Dwight Romberger Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 It seems to me there are several times as many early wheels for sale here, on ebay and craiglist as usual. Is this true or is it just my imagination? Could it be because of the cars destined to be hot rods and rat rods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Call Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 I think it's because of the economic climate. The politicians we have put in power for the past 60 years have destroyed America's economy. People don't have disposable income for expensive hobbies like old cars. I'm 75 and still working so I can have things like an old car. I have a few projects that I'll never have the money to finish like a Model A hot rod I have had since 1964 and a 1954 Austin Healey I have had since 1972. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 "Rat" rodders are crazy about the look of vintage artillery wheels. Suddenly those extra wheels that folks have had laying around the shed, garage or behind the barn are worth real money. What role our nation's leaders played in this is yet to be established. Watch your local news for updates! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 When times get tough the first things to go are the toys! Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Seems like they are never the ones we are looking for. Lots of run of the mill 1920's wheels, but where are the early teens 27' Firestones and assorted parts. And preferably at non gold plated prices; I know , just a working class fool's dream. Greg in Canada 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 Everybody has extra wheels, everyone needs extra money. Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalrace25 Posted November 28, 2015 Share Posted November 28, 2015 At the last few car club meetings I have attended. I look around the room and see OLD PEOPLE --- Anyone under 60 STANDS OUT--- Now, looking at these folks around the room, I ask myself, HOW MANY of these folks are ACTIVE Old Car DRIVERS? -------- Not many-- Annual Luncheons bring out 40 or more people.. We always encourage them to drive their old cars.... Average old cars that show up-- 6. Yep-- SIX--- Owners are too frail to drive them, they don't start, are not kept in running order, no one knows how to fix them and the OWNERS DONT WANT ANYONE TO TOUCH THEM Unless that have some real STRONG background in the particular old car... SO-- the cars are dead in the garage.. Until they are sold as NON running cars--- AND then there is a very small market usually made up of MORE old guys that already HAVE old cars and just add more to the shed out back.... MORE non running cars... I would like to see every chapter set out to make it a WORK DAY for MEMBERS that can still WALK and know SOMETHING about keeping an old car running to get out and open up some garage doors and get the cars GOING.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Dwight, just to clarify something. When you say "wheels" are you talking about cars or wheels. People have posted answers to both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rons49 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 IMO... the issue with the economy is not so much the people 75 years old as it is with the people of 35 years old. Demographics have changed. No longer are the working class able to be involved with the "hobby". Folks who entered the "job market " in about 1950 - 1965 stayed as employees with a company for long periods of time, in most cases until retirement. So those folks remained residents in the same general location for decades. Not so today. Employees, whether professional or technical, may be required to move to far away residences, maybe even in another nation, to obtain employment or promotions. Later boomers, gen X , Y or millennials , need to be more like bedouins for work opportunities. They don't buy residences that can accommodate old cars, nor wish to have to sell 'em when it is time to move on. Old cars are an anchor. There is also a slow migration to the cities for many reasons. There are other reasons young folks(buyers) are not entering the hobby, but let's save that for another site. Some older folks want to down size collections for reasons... health being a large one, and the buyers are not there. They were never born to make up for the Baby Boomers. That is a Real problem in Europe. It is a serious problem for present owners from a financial point. But, as a hobbyist, I am less interested in profit than enjoying my pleasures. I too, just parted with a car for way less then I thought it was worth. But, I am happy it went to a good home, as I owned it for over 21 years. If our cars become an investment, then we also must realize that not all investments make money. Enjoy the ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 46 Woodie, I meant wheels not cars. It just seemed to me in the last six months I have seen more wheels for sale than in the previous six years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 It is, nevertheless, a possibility that our government is dumping wheels onto the market at discount rates in order to shore up our continuing dismal overseas tire sales. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 No companies like Dicastal the largest wheel manufacturing company in the world and yes Chinese is now coming to the Mich. to make wheels here with their rules. Remember Mich. changed the rules not long ago against the unions. Breaking the unions will bring work but not the wages. No wages no money for old cars. As for tires you had better look on your tire and see where it is made. I bought Goodyear for my car trailer and it says made in China. This is turning political so I had better stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I would guess it's a combination of things. Remember every car came with 5 wheels. When you restore a car you might look for a better wheel, but you keep the old wheels. Hot rodders remove the wheels and put on custom wheels. Sometimes you change from 14" to 15"and keep the old ones. As we get older and downsize we clean out the garage and the wheels are the first to go. They made about 5 million Model A Fords, each came with 5 wheels, thats 25 million wheels not counting dealership stock. I think every vendor at Hershey has at least one wheel for sale. I have three wheels in my garage as we speak, one '34 Chevy and 2 Model A's. Just a suggestion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Dwight, You are correct, old wheels are getting more attention. We drive our 80+ year old cars a lot and people come up and tell us they have wire wheels like mine (All Ford wire wheels 1925-1935) Next question is would I be interested in buying them?I would go to their home and find wheels half rusted away, or bent or welded into a mailbox post (By their great grandfather)Then they tell me $50.00 each! !#$%&^(* They see American Pickers and local car shows and think that anything old is valuable and that people with antique cars are all rich or stupid. The ones with Internet then advertise their junk at inflated prices which give other readers the idea that it's all valuable because of the high asking prices.No doubt a good antique car wheel may be desirable or valuable, but knowing the difference is not common knowledge. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Dwight:I agree with you. I have seen much more selection as far as wood wheels on e-bay. When I put in my search for 1925 Buick or 1920s Buick there has been quite a selection. Unfortunately most were not for Buicks or they were of a condition that their only value was in BTUs. I had an opportunity to buy a 1917 Buick D-44 Roadster that also had an assortment of extra parts. Among the parts were a set of 22" Buick wheels. I tried to buy just the wheels. Problem was that all was in California as a package. The 22" size is what belongs on my 1925 standard as some one in the past changed it to 21". (more tire availability) Once I offered on 2 wheels that only the spokes and hubs were left just so I could get the brake drums. My $40.00 bid was accepted but the shipping cost was to be over $275 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) Shipping is becoming a major part of old car expense. I don't know how the guy's in Oz. and Europe do it. All of us average people are being priced out. Greg in Canada Edited December 1, 2015 by 1912Staver (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Have the seller put a tag on the wheel and take it to the Greyhound Bus Station. Cheap and fast shipping for bulky items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) Shipping is becoming a major part of old car expense. I don't know how the guy's in Oz. and Europe do it. All of us average people are being priced out. Greg in CanadaI have stopped buying on EBay as the dollar exchange is over 30% now. EBay has now also become a middle man in the shipping business jacking up the shipping cost to make a higher profit. All EBay does is send it to the USPS for you and charging a fee for it so why are venders using them is beyond me. If I do buy it will have to be a real bargain. I also put that in feedback on my last perches and EBay removed it without telling me. When I complained they apologized and said it was not possible to put it back. Edited December 2, 2015 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 Very sneeky of Ebay! They must have someone read all the feedback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Have the seller put a tag on the wheel and take it to the Greyhound Bus Station. Cheap and fast shipping for bulky items.Paul, I know that I should be asking Greyhound this question, but instead I'll ask you -- will Greyhound take things that aren't wrapped? Fenders, wheels, etc? Just put a label on it, and that's good enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 The latest "offical" word from Greyhound is that some bus depots will accept unwrapped items and some will not. It is up to the depot manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 That's interesting, Dwight. I've often thought that I would like to use Greyhound as an option for large items like fenders and such. I called once some time ago to ask about a fender and was told that I'd have to wrap it. I thought about the effort and cost of wrapping a large '30s fender in bubble wrap or cardboard and decided that it just too much trouble. Maybe I'll call again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Romberger Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) "Wrapped" is a pretty broad term. A roll of shrink wrap is cheap at Home Depot or Lowes. A couple of minutes to "wrap" a fender or a wheel, slap a label on it and off it goes. I shrink wrapped a bunch of 1922 Buick body parts together to make sure nothing got away during a 500 mile trip on my trailer. Edited December 3, 2015 by Dwight Romberger (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Huh, I simply never thought of shrink wrap. I guess that I assumed they would mean bubble wrap or cardboard of some sort. Leave it to me to over complicate things. Thanks again for your thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 (edited) I don't know about wheels, but I for one am trying to lighten up all of the stuff in the garage that I will never use. And I do have a couple of Oakland wood wheels from the teens that I am going to sell this summer. I have gotten to the point where there is so much miscellaneous stuff around the garage that I can not find what I know I have plus like everyone else that is still above room temperature, we are all getting older. As for the vehicles, drive them all if possible. Edited December 4, 2015 by Larry Schramm (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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