MTFCA Forum

I'm getting around to restoring my 1926 Model T Coupe that I've owned for over 50 years. After cleaning up and painting the front wheels I mounted them one has a wobble of about 3/8". Is there anyway to fix it without replacing it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Wood or wire wheel?

Is the wheel not running true? Is it loose on the axle? A little more info would help

If a wood wheel, be sure all the hub bolts are tight. 3/8" is not bad. I would say up to 1/2" is acceptable. If wire wheels, you would need to bend the spokes to tighten it. Have it done professionly if you do it at all. With wire wheels, you can just swap the wheels and put the straightest ones on the front.
Norm

Sorry, it's a wooden wheel and its find on the spindle, smooth no looseness in the bearings at all. Spinning it looking at the hub it's true.

Have you taken the rim off and checked just the wheel ?
Also try flipping the rim 180 degrees...

How do you flip the rim 180 degrees without drilling another hole in the felloe for the valve stem?
I would take the rim/tyre off the wheel and rotate the wheel only to see if the wobble is in the wheel. Then, if a brick is placed on the ground next to the tyre when re-fitting it to the wheel, you have a reference to check runout against. Often selectively tightening the four rim bolts will allow you to more accurately mount the rim on the felloe so runout is reduced. Check it agaainst the brick. Split rims are notoriously difficult to get to run true. Often the rim is damaged/distorted/poorly repaired at the join and will never sit quite right.

Allan from down under.

I do it the same way as Allan does it. Spin the tire and adjust the block till it touches the high spot, then i mark it with tape and slightly loosen the lugs in that area, and then tighten the opposite ones. It often takes a few tries to get it right, and you will probably never be able to get it perfect, but this does help.

Allen, you would have to take the tire off, just to check the rim...

Does it have a tire on it? An old tire can get hard and get out of shape from sitting for a long time. It will wobble despite the wheel being true. Not really a problem unless you run over 30 mph.

It's just the wheel, no rim and tire.

Richard, a buckled wheel is best avoided if possible. Short of knocking it apart and rebuilding it, in the hope it will be better, you may be able to compensate for some of the runout by using the brick and selectively tightening the four mounting bolts. 3/8 " at the wheel will be exaggerated when the rim/tyre is fitted, so you may be chasing your tail trying to 'adjust' it to run more truly.
Others may have tricks to true the wheel. I have never had much success.

Allan from down under.

3/8" is a lot for a wheel without rim and tire. Consider respoking or replacing it.

Restoring a T or any car is an ambitious undertaking. If you have owned this car for 50 years, I am going to assume that it has had plenty of miles put on it by you, before you noticed the runout. If you cleaned and painted them, found the spokes to be in good shape and nuts/bolts tight at the hub, 3/8" runout is not something I would worry about. I would move on to the next part of the project and get maximum enjoyment from the process.

This is the car I had in high school, I took it totally apart in 1965, and finally getting around to putting it back together. Like to get it done while I can still enjoy it and show my son how to drive it while I still can.

I would still advise to move on with the work. When it is driveable, if the wheel is objectionable in function, I'd deal with it then. This of course assumes my original assumption of it being solid is correct, since you spent time inspecting and painting. I don't hear you saying that this car will tour or see speed or distance in it's near future, further reinforcing my opinion.

Steve

even with big letters, you type faster!

If you think the wheel is the problem, perhaps the felloe is bent? I would take off the tire and rim, and go from there. Set up an indicator on the floor, and rotate the wheel to find out where your runout is. Perhaps tapping I with a hard rubber mallet would do the trick?

I kinda think you may be right about the fello being bent, has anyone tried to bend one with a rubber Hammer, any luck?

I had one on my 22 which was off about an inch. I took it apart and rotated the hub one half turn and pressed it together again and now it is straight. Now I am not saying that will work with your wheel or that that was the problem with mine. Maybe it was just not pressed as straight as it should before I took it apart. Anyway, you could try something like that before you invest in all new spokes.
Norm