VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 17 inch wheel trim rings

Are these polished stainless steel or are they chrome plated ?

You can easily open up the valve area in the stainless steel because it will not rust.

Chromed would have to be silver painted with a hobby brush where the opening took place.

mike

Hi there,
they are steel with chrome plating.
today I used my 4 inch angle grinder and a new wheel to enlarge the valve openings.
I tried a Dremel type instrument, but the grinding wheel wore out in about 30 secs.

I had to be very careful with the grinder, its large and not very user friendly for small jobs and second it generated a lot of heat, causing bluing of the metal if one was not careful.

I did the initial grind and then finished using new round file and lots of patience.
Ear muffs and safety goggles were a pre requisite and the noise if I removed the muffs was deafening.

The job is now done and the bare steel is painted with galv paint.

Peter

Another job well done, quit congratulaling yourself and get on with the next one........!!!

LMAO

mike

Mike,
Back off just a bit. He deserves to bask in the glory for a few minutes before getting back to another challenge. Walking the grinding wheel across the shiny chromed surface is easy to do with the tools used and he avoided that 'chuck hole'.

It was luck , just luck, i think

mike

Hi there Mike,
thank you for your kind words........
I wrote the description of my honest attempts at doing the job in the hope that it would be of interest and Useful to other who may attempt the same exercise.

I had no idea that the wheel could jump and cause the catastrophic damage that you and chipper were fully aware off?
As you now say, I was extremely lucky to get away with what I did.

I now hope that anyone else attempting this tricky operation will approach it with EXTREME caution and be aware of the pitfalls and accidents that MAY happen.

Thank you all for you input.....the next challenge is that the tandem kit that came with the wiper motor will not fit in any way shape of form and I now have a battle to return it to the USA for a refund.
My car will now only have one wiper it seems!

Onward, Onward..............> Peter

I own a '35 Std and have a set of Bill Hirsch Trim rings bought
several ago on the car, If you wish, i can measure the diameter
of the valve stem hole and post it for you. The Master and
Standard wheels are different, They use the same size tires and inner tubes so I have difficulty understanding why the valve stem hole would be different. The Master wheel has a larger opening for the hub cap, and has six mounting lug holes, the Standard wheel has only five Lug holes. Both use a 5:25/5:50/17 tire and tube. I will measure mine and send you dimensions tomorrow!

I went out to my '35 Std Coupe just now, and measured the
diameter of the notch for the valve stem. The closest I could
come without removing the trim ring was 3/4 inch. Mine fit
perfectly. and have driven probably 2,000 miles without losing
one! However, when I installed them I did bend the retaining
tabs slightly to insure a snug fit on the wheel. Good luck
with yours, and many happy miles!