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Budd wire wheel questions
Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 9:44 am
by fordrelic
A friend is needing help mounting Budd wheels to model T.
Is there someone that he could call to get information he needs?
Thanks for the help.
Re: Budd wire wheel questions
Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 11:49 am
by Kevin Pharis
Most hubs for Budd wire wheels were made to fit Overland cars. Hubs to fit Ford cars did exist, but are far more uncommon. I hear it is possible to adapt the Overland hubs to fit the Ford axles, but have no specifics as to the effort required
Re: Budd wire wheel questions
Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2025 12:55 am
by frontyboy
Having been using Budd wire wheels on a number of t projects over the years, I found a sure fire easy way to mate your Overland rear hubs to model t axles.
Get 2 26/27 inner wooden wheel rear hubs. Machine these inner hubs to lightly press fit into the Overland rear hubs. Then I tig weld the t inner hub to the Overland hub front and back.
Now you have an Overland hub that will slide on the fit the t axle. You use the t axle nut and pin it and you have the project done for a minimum of cost and effort.
I've converted the front hubs a bit more work and effort. If you machine a dutchman to fit between the Overland inner hub where the bearing race, you can machine the Dutchman to press into the that space and size it to fit the model t race. Overland bearings are much larger in diameter that stock t bearings.
just sayin'
brasscarguy
Re: Budd wire wheel questions
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2026 12:54 pm
by blauvelt
Sent an email on this.
Will the Budd hub bolt to a full floating axle flange? Or is that going to create a whole other mess? Thanks.
frontyboy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2025 12:55 am
Having been using Budd wire wheels on a number of t projects over the years, I found a sure fire easy way to mate your Overland rear hubs to model t axles.
Get 2 26/27 inner wooden wheel rear hubs. Machine these inner hubs to lightly press fit into the Overland rear hubs. Then I tig weld the t inner hub to the Overland hub front and back.
Now you have an Overland hub that will slide on the fit the t axle. You use the t axle nut and pin it and you have the project done for a minimum of cost and effort.
I've converted the front hubs a bit more work and effort. If you machine a dutchman to fit between the Overland inner hub where the bearing race, you can machine the Dutchman to press into the that space and size it to fit the model t race. Overland bearings are much larger in diameter that stock t bearings.
just sayin'
brasscarguy
Re: Budd wire wheel questions
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2026 3:41 pm
by Karl Von Neumann
frontyboy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2025 12:55 am
Having been using Budd wire wheels on a number of t projects over the years, I found a sure fire easy way to mate your Overland rear hubs to model t axles.
Get 2 26/27 inner wooden wheel rear hubs. Machine these inner hubs to lightly press fit into the Overland rear hubs. Then I tig weld the t inner hub to the Overland hub front and back.
Now you have an Overland hub that will slide on the fit the t axle. You use the t axle nut and pin it and you have the project done for a minimum of cost and effort.
I've converted the front hubs a bit more work and effort. If you machine a dutchman to fit between the Overland inner hub where the bearing race, you can machine the Dutchman to press into the that space and size it to fit the model t race. Overland bearings are much larger in diameter that stock t bearings.
just sayin'
brasscarguy
I'm curious if you have pics of this is love to see. I have a set of Overland budds
Re: Budd wire wheel questions
Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2026 9:03 pm
by Kevin Pharis
Knock off wire wheel hubs are designed to support the wheel both at the inner flange, and over the hub nut. Almost all hubs are dramatically reduced in size in the center as they rely on the tapered axle to reinforce strength to the outboard end. I would be very skeptical of any original rear hub adapted to mount only from the inner flange.
Front hubs, as mentioned above, are more readily adapted, and outboard load will naturally be supported by the outer bearing.
You’ve probably already assumed that I suggest building replacement rear hubs from 1 solid piece to minimize potential material fatigue and/or weld failures