Wheel failure on Interstate

oldman - NorCal

oldman - NorCal

Member
While driving up the interstate yesterday, I was fortunate enough to have an observant and concerned motorist get my attention and communicate to me to pull over and check my rear wheel. Just as I hit the end of the off-ramp my inner tube blew. Close inspection shows a crack migrating through the stem hole. Water, rust, potholes, and time can and does have a degrading effect on 90+year old wheels. With high compression heads, overdrives, and modern radial tires it's easy to get our cars up to a high rate of speed. If you are like me and take long tours, never met a dirt road you didn't like, or are just getting your car ready for Saturdays club tour, it might be time to give your wheels a close and critical inspection.
 

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Looks like a warranty issue. Take it back to the dealer.

Are brand new wheels worth the cost? Maybe.
 
nkaminar said:
Looks like a warranty issue. Take it back to the dealer.

An amusing thought but you never know what might trigger some kind of safety response from the government. The hot rod guys are ever afraid that a single serious crash could put an end to their hobby.
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That wheel has a lot of rust pitting. The cracked edge by the stem hole has surface rust in the crack showing it is not recent. I am glad you were not hurt and your car is ok.


John
 
We drove that town sedan from California to Kerrville, then To Mississippi and back without the slightest hitch. Topped off fluids and adjusted brakes, that’s it. When I first heard of the wheel failure I suspected a spoke that had rust under the weld to either the hub or rim had failed and started the separation. All of us should check our wheels, and if the ends of a spoke have rust under them….you know it’s not going to get better.
 
I've driven about 45-50,000 miles on original wheels while towing a heavy camper and yes, I've had wheels fail but not like that. When cracks started in the hub, I reinforced the inner edge of it with rings welded onto it. They are 270mm ID, 290mm OD and 3 mm thick. They are barely noticeable, in fact only 2 people have commented on them in 9 years. The next thing to fail was spokes pulling off the rim, sometimes causing a crack on the inside which punctured the tube. When the wheel fails like that, I hold the spoke aside and drill a hole about 1/4" diameter where the spoke should be, then push it back into its right place and plug weld it from the tyre side. After a quick dress-up with the angle grinder, it's as good as new, maybe better. I haven't had either of my repairs fail.
 
Only a guess but it looks like it’s been rusting close to the valve stem hole and that’s where the compromise happened? I noticed one of mine was that way before I had them powder coated. I guess rain or water from a car wash could sit there if the wheel was turned where it could catch water ( some for decades). Probably should take tires off and inspect wheels every few years. My father in law owns a tire shop and while they do good work they aren’t going to “REALLY” inspect any wheels unless asked, I’ll admit I don’t but I will from now on. Glad you guys weren’t hurt!
 
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That looks real nasty. Glad that an observant motorist alerted you before you had an accident. I see so many spare wheels mounted with the valve down the bottom, where water can sit and cause rust. When you mount a spare wheel, always position the Valve at the top, where Ford positioned it originally.
 
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Later model Spare Wheel showing the correct position of the Valve Stem. When Ford designed the later wheels that can trap water, Ford had a small drain hole added so that trapped water could escape when the Valve was at the top. These days, a lot of Model A Fords run the 1935 Ford 16" Wire Wheels, and I have seen lots of these cars with the Valve positioned incorrectly. Granted, this wheel is a 17" Wire Wheel, but these Wire Wheels also have this Drain Hole. After checking the photo, go and see if your Spare Wheel is mounted correctly with the Valve at the top?
 
OMG... Oldman, thank you for this potentially life-saving post, and to the others for their input on preventing this sort of catastrophic failure... I'm also suggesting that Oldman road test his A by driving in to town and buying a PowerBall lottery ticket. He's got Gladstone-Gander type good luck. But seriously thank you for your contribution to our, and others, safety!
 
I believe that if you had checked that wheel a week before, you'd have found that crack. Maybe not, but not expecting it, we don't check! This is the first time i've ever heard of a wheel disintegrating and it's scary. But it didn't start out on the road, it started a while ago.
Terry
 
1. If a person regularly "fords" streams (like in the Outback) it would be a good idea to check for rust in this area!

Just saying ...

2. This would be a reason to strip all paint and powder coat before using a wheel.

I can see some unscrupulous person using Bondo to coverup such a problem.
 
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Terry said:
I believe that if you had checked that wheel a week before, you'd have found that crack. Maybe not, but not expecting it, we don't check! This is the first time i've ever heard of a wheel disintegrating and it's scary. But it didn't start out on the road, it started a while ago.
Terry
Click to expand...

Yup. That crack from the valve to the edge shows rust on the crack face so it was there for a while.
 
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