Don't drive on bad wheels

Steve Jelf

Steve Jelf

Well-known member
The recent discussion of dealing with bad spokes showed me that some of us haven't seen this. If you have rotten or loose spokes, I'd suggest you not gamble your life to save a few bucks cobbling them up with short-term fixes. If you have steel-felloe wheels, you can easily respoke them. I spent $76 a wheel for new spokes and assembled the wheels with the Regan press. It wasn't hard. The new wheels are solid and I think they look pretty good.
 

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With pressing it like that isn't your spoke is at its longest ?? wouldn't it be better if the rim was heated .
 
No, there isn't really a debate on wood. Oak is too brittle. When you order spokes from a real wheel shop, they're going to be hickory.

Here's the video. But read these two amendments before you try it.

1 Don't fasten down the felloe with bolts, as I did in the video. John Regan explained to me that the press works better if the felloe is allowed to self-adjust.

2 Forget the paper cylinder under the spokes. I found that it's useless. The cardboard collar pressed onto the hub was all I needed to support the spokes. It would be OK to put a little tape under it to make sure it stays on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKZ7WrfHdf8&list=TLOnVRHuj07fM

The plans for the press are on John's website: http://www.funprojects.com/pdf/WheelpressA2.pdf

No, you don't need heat. If you see the old films showing wheels being assembled in the Ford factory, you see the parts being handled at room temperature. For assembly of wood-felloe wheels, I believe they heat the rims, but I haven't done that yet.
 
How come everyone presses their wheels that way? Looking at the geometry you would think there were strange forces placed on the spokes right before they rock over to straight position. i put the spokes in first and press the hub in afterward but i might be the odd one out there.
 
Wood wheels might be pretty but I have put wire wheels on all my T's. Just not safe with wood wheels. We drive twice as fast as the T's were design for.
 
Do you have the address for the spokes for $76.00. I have four wheels to do. That would save me over $100. Thank you for the help.
 
I used a few layers of styrofoam plates and bowls under the spokes when I pressed my spokes back into place. The wife could only use them a couple of times after I was done with them. :D
 
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