Lock ring rims

[pistoncollector]

Does anyone have a good safe method for removing and installing lock rings on rims. Not only do I want to do it safely without getting hurt but I would like to do it without scratching all the paint off the rim when I am reinstalling the ring. Perhaps someone has written a good "how to" article or something.

Paul

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

While at the Hershey swap,I remember seeing a 3 pronged apparatus with screws at the hub

that may have been originally used for compressing these type

of split rings..

Thanks,

Joe Kieliszek

[1937hd45]

We need to know what these wheels are on. If they are a standard early Packard type you are going to have to work overtime to hurt yourself, they aren't spring loaded or anything. Take the wheel off the car lay it on a shipping blanket, remove the valve core, break the bead on the lock ring side. Take a BIG flat blade screwdriver or pry bar and place it in the slot where the lock ring is split. Pry the ring out of the groove use wood shingles to protect the paint as you pull the ring out. If this is a restored vehicle they should come out in 10 minutes or less.

[pistoncollector]

The lock rings are on a set of Buffalo wire wheels from the teens. Does that help any?

Paul

[D Binger]

Paul,

You will need that special book. You know, "All The Words Webster Forgot"

Dan

What Bob said is what you are going to have to do.

[21raceabout]

I find that my lock rings come off easier if the initial attack is to use a stiff blunt instrument to increase the gap at the split... this makes the lock ring effectively a larger diameter and will make it easier to "slip" the ring over the lip of the rim.

If you have multipiece rims, like a Firestone rim with side ring and separate lock rings, removal will be eased if you use large wood clamps or deep welding channel lock clamps on the side rings at 3-4 locations around the wheel to relieve the side pressure from the lock ring.

In either case don't get too aggressive trying to remove the lock ring in one pull, you can bend it to the point of permanently deforming it.

As far as safety, I always wrap the wheel through the spokes with heavy chain and lock links in at least 3 locations around the circumference when it comes time to re-inflate. ALWAYS keep every part of your body away from the lock ring when re-inflating. There are many stories of people who have been killed or seriously injured by lock rings that were not properly seated - assume it is not going to hold when first re-inflationg the tire - treat it like a loaded gun. Inspect carefully to ensure the ring is seated then removed the chains.

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Makes me glad I have clincher rims!

Thanks,

Joe Kieliszek

[pistoncollector]

Ok guys, I think that I can muster up the courage to remove the ring gently. But what is the secret to keeping paint on the circumference of the rim when you are reinstalling the lock ring?

Paul

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

You might try using a large trash bag over the wheel; It worked

really nice when I mounted the tires on my dad's Buick wheels

(with clinchers). I don't know how the paint would fare with a

split ring though.

Thanks,

Joe Kieliszek

[Guest]

Perhaps that is why many of the rims were cadmium plated rather than painted. I have only changed ten or fifteen tires on wheels with lock rings and I think you will have to touch up the paint. Of course you may be more careful than I was or luckier. If you son't want to use a chain you can put the wheel under one leg of a hoist or go to your local truck tire guy and use his cage. I wish you all the best.

[ronbarn]

Heard a story a few years back when an old timer gave advice to a man who faced this problem and told him to go to a truck tire shop and ask to use the cage to place the rim on the wheel. The truck tire guy said it would be alright to use his cage and came back a few minutes later to find the man inside the cage reaching outside the cage to air up the tire.

[Restorer32]

I grew up in Dad's tire recapping shop in the 60's. I remember a local fellow being killed by a ring that came loose. Pretty much took his head off. People tend to underestimate the danger. Once they're on and properly seated they're fine but you need to know what your doing. If you have any doubts about installing them properly you should pay someone else to do them.

[Guest JT]

I worked at a gas station when I was 16 doing tune ups, tire changes, etc. and the one rule the owner had was no split rim tire repair. It was a good thing he told me because I had never seen a split rim and probably would have not known any better than to try and fix one.

[Guest stude8]

Paul,

I went through the learning process you are facing years ago with my 1930 Studebaker that had 20" snap ring wire wheels. When it came to me it had 6 different brand tires on it. Every wheel was a bad story.

Original tire size was 30 x 5, modern numbers were 6.00 x 20. Most tires were 6.50 x 20 and two were 7.00 x 20 MacCreary truck tires. They were devils because the truck beads were too fat to fit between the rim flange in back and snap ring on outside. You simply could not compress them enough to separate the snap ring from the rim because the snap ring retaining edge (inside diameter edge) tapered toward the outside so that as the tire inflates it digs in deeper in the rim groove and it becomes impossible to come loose.

The stories of injuries are because the poor souls who got hurt didn't understand the rings must be tamped into the groove all around the rim before trying to blow the tire up.

It was necessary to hack saw the old tire casings off the rim to get the rings loose.

The correct size passenger car tire beads are small enough in thickness to allow the tire beads to be compressed to provide enough space to engage the snap ring with out the need to beat it into place.

After a long and careful repaint of the wire wheel rims it was a painful experience to put the rings on and make some unpleasant scratches to the rim edge paint, you will need touch up paint and a good crying towel.

I would suggest getting some firm rubber strips and space them around the rim between the loose ring when engaging the snap ring so where the ring touches paint away from where you are working it into the groove the ring won't scuff the finish badly.

Another suggestion is when refinishing the rims be sure to use rust preventive primer like Zinc Chromate down in the snap ring grooves because the first thing you always see on snap ring wheels is rust dripping out of the groove onto the tire rubber. Try not to drive in the rain, the snap rings are always flexing and abrading the paint in the groove. That leads to bare metal and rust that sheds out centrifugally when driving.

I used a refinish formula of phosphate metal prep treatment on the bare steel rim, then a Zinc Chromate (Dupont DPE1538?? no longer manufactured thanks to EPA Gestapo) primer, then a two part epoxy Kondar primer, then a high fill enamel primer to cover metal blems (Pits) finish was a two part Acrylic Enamel.

They really came out nice but expect a lot of problems, spraying wire spokes is a tough job, there are always spray shadows cast by spokes no matter what angle you shoot from and you will keep finding miss outs or runs to deal with. Shoot the back side first then work around to the front show side. Have a helper do spot checks for runs and misses, with a mask on you can't see well enough. Try to paint in a cold shop so the runs can smooth out before the paint skins over tight.

Stude8

[jrbartlett]

In Vietnam, in the Navy Seabees, we routinely fixed truck flats on snap-ringed wheels, and carefully aired up tires while squatting off to the side. Finally, our new inflation cage arrived. The very first time we used it, a snap ring flew off a wheel and put a big dent in the cage. It would have been fatal had it hit someone (there have been deaths here locally). As for painting wire wheels, use acrylic enamel with a hardener, and really stack the paint on (enough so that it would run all over the place under normal conditions)while rotating the wheel until the paint sets up (usually 10 minutes or so). The rotation will provide access to all the angles you need to get good paint coverage with a spray gun, and prevent runs. Indeed, the flowing paint will even out and cover up the pits. It's far easier than a lot of people think. The badly pitted drop-center wire wheels on my '35 Auburn still look gorgeous, after 10 years of hard use. They look so good that I would never consider powder coating. As for mounting snap rings, you will chip the paint, so expect some brush touch-up work. I did this on a '29 Packard, and the touch-up wasn't that noticeable. For drop-center rims, you can mount tires without using any pry bars at all (or tire-store mounting machines), thus causing no chips. Coat the tire beads and rim edges with liquid soap, and use a rubber mallet to bump the tire beads outward from the rim, and the tires will slide right onto the rims, a couple inchs at a time.