Rims & Lock Rings on 1928 Chrysler

[leomara]

I've just started to mount tires, the rims and lock rings were blasted and painted.  Using a hammer for some pursuasion the first lock ring went in place nicely however the second not so much.  It appears the rim is not true at this point for about 3 inches so the ring will not go into position.  What to do?

[Larry Schramm]

I usually put a little bit of air in the tire to hold the tire & wheel in place and tap the lock ring into place.  I have been successful doing this. 

 

Be sure that if you are putting air in the tire off the car, place the tire with the lock ring DOWN until you get the air pressure right.  Ideally you should put the air in the tire with the tire on the vehicle and fill the tire from the back side of the tire.  That is so if the lock ring comes loose, you are not in the way which can become deadly.

[leomara]

Thank you Larry, yes I'm well aware of the nastiness of this type of rim.  I heard from another restorer who feels the crimp on the rim where the lock ring sits under has become distorted at that point and that is why the lock ring will not seat there properly.  

[Larry Schramm]

Do not air it up to operating pressure until you get the lock ring in place.

[leomara]

10 pounds max before ring is in place and chained while filling to capacity......

[trini]

Lock rings are the most dangerous components in a tyre/wheel. People have been killed by rings flying out. It has been illegal to use them in the trucking industry for 25 years now in Canada. Trucks coming into Canada with lock rings and copper brakes line are not allowed.

You best bet is to take it to a machine shop. Check the trueness and skim the grove for a good fit . If the rim is out of line have it straighten out. There was a fellow who was featured in the Hemmings Magazine a few years ago . He was straightening rims of all sorts, even spokes rims . Do some search.

[Oldtech]

It looks like the rim is bent and needs to be repaired. Doesn't look like too hard to repair.

[hidden_hunter]

1 hour ago, trini said:

Lock rings are the most dangerous components in a tyre/wheel. People have been killed by rings flying out. It has been illegal to use them in the trucking industry for 25 years now in Canada

Aren’t trucking split rims a different style of lock rings?

[viv w]

Once that tire is blown up, I doubt the lock ring will come off, but as others have warned keep away from the lock ring side when blowing these type rims up, especially if they have no air pressure to begin with.

I have wire wheels with lock rings on my 28 Chrysler, when I was recovering the car from a container, we blew the tires up first and one ring came off with about 15 psi, it gave me a nasty blow on my wrist before hitting the container wall. Fortunately, there was no room to stand in front of the wheel.

 The ring that came off probably was not locked in on one end, but in a fairly dark container I could not see that properly.

[trini]

All locking rings are based on the same principle. When new it was not a problem. As they aged the rust out creates imperfections Not too nice. Both ring and grove need to be renewed, something like refacing a flywheel. Try for fit without tire on. Ideally blowing up such wheels require a special cage.  Easily fabricated from scrap steel. Make sure your head remains attached to your shoulders.

[leomara]

I've decided to replace that rim, on further inspection the edge above the locking ring looks like a Hubbard squash.  Someone previously must have beat it with a hammer, not just in one place but all over.  It can probably still be salvaged but nice rims are fairly available.  I should have noticed that after it was blasted and before it was painted.