Mounting new Firestone whitewalls....

O

oldmotorsguy

Senior Member
....just had my 1926 Model T Coupe wire wheels sandblasted and painted gloss black. Ordered nice new 4.40-4.50 x 21 Firestone whitewalls.

Mounting them: I am concerned about scratching the new paint, and saw a YouTube video about the 'garbage bag' method, but I wound up actually using the 'goop' method in demounting the old tires: smearing Goop waterless hand cleaner on all of the tire bead surfaces that would eliminate friction against the wheel.

When I get my new tires, I am inclined to Goop them, as I think that the 5mil garbage bags would have just a smidge more thickness than a layer of Goop, but both would accomplish the same thing - minimize friction.

Any tricks of the trade in putting these tires on anybody can think of? I of course can always revert to 'cave manning' the tires on with tire irons, and scratch the crap out of my new paint.
 
I have had good luck with a little dish soap that cleans off easily & a rubber hammer. New tires on fresh drop center wheels should be easy.
 
Jack: Dish soap sounds even easier than Goop. Why the rubber hammer? Shouldn't I just be able to push it on with just a little 'oomph?'
 
I just watched a friend mount some 21 T wires etc with the garbage bags , worked like a champ. I couldnt believe it it was so easy ....
 
You can try to protect the rims by wrapping the irons with tape or pieces of nylon. Other than that I'm no help at all. New tires "should" be fairly easy. You said it's a '26. I assume their not split rims. They are a snap.
 
oldmotorsguy said:
Jack: Dish soap sounds even easier than Goop. Why the rubber hammer? Shouldn't I just be able to push it on with just a little 'oomph?'
Click to expand...

You should be able to push them on by hand but if needed the extra "oomph" can come from the rubber hammer. You should not need to use irons --- or not until the tire need to come back off to fix a pinched tube!! A piece of leather under the iron helps save the paint when taking tires off.

This is a job that really supports the theory that "Going fast is not the same as getting somewhere!"
 
Don't forget the rim liners for wire wheels.
NOT flaps but the big rubber band liners. Or some folks use duct tape on the inside to protect the tube from the ends of the wire spokes.

I mounted mine with irons and had no problems. Make sure the tires are warm, let them sit in the sun for a bit to warm up, that will help.

Good luck.
Larry
 
Needs to be a bit warmer than that but should help.
It'll get warmer some day soon.
Springs around the corner and it's supposed to be in the 70's in Maryland on Friday.
 
Tire irons are for REMOVING tites, a RUBBER MALLET is for installing them. If you can't get 4 tires mounted on freshly painted rims in one hour you are doing something wrong.
 
Roadster: I hope you are right. I am shooting for mounting FIVE tires in less than an hour (the spare rim was also sand blasted and painted).
 
Got them mounted. Took about 20 - 30 minutes per tire. The soap worked well for all of the tires when slipping the first bead over the rim. That second bead, not so much. I was able to mount only one of the five tires without the aid of tire irons. And I don't know why that one went in so easily, the other four I had to use irons to get it on the final 100 degrees of bead or so. I scratched the inside surface of the rim a bit, but touched it up with some gloss black paint, and it looks fine.
 
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