Clincher rims UNAVAILABLE!?

D

Daryl Middlebrook

Member
I have been working on my Great Grandfathers Model T all winter. Overhauled engine, trans and numerous little things...
Finally ready for summer and bit the bullet on new tires, tubes and new clinchers and I've hit a brick wall.

I'm told the clincher manufacturer in the US is not answering his phone and none of the mail order houses have any in stock.
In addition, I'm told metal stem tubes are unobtainable as well.

Does anyone have any insight, suggestions or ideas?
thanks
 
Some folks still use the old original type stems. They purchase the rubber stem tubes and carefully cut the rubber stem off close to the vulcanized joint with the tube. Push the stem through and tighten it up pretty much like original. Some of the metal stem tubes are too big in diameter to fit through the hole in the wheels.

If you still have clincher rims, are they unusable? I see them on flea-pay but I'd assume you have the dismountable types. I don't like to assume since there were a number of different aftermarket rims and wheels over the last 100 years or so. I've seen some pretty crusty ones still running down the road. Some folk like to have 30X3 1/2 all the way around too instead or 30X 3 on the front and 30X3 1/2 on the rear.
 
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When my father restored this car back in the day he won a National 1st Place with it. I'm trying to keep it original.
He told me the clinchers he used were the 5 best rims he could find after years of searching as new were not being built then. He filled, sanded and painted them. They are now rusting through and look pretty bad. One of the last things he told me about the car was to go buy new clinchers with tubes and tires.
I admit I'm looking for the easy way out. Looks like I need to get creative.
And yes they are all 30x3.5"
1924 Touring
 
Not all T rims or wheels are the same, so not all rims will fit all wheels. This was not as standardized as one may think. If you place an ad, include photos of the area where the lug fits up to the fellow. Even if new ones could be gotten does not mean they would fit your fellows and wheels. All the suppliers list the metal stem tubes so not sure where you are getting the info that they are unobtainable. if by word of mouth I suggest you call the suppliers. Chaiffins, Langs, Snyders, Macs etc. (there are others)


I should also ask just for clarification, what type clincher rims are you looking for? The demountable type or riveted to the the wood fellows? It would not be a first to have 30X3.5 non demountable rim type wheels on all 4 corners.
 
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With flea-pay, this site's swap meet section, other model T forums, and the internet in general, it may be much easier to find good used ones out there than it was back when your Great Grandfather was looking depending on the time frame. Over 15 million model Ts were produced so multiply that by 4 and add in a good percentage for replacements and aftermarket rims over the last 100-years and you can see that there is a pretty good chance of decent survivors out there that will match what you have. As redmodelt mentions, we would need to know what you have to be of any help in your search.
 
These are demountable Hayes brand rims. Not split or riveted.

The suppliers all show everything as available however they are not always accurate. As such, I have the rims and tubes on order. However, the BO time is unknown. I have called all suppliers looking for stock.
In addition, I tracked down the gentleman who is/was making the repop clinchers and indeed he is not answering calls or emails.
I appreciate the assistance.
 
redmodelt said:
http://www.sheepisland.com/cars/tech/metal_stems/
If the tubes in your tires are metal stems, good chance the stem and parts can be reused. Also if the tubes hold air and are not rotted, they might be better then any tube made today.
Click to expand...



This is a great writeup and the point you make about the tubes is something I have been told by another T guru. My tubes were new in 1978. I'll just have to inspect them.
Thank you again!
 
If you have 1978 tubes that hold air I would try and save them for the new tires. Your old tubes are likely 100% better than anything that you could buy today.


Try calling Mark Freimiller, he typically has demountable rims in excellent condition available. You need to have them sandblasted and then cadmium plated. You won't ever need to repair them again.


Mark's web site: https://www.vintagecarsandparts.com/
 
Appreciated! Had two more flats this weekend and the tubes are done. I did find replacements from Smith and Jones Antique Auto Parts in SC.


I also found that Coker has new Clinchers. Very pricey but available. Anyone ever seen one?
 
I ordered one of the Coker rims and it just arrived. Unfortunately, the rim has cad plating damage from improper handling. Not shipping damage. The lugs are welded on. Otherwise it is a heavy duty piece but as you suggest, the cost is too high to be anything less than perfect.
I have also reached out to Mark at https://www.vintagecarsandparts.com/ and he says he has nice ones...we shall see if I can get this cornered!


I am in the aviation business here and our local cad plating firm no longer offers the silver color. I will need to search this out as well.
 
Type II gold cad will turn silver over time. We used to get the old Bell 47 shafts overhauled by the original part manufacturer. They always came back with nice new looking type II cad plate and it only takes about 6-months to a year before they turn silver from the elements. Type I is mostly used on non aircraft hardware but there have been plenty of aviation related applications. It's getting harder to find a shop that works with the stuff. The EPA regs are strict on any of the heavy metals. The zinc chromate it easier to find but it's either a gold to yellow color or green. Zinc seems to be the easiest to get now days but it doesn't last as long. It just turns gray after 6-months to a year. You can sort of smooth out the plating scratches with some fine Scotch Brite pads. If the scratches go through then it still may be noticeable. You can really only see the edges anyway but likely as not, that's where it got messed up. Scuffing will also turn gold to silver color.

I've heard of Pen Yan Aero but there are too many companies in TX to go too far away. The helicopter business is still kind of a tight group of folks. Not as many now days as there used to be.
 
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