'36 spare tire

3

36tbird

Well-known member
The cheapest new tire I can find to use as a spare on my '36 is a 5.50/16 Excelsior on the 'bay for $145 free shipping. Anybody out there got a lead on something cheaper that will be under a cover and probably never see pavement?:confused:
 
I'm in the same fix. I'm going to look for a used tire at the Goodguy's swap meet
in Pleasanton in a couple of weeks. Tried using just a tube to hold the ring, but
the tube doesn't inflate evenly. Also thought about a modern donut spare if there is
one big enough.
Good luck.
 
Well, it will probably never see pavement, but I still want it to be functional. I would have never thought of that tube idea. Very crafty.
 
I've got used 600-16's off my 47, that I have saved for just such use. Still good tread, and no known damage. Should work for spares, but also good to run.
I would think there must be lots of folks like me that would have this stuff laying around....
I am using one on another car (for a spare), and I gave one to a fellow that needed one 600-16 for an old trailer. Have two left.
 
I have seen some 16 inch motor cycle tires that were less than 50 at a swap meet.
I would think it would get you a few miles down the road in an emergency.
I was looking for something to use as "garage rollers".
 
bobH said:
I've got used 600-16's off my 47, that I have saved for just such use. Still good tread, and no known damage. Should work for spares, but also good to run.
I would think there must be lots of folks like me that would have this stuff laying around....
I am using one on another car (for a spare), and I gave one to a fellow that needed one 600-16 for an old trailer. Have two left.
Click to expand...

Same here. I have a pile of used 600-16 bias ply tires, some with good tread, that I have removed from wheels purchased for use on my cars with radial tires. I keep them thinking that someone else may need them as rollers for a project or maybe to use on old tire display stands. If you lived near me I would give you one for a spare. Also, if you belong to a regional group of the Early Ford V-8 Club, maybe contact some of those folks and see if they have something you could use as a spare.
 
I hate to say the word "Buick" but the donut spare from a LeSaber is a great fit on my 36. Junk yards today remove the tires and scrap the rims for steel. Get there early.
 
The '36 Resto book said the correct tires were 5.50's. Will the spare ring and cover fit over larger, like your 6.00's? I appreciate the info.
 
I bought a new 6.00x16 Firestone from Coker, mounted it but the original cover would not fit. After trying to figure out why it didn't fit I compared the new tire with a 30 or 40 your old Firestone 6.00x16. I found that the new tire is more than 1/2'' bigger diam. I called Coker and the guy acted like he didn't know what I was talking about. His attitude was kind of like '' Oh well''. So, to use an original cover, find an old tire. Like a lot of repro. parts, they look good until you compare them to original.
 
Thanks for that info. I know it would be a pain, but do you think you could get a 1/4" shave on the tire you bought in order to get the cover to fit?
 
Hello 36tbird and Everyone else, appologies if I take this thread about tires and inject some stuff about mounts and covers, but I think it is relevant.

I just picked up my copy of the Swanberg and Rogers, '35-'36 book by the Early Ford V8 Club, and on p.91 it says "As in 1935, 6.00 x 16, 4 - ply non-script blackwalls were standard equipment on 1936 passenger cars, with double sided whitewalls and 6 - ply tires available at extra cost." Further down the page it says "In July of 1936, Standard model cars were equipped with 5.50 x 16 four ply non-script tires and the rim size was reduced from 4 inches wide to 3 1/2 inches wide. Whitewall tires were not available in this size."

I also located some applicable information on p.22-23. There were FIVE different spare tire mounts in '36 for the different slopes to the rear of the bodies. There were two spare tire covers, different by their locking mechanism covers, one flips open like a clam, and one swings on a pivot.

One of the covers fits the 6.00 tires and one fits the 5.50's. (I can't tell if there are different rings. Maybe someone knows if there was only one ring or two?)

It says that one of the mounts was for the Standard Coupe with 5.50's, and one for the Standard Sedan, also with 5.50's. (Confused again, did all cars come with the 6.00's, or did Standard cars come with 5.50's?!? Likely the dealerships would put whatever you wanted on the car to get the sale, so that could figure in here too.)

So I think it's back to the car with the book in hand, to figure out which spare tire cover you have.

I think I read it that if your car is a 'late '36' Standard, or possibly any Standard, it could have been delivered with the 5.50 x 16's, and the spare tire cover to match.

Hopefully some of this helps.

And thanks again to the V8 club, and Swanberg and Rogers (and everyone else involved with that book), it has been a great source of information for me and many others.

-VT/JeffH
 
Jeff, I have three original standard model '35's (coupe, tudor anf fordor sedans) that all have or had 6.00x16 tires, including the spares, when I got them. Maybe in '36 the standards came with 5.50x16. I believe the '37-'40 standard models also came with 5.50x16.
 
Tangled up, that is very interesting. I have a small collection of '36 rings and covers so I will have to investigate differences. Thanks.
 
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