VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1916-1922 - Model 490 Changing tires on a 1917 Chevy 490

Any recommendations on the removal old tires from a clincher rim? Any precautions or concerns. Also, I would like to remove the wooden wheel from the rim so I can have them mineral blasted. Could this wheel removal cause me further issues with wheel balance. Thanks

I see that AntiqueMechanic has answered you in the 1912-1928 forum aswell.

They used to manufacture a tool to compress the beads on the clincher tires. One that i have is made by the Marquette Manufacturing company . I have added a link to some T F@#D (sorry) chats on the subject.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/129203.html

To remove the steel band from the wooden rim , you will need to remove the 2 steel rivets and straps that are at the joints for the wood fellows. You will have to re make them to be able to reinstall them.
Once the steel band is removed there is nothing to hold the fellows and spokes together, so be prepared to wire or tape them together to stop them falling apart.

thanks for all your help. ideas and referencel. john

mangiapasta's post reminded me of a question I had after installing the demountable rims on my '20 490. When I torqued the retainer nuts on the two rear wheels, the steel hoop was pulled towards the outside and overhangs the wood rim by an 1/8" or so. In other words the hoop is no longer centered on the wheel. I retorqued a couple different ways but it's still off-center. I guess it's usable this way but it seems like the wheel will wobble. Any way to fix this? I'm not sure what holds the hoop in place.

I will offer the only experience I have had that might be relevant. My '25 Roadster had steel felloes, so does not apply. But I had a 1908 Buick, with a steel rim on a wood felloe wheel like the later 490s.

I broke a spoke on the Buick and so had to have two new rear wheels made. I watched much of the process as the Amish man built them. After assembling the spokes and hub and wood felloes, he took the rim and heated it in a pizza oven affair, and then put it on the outside of the wood felloe with hammer and tongs. It barely fit over the felloe while red hot. Then he dropped the whole assembly into a tank of water (much steam resulted!). This of course shrank the steel rim tightly onto the wood felloe. This was the only attachment method used to secure the rim to the felloe.

Assuming your wheel is constructed this same way, I would guess that your problem is probably a result of wear / shrinkage of the wood felloe, allowing the rim to move a little bit. Others with more knowledge can add to this as to how much concern you should or shouldn't have with the situation. I would think if the 1/8" over-reach is fairly uniform all the way around that you should be OK.

ChevyGuru: My problem is the steel hoop is only off-center part way around - maybe 1/3 of the circumference. That's why I'm thinking it will wobble. I couldn't think of a way to fix the problem. The wheels are in good condition, so having new ones made isn't on the option list. I'm volunteering at the F@%d Piquette Plant in Detroit which has a great collection of antique cars. I'll ask one of the owner/experts.

I'm working in Michigan and my 490 is still in Colorado. Since I haven't found a place to work on it here, it looks like my car won't make it to Flint. Drat. But I'm still hoping to be there. I wish I knew how long my temporary job at Bosch will last.

Don, One of my rear wheels has slipped a band also. My wood is really nice so the only thing I can think of that caused it was the wood shrank in the dessert air in New Mexico. I was able to drive the fellow back some with a block of wood on it and a small hammer. It didn't want to move much due to the flex of the tire giving, but I bet it will go right on if the wheel was off the car and set on a concrete floor and tapped back down. I need to get mine looked at before the wood swells back up here in the midwest and gets tight again. Some guys I know out in California say they tighten loose dried out wood wheels out there by soaking them in a tub of Linseed oil.