jrbartlett Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 How safe are 80-year-old wood spoke wheels that appear to be undamaged, straight and tight? And for that matter, how safe are these wheels with new spokes? I'm told that wood wheels are stronger than wire wheels, but I would think there's a lot of potential for hidden damage lurking in those wood spokes. What has your experience been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 My experience has been 478,000 miles on a 6-30 Pontiac. There is a check in the wood of one rear spoke. It has been there since 1934. I drive the car daily (approx 1000 miles a month). About half city and half highway. I have never had a single problem with my wheels. I revarnish them about every six or eight years and just keep on driving. They do not and have never squeeked or creaked. Of courrse they are "Jaxon" wheels and were on the road every summer for the first 29 years and year round for the last 46 years. I have read that pound for pound they are stronger than steel??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex98thdrill Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Your wooden wheels should be okay. It isn't a deal where you've got a big block V8 bolted to the frame where you may have a torque issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stude8 Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 I think this gentleman is talking about a BIG BLOCK Locomobile 500+ CID? The Mother Of All Torque engines?? Stude8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrbartlett Posted July 2, 2005 Author Share Posted July 2, 2005 For the sake of argument, what if it was a Model 48 Locomobile or the equivalent in terms of power and weight? How safe would older wood wheels be?And no, I haven't found that Locomobile yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted July 2, 2005 Share Posted July 2, 2005 As far as I know the Best Loco in the World "Old 16" Is still on her original wood wheels. That is a 99 year old race car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 Hi,I plan on re-using the 94 year old wheels of my Buick as they arewith just paint stripping/refinish. The center hubs will be sleevedto accept Timken bearings and CR seals as some of the old ballbearing cages were spinning inside of the wheel hubs. The wheelspindles will also have to be turned down slightly to accept thesmaller I.D.'s of the tapered bearing cones.Thanks,Joe Kieliszek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Wolf Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 Wooden wheels were strong in there day and if kept well should be a strong today. 73 foot jump on wooden wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 I would suggest that the safety of wooden artillery wheels with NEW spokes would be entirely dependent on the skill and care of the wheelwright that fits them...There is also a firm opinion amongst those who work with wood that the wood from old-growth trees such as were harvested when these wheels were in vogue was more dense and stronger than wood from the same species, grown today.If that theory is true, then your original spokes, if straight and tight should be "better than new"...What kind of shape are the metal parts of the wheel in (including the through-bolts of the hub) ?I believe Bill Boudway was working on the wooden wheels of his Packard Twin-Six recently ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrbartlett Posted July 6, 2005 Author Share Posted July 6, 2005 I'm asking a rhetorical question for future reference, as I'm seeking an older car likely to have wood wheels.As for twin-sixes, I was looking at 1 1920 model owned by a friend on Monday. Big, wide, impressive spokes in those wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted July 7, 2005 Share Posted July 7, 2005 Well, rhetorically speaking, there's lots of folks who tour on original artillery wheels...You probably have to take them on a case-by-case basis...if the spokes on a prospective car look like driftwood, you'd better make friends with an Amish wheelwright...Many cars with artillery wheels originally had the spokes painted. Some owners like to strip the paint and show off the beauty of the natural wood...one advantage to this is that you can see the wood itself. Freshly painted spokes might be hiding something (like bondo or other filler).Other red-flags would be creaking wheels while the car is driven or wheels the "wobble"...look for a tell-tale signs of red rust-dust around the felloe and the hub that might indicate that the assembly is loose and "working"...Wooden artillery wheels did not disappear from cars completely until about 1933, so they must've had some merit.And they were used on lots of early racing cars...Their disadvantages from a manufacturing standpoint would be: weight (heavier than a wire or steel wheel), expense to manufacture, complexity and time to assemble, durability on the average road-car, maintenance (periodic tightening, cleaning, painting/oiling, etc).I wouldn't be surprised that it's possible to shatter wheel by hitting a bad pot-hole or similar road hazard, but you'd probably avoid hitting anything bad enough to harm the wheel...The Horseless Carriage Club site might offer some response too...Good luck ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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