Wheel "****"

pgerhardt

pgerhardt

Well-known member
I went up to install a rear fender today, but it is so hot I was dripping sweat and found it hard to think straight, so I decided to give up for the day and try again tomorrow. As I headed back down to the house the FEDEX trucked arrived!

I had already been through 6 21" wheels to find 3 good ones for the rear two and spare, and decided to go for brand new wheels from Coker Tire for the front two. They are absolutely beautiful, with perfect rims, drop centers, and spokes! They are expensive and a "splurge", but I am just happy brand new perfect model A Ford wheels are still being manufactured and are an option!:D
 

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One of our members put a set of new wheel under his A last year. They didn't last the first trip. Sure, it was a long trip (2,500 miles) but they should have lasted better than that. I don't think he bought them from Coker, in fairness to them.
 
I feel your pain. I chugged through 11 wheels for four good ones and one questionable wheel for the spare. At the MAFCA National Meet in Marquette, Michigan, there was a fellow with all new wheels on his phaeton. Two of them had cracks radiating out from the lug nut holes. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but just keep an eye on them.
 
I'll keep an eye on them, but I am pretty sure Coker will stand behind their product if any problem develops. They have been around for a long time.
 
"pgerhardt" are they welded or adjustable? and how did you choose between them? advantages or disadvantages?
 
It's harder to find GOOD '28-'29 rims than it is '30-'31's. They rust out inside that rounded bead. One disadvantage to those two years of Model A's. There were two really nice '28-'29 rims at auction last week went for ten bucks each. At that price, I almost bought them but didn't have any use for them. Keep looking you might eventually need replacements--------
 
I purchased 6 of the reproduction wheels for my Phaeton. (Maybe I am the guy Great Lakes Greg refers to in post #3 above. I was at the Marquette Meet.) I do not have cracks at the lug nut holes but do have some cracks at the spoke attachment locations on the hub. The reproduction wheels have holes drilled in the hub where a hidden portion of the spoke passes through and then this area is welded from the back side. It is from these hole locations that some cracks are radiating. JMO: The drilled holes and the weld fill concentrates the stresses, sometimes, unevenly and they develop a crack. I have been keeping an eye on them and they have not progressed much over the last 25K miles.
One of the wheels cracked very soon after I put it into service and I contacted Mike's Affordable Parts and they promptly replaced it. I shipped the cracked one back to them as they were going to do some tests on it.
I have about 45,000 miles on these reproduction wheels. The cracks I have showed up between 15,000 to 20,000 of service. Eventually, I will remove the cracked wheels and repair them but since they are powder coated, it is not a repair I am looking forward to.
Good Day!
 
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Dave in Minnesota, you are indeed the fellow I was referring to. Sorry to get my description wrong, I remembered cracks, but was clearly off on exactly where.
We were on the rainy tour with you to L'anse to see Henry's summer home.
Still one of the best National Meets we have been to.
 
Great Lakes Greg said:
Dave in Minnesota, you are indeed the fellow I was referring to. Sorry to get my description wrong, I remembered cracks, but was clearly off on exactly where.
We were on the rainy tour with you to L'anse to see Henry's summer home.
Still one of the best National Meets we have been to.
Click to expand...

I agree. It was a very good National...One of the best we have attended.

Regarding cracks: I have always assumed that the cracks I have in my reproduction wheels may have been caused by two avoidance maneuvers I made at intersections. Twice I have put our car into a side slide while avoiding someone running a red light. Regardless of where you saw the wheels mounted on my car that were cracked, the cracks have always developed when on the rear of the car. During these two avoidance slides, the rear of the car was trying to pass the front and the forces placed on the leading rear wheel as it was swinging around would have been extreme. Eventually, I will chemically strip the powder coating and then repair the wheels. I straighten original wheels using a variety of methods and while doing so, have had very good results with welding the cracks from the back side.
Why new wheels? I bought 6 new wheels for my touring car because we had some extended tours planned. We have completed a few and have more coming up. At times, I get on the freeway and keep up with the slow lane traffic when we need to make a destination (motel) near the end of the day. I did not want to travel at freeway speeds on original wheels...at least not the original wheels I had at the time.
Others having problems or comments: I do not know if others are having problems with the new wheels cracking. It would be good if others commented on their experience with them. I have not heard a lot of negative comments about them from those that run them. I have heard critiques of the way they look. They are easily spotted as reproduction wheels as the dimple in the rim at the spoke attachment location is noticeable.
How straight are they: When they arrived, all six spun very true so the jig they have for assembly is obviously well designed.

Would I buy them again: After 45K+ miles of use...Yes I would for the reasons stated above. Would I purchase them for my '28 pickup that is driven 500 to 1000 miles a year...no I would stay with original wheels.
That's all I know about the reproduction wheels.
Good Day!
 
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I checked with Coker Tire about their warrantee and this is what they said: "Wire Wheels are warranted for a period of three (3) years from date of purchase against defects in materials and workmanship excluding the finish." So I am thinking that any crack would result in new wheels being provided.

BTW I got welded spoke wheels because that is what the originals were, but you could order adjustable if you wanted them.
 
On original 21" rims, wasn't cracking from the long spokes & out to the edge of the hub, a fairly common thing? Rarely have I seen it on 19" wheels. Welding these cracks was a fairly common practice. "MAYBE" this problem prompted Ford to change to 19" wheels???
Bill W.
 
Any experience with Coker's adjustable spoke wheels? I am considering a set for my '29. I have one wheel (now the "spare") with a small crack on the large flange of the hub. At some point it was welded and it cracked again right through the weld. My other wheels look iffy at best due to rust where the spokes are welded to the hub. One has a prominent weld joint on the rim but doesn't appear to be cracked. I have no idea if they are repop or originals. Is there a way to tell? Plans are to have them sandblasted and powdercoated after straightening over the winter. Checking for any cracks will be done after sandblasting.
 
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