from NOT changing them for you.......except THEM.

What a sad state of affairs.......

[Spinneyhill]

Does this have locking ring rims? If so, way harder....

Looks like you have wires with "standard" rims. Pretty standard tire removal as described. Expect to repair the paint when the new tires are on. Maybe that is why they won't touch them.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Spinneyhill (see edit history)

[keiser31]

Does this have locking ring rims? If so, way harder....

Looks like you have wires with "standard" rims. Pretty standard tire removal as described. Expect to repair the paint when the new tires are on. Maybe that is why they won't touch them.

If worried about paint, insert a black plastic leaf bag into the tire all around after deflating the tube and that slick surface will pop the tire right off of the rim. Here are the two tools that I use....

Edited December 6, 2014 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Guest AlCapone]

Look up a local car club ( example , Model A Ford ) and ask for paid assistance. I will bet they beat a path to your door, Wayne

[hursst]

Thank you kindly for all the advice and suggestions. I decided to go to TSC and I bought a tire iron and schrader valve puller. It took me about 2 hrs, but I finally got one of the tires off. Four more to go (I'm going to powdercoat the wheels, get new tires, tubes, and vintage schrader valves). Not fun at all, but it's nice to learn another old car skill and not have to pay someone else to do it. The other tires should go faster now that I sort of know how to do it. Thanks again!!!

[Rusty_OToole]

We used to use old leaf springs for tire irons. Thin ones from the thirties that taper at the end are best. Grind/polish the ends smooth with a disc grinder and fine disc to reduce scratching the paint.

[mercer09]

Harbor Freight has a 24" iron for 4.99..............................

[keiser31]

Thank you kindly for all the advice and suggestions. I decided to go to TSC and I bought a tire iron and schrader valve puller. It took me about 2 hrs, but I finally got one of the tires off. Four more to go (I'm going to powdercoat the wheels, get new tires, tubes, and vintage schrader valves). Not fun at all, but it's nice to learn another old car skill and not have to pay someone else to do it. The other tires should go faster now that I sort of know how to do it. Thanks again!!!

Be certain to inspect the inner parts of the wheel after powder coating. Look for burrs.

[TexRiv_63]

Forget about any national tire chain doing it anymore. Find a local tire store that deals with trucks and agricultural equipment, they should be able to handle it with no problem. I have had flats fixed on my Packard at such a place and they didn't bat an eye.

[hursst]

Was able to do all 5 myself. One of them took under 5 minutes, which tells me it was a much newer installation. I believe the other 4 have been on the car for at least 30 years. Those were very difficult to get off, as they were almost fused to the wheel and the intertubes were sticking to the inner tires and wheels. Thanks again for the help. On to the next project...

[Rusty_OToole]

You are supposed to use French chalk (powdered soapstone) or talcum to prevent the tube sticking.

[JFranklin]

don't know your tire size but will suggest you check Bratton's for good quality tubes in 19" or 21" size. many people are finding that the original tubes even aged are better than some of the import tubes available.

[Restorer32]

And bear in mind that you can always use a tube smaller than what's called for, even 2 or 3 sizes smaller, with no problem but never use a tube larger than specified.

[Bud Tierney]

If you have to get into them again, since you didn't know to powder the tubes to avoid them sticking to the tires, after breaking the beads away from the rim, you should have enough slack to get your fingertips on the inside of the tire enough to push the tube loose so you don't risk pinching a hole in it from catching the tube with your tire iron...

Certainly never thought changing tube tires would be in danger of become a lost art...

Some new tubes used to come already powdered...

[keiser31]

If you have to get into them again, since you didn't know to powder the tubes to avoid them sticking to the tires, after breaking the beads away from the rim, you should have enough slack to get your fingertips on the inside of the tire enough to push the tube loose so you don't risk pinching a hole in it from catching the tube with your tire iron...

Certainly never thought changing tube tires would be in danger of become a lost art...

Some new tubes used to come already powdered...

In this day and age, almost everything having to do with our old cars is a lost art.

[GLong]

Most drop-center wheels had a flat rubber band that wrapped around the lowest part of the drop-center, covering the ends of the spokes, and prevented the inner tube from getting holes abraded into the rubber, eventually causing a leak. This flat rubber strip had a hole in it for the valve stem to poke through.

I was trying to buy some of these bands a year or two ago, and was told that they were being discontinued, that most people just used tape. I asked, do you mean like duct tape? He said that duct tape had way too low a melting point for the adhesive on the tape. They used and recommended to me to use PVC pipe wrap Tape, something I had never heard of. I was told it could be purchased at most Home Depots, Lowes, etc.

I had to go to a plumbing and heating wholesaler to find it, but the PVC pipe wrap tape is much like a wide electrical tape with a high temperature adhesive. It comes in two thicknesses, 10mil and 20mil. When warm, at about 70-80* is quite flexible and can be pulled around the sides of the drop-center, which lines the sides of the drop as well as the bottom were the spokes end in shallow depressions that are never smooth.

This tape works very well, better than any and all the rust prevention paints and treatments. It seems that even with talc, a smoothly sanded and painted wheel, an inner tube tends to stick, and bind against the wheel as it inflates. causing the tube to inflate to become very thin in places.

I've always inflated a tube, and deflated several times, but never letting the tube go completely empty of pressure, then bounced the tire on several sides, to let the tube center and equalize in the space. This is getting to be a lot of work as I get older. With the PVC Tape on the drop-center, and talc in the tire and on the tube, I've noticed that when I deflate the tube, it actually slides around inside the tire, I can move the tube by manipulating the valve stem. I don't think I was ever able to do this before, The tube is certainly not sticking to or binding against any roughness in the drop-center or against the wire spoke ends and depressions.

Here is a link to the product: http://www.amazon.com/100-Mil-Pipe-Wrap-Tape/dp/B000V4D3RM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1418084935&sr=8-5&keywords=pvc+pipe+tape

Another: http://www.amazon.com/Orbit-Sprinkler-System-50-Foot-53550/dp/B0013I71Q4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418085280&sr=8-3&keywords=pvc+pipe+tape

Knowing how to do your own tire repairs is part of the hobby, I take a lot of time and care with tube-type tires. Since I'm the guy on the side of the road changing the wheel and tire. Most tire shops are a bit too nonchalant with tube type tires for me.

GLong

[ply33]

Good Lord almighty!....... :mad:

The way newer tire machines operate there is no reason on earth to prevent them from NOT changing them for you.......except THEM.

What a sad state of affairs.......

When I was young and foolish I took my then new to me '33 Plymouth to the local tire change place to have some mail order Sears Allstate tires installed. The cone like thing they spun down to hold the wheel on their tire mount/dismount stand badly damaged the lip that holds the hub caps. Took me a long time to get the wheels back into a good enough shape to allow the hub caps to go on and stay on. Since then I've done my own tire changing and would not consider allowing another tire change place the opportunity to damage my wheels.

I have a couple of old broken spring leaves that I ground the ends smooth on and have used those as tire irons. But I recently got a set of tire irons from Harbor Freight that are easier to use.

[Spinneyhill]

With the PVC Tape on the drop-center, and talc in the tire and on the tube, I've noticed that when I deflate the tube, it actually slides around inside the tire, I can move the tube by manipulating the valve stem.

Have you ever found the tire rotating with all that talc? Under braking the tire can rotate and pull the tube around, pulling the valve stem out of the tube. This happens frequently on my mountain bike and happened on my trail bike back in the '70s. I am sparing with tire lubrication for that reason.

On one trip, I had several flats. Grrr! It turned out to be due to the rust band having overlapping ends and the tube was being pinched at the overlap. Your technique would perhaps prevent that happening. I replaced all the rust bands with circular versions with no ends. There have been no punctures since.

[Larry W]

Hopefully there's enough friction area between the tire bead and the rim to prevent any slippage, keep this area clean. (I wonder if the use of Rosen in this area would help ......just thinking.)

[JFranklin]

Flaps are often used with antique car tires. BTW, what are rust bands?

[Spinneyhill]

Flaps are often used with antique car tires. BTW, what are rust bands?

I don't know what a flap is with respect to a tire but a rust band is the band inside the tube on the rim of wire wheels to prevent punctures due to "rust" or burrs or sharp ends on the spokes etc.. I suspect we are talking of the same thing?

[keiser31]

I don't know what a flap is with respect to a tire but a rust band is the band inside the tube on the rim of wire wheels to prevent punctures due to "rust" or burrs or sharp ends on the spokes etc.. I suspect we are talking of the same thing?

Yes, the rust band is another term for inner tube flap.

[Graham Man]

Flaps and bands/straps are different animals?

I use flaps (U shaped rubber insert) on split rims 1932 and older.

I use bands on traditional one piece wheels 1933 and after; most companies changed to single piece wheels close to those years.

I was told not to use talcum that the new tubes, they have all the lubricant you need...this was from a fairly reputable tire dealer, I put in a small amount in the tire anyway.

[Bud Tierney]

On the motorcycle question, particularly a mountain bike, I'm not surprised at rotation, considering the extreme torque...

Our old jalopies seldom had that kind of power, so never experienced that problem, and now most collector cars are just not driven that hard...

When changing tires, often centered tube by partially inflating, deflating while stressing valve, maybe having to bounce, as mentioned above...

In downsizing, just sold my old MWard armstrong bead breaker; think I bought it in 1970 or so; haven't used it in 15-20 yrs. Felt like selling an old friend..