Locating a spare wheel and tire for my vintage Plymouth.
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| This was the 30 dollar wheel that would fit a larger Chrysler product. |
My Plymouth was missing a spare tire/wheel when I bought it. That wasn't a deal breaker considering the overall condition of the car. I figured that I could source another wheel somewhere. But...
Where was I going to find a 1946 Plymouth wheel? It's not like I could go to the local Pick and Pull yard and find one.
But I want to find the proper wheel, as I want to keep the original look of my car.
I figured that I' have to hit up some antique car swap meets or search the web.
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| Forty five years is a long time to hold onto an un-needed wheel! |
As it turned out I found one through the AACA forum. One member was restoring a '48 DeSoto coupe and mentioned that he needed a wheel to replace a slightly bent one. A second forum member said that he had two old Desoto wheels, one was for the smaller model and one was for the larger model. They differed in the size of the wheel hub hole. The smaller model was a 15 inch rim. It had a very old tire on it. He offered that wheel for free as he had been holding onto it for at least 45 years! The larger DeSoto wheel was offered at 30 bucks.
After a brief exchange over the next few days, the DeSoto guy stated that he would just get his current rim straightened out and wouldn't need the wheel. I contacted the other forum member by personal message and told him that I would be interested in the wheel and could go pick it up.
I offered to pay for the wheel, but the forum member insisted that it was free.
In 1947 Plymouth changed from 16 in wheels to 15 inch wheels. However the wheel lug pattern was the same, and actually wheels into the early 1970's retained the same lug pattern.
When I arrived I was shown the wheel and though it was a bit rusty, the old tire was still holding air.
When I got home I tried the wheel on the right rear position and it fit fine. Now I had to find a modern tire that was close to the size of the old tire. The old tire was an E78X15.
First I washed the old wheel and then sanded it as clean as I could. I sprayed some black paint that I had left over from an earlier project.
I visited my favorite used tire store and they dug through their collection of used tires. It turned out that a Hankook truck tire, sized 215 70 R15 was a good match in profile. I am a big fan of Hankook tires, running them on a couple of my vehicles so I was quite pleased.
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| That tube held air for almost fifty years! |
The tech removed that old tire, and man, did that old inner tube look mighty rusty. It took the tech 15 minutes of wire brushing to clean off the interior mating surface of the old wheel.
I had purchased a new inner tube to go with the used tire. It set me back an even 100 bucks to have the job done.
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| It might be an inch shorter. |
Even though the Hankook tire is a 15 inch, the tire is almost as tall as the existing 16 inch tire on the car. Since I only plan to use the wheel as a spare, I think that it should work fine. I test fit on the right rear position and it fit fine with adequate clearance. This could have been a tight spot as the rear wheel is partially covered by the fender. I didn't expect any problems with mounting it on the front position which had a large opening. Maybe you remember the tiny "donut" spare wheels that came in many 1970's era cars. Now those were much smaller that the tires fitted to the car, but they were labeled temporary spares.
This ended the area when the spare was rotated into service with the regular wheels. Today's spares aren't as small as the donuts, but they are usually much thinner, and a bit smaller, than the tires on the vehicle.
This wheel is a bit too wide to fit in the spare tire well, so it's just laying on the truck floor. I might have to modify the hold down bracket, since that's where the problem seems to lie. However I will keep my eyes open for a proper wheel as time goes on.
The original jack and lug wrench are still there. I haven't figured out how to work the bumper jack, since there is no hook to attach it to the bumper. Chrysler cars had right and left hand threads on the wheel studs. The idea was that the rotation of the wheel would not cause the reverse threaded nuts to loosen. I should label which side is which.
I now have a lot more peace of mind, since if I were to get a flat I have a temporary spare that will serve to get me home or to a tire repair place. Of course I also have AAA, who can change the wheel or take my car home on a flat bed.
The tires on my car are pretty old but they appear to be in good shape, with no noteworthy sidewall cracking. I do plan to change them eventually, but I feel better knowing that I've got a spare in the trunk.
I had spoken to the counterman at the antique Ford place about tires. He thought that I was worrying too much about my present tires. He said, "If you get a flat, you get a flat. You've got a cell phone, right? That's what AAA is for." His advice was to replace them if the sidewalls started showing serious cracking.
That's what I've read in many threads on the AACA forum, most guys keep an eye on their existing tires and will replace them when they display serious cracking to the sidewalls. Since most vintage cars only get minimal use this seems to be an okay plan. If the car is used for serious touring, then new tires will be fitted.
Either way, I'm still saving up my money before I get a new set.
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Lately I've started posting quite a bit of motorcycle content on my blog. I was an avid motorcyclist for most of my life, from the time that I was fifteen and a half years old and got my motorcycle permit until I was in my late '50's. I got my first Harley when I was 21 and rode them for almost 30 years. After a hiatus of over ten years, the bug seems to be back. Now I find myself thinking about bikes a lot, but not just any bike, my sights are set on another Harley Sportster. As I have explained, I've had a lot of experience with Sportsters over the years.
Now I want to build the dream bike that has been living in my mind for many years. Since I plan to reduce my fleet of hobby cars, that will free up some money to pursue this idea. I had thought that I would start with a pre '78 model, but I've been researching the later models, and think that one of those might also fill the bill.
There are many in the Harley community that disparage the Sportster as being "half a Harley," or a "chick's bike." That's their opinion and they are entitled to it. I have ridden for many years and put almost 100,000 miles each, both on my Sportsters, and my Big Twins. Personally, I prefer riding a Sportster. it's a more compact and responsive machine that suits my personality. The fact that they are more affordable doesn't hurt, in my opinion.
Over the next months I'll be checking out potential bikes and also looking at what's available on the aftermarket that can be used in my build. There is a lot of stuff out there, both OEM and custom. By doing my homework, I can find a way to successfully achieve my goal of building a board track inspired custom bike.
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