I'm far from an expert on shocks but I know that they tune cars to their suspension and how much they weight. I'm not a big fan of friction shocks but they look good in your application. If all else fails, I would get some lever action hydraulic shocks off a MG or something similar and try them.
Thanks for your comment, the problem is the shocks are basically built into the car. When I got the car the shocks did nothing and you couldn't adjust the tension. I added the valve springs to the shocks to add pre-load and they actually work OK! Not the greatest but they do help noticeably. Sent from my SM-N900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
He's retired and still does tire shaving at home. The only guy I know of around here! (Phoenix) Sent from my SM-N900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I took photos of that car at The Vintiques of Yakima show several years ago and to be truthful you have probably put more miles on it since you have owned it than were put on it before. Great car but it got treated as more of a show car than one that got out on the long roads and actually got driven. Have you had the wheel balance checked since you have had it/ Looking at the photos I don't see a wheel weight one and that may be all that is wrong. If your guy has an on the car spin balancer have him spin the tires up on the car and see what happens. If you jack a front tire off the shop floor does it stay in a static spot or does it want to rotate on it's own? I agree that there are probably some serious flat spots from just sitting all the time though. As many photos of the car as I have seen all over the place you would think it had some miles on it but it no doubt sat in the garage was cinched down in the trailer and then got to put put around the fair grounds for a weekend and repeat.
In the photos you posted or the ones I took in 2010 I don't see a wheel weight on any wheel. That means the wheels were never balanced from the get go in favor of not having weights show on the wheels. Looks over ride.
This is a good observation @Mr48chev...another possibility is there may already be beads in the tires as well in lieu of weights. Another thing not discussed and not trying to drag this down a flaming street is this has cowl steering and depending on how it is set up there could be something being misconstrued as wheel balance...which to be clear is not always related to this type of steering but how the geometry of things intersect. The trip to the wheel balancer and other options is certainly warranted.
Balance beads are something that came along after I got out of dealing with vibrations in cars on a daily basis for several years of front end alignment, brake work and wheel balance with a few years of dealer shop work where we had some extremely picky customers when it came to a smooth ride in their cars. Some flat spots are pretty much a given with those tires but I'm betting that the balance is way off. Agreed, the whole setup suspension and steering wise will accentuate any tire issues no matter what they are.
The car was built (according to the tire date) 10 years ago for Roy Rockwell who couldn't drive it because of his hip replacements. I bought the car just over a year ago with less than 400 miles on it. I've been sorting it out since I bought it and it had never been done. Everything is new and tight including the Schroeder Steering box. I added valve springs to the friction shocks to make them work. I re-set the toe-in to 1/8". I am convinced it's a tire problem. The wheels are balanced with the stick on weighs on the back of the wheels. The wheels spin as true as you would expect for 1935. The tires look like new but as you say, I'm sure they are flat spotted! For what the car is, it rides and handles very well! Now if I can get rid of the hop with shaving and re-balancing. I have not been able to find anyone capable of spin balancing on the car, I wish I could! If anyone knows of anyone in the Phoenix area? Sent from my SM-N900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Thanks for expanding with details. Fair question, I hope: If you (and many others here) are "convinced" the cause of the problem being tires and simple cure is to replace them with better quality ones, why waste effort (i.e. time & money) on already 10 year old tires with (allegedly) known poor quality to begin with ? Just curious.
Fair question! If a shave and re-balance will maybe solve the problem it's worth trying before spending a bunch of money on new tires! As new tires go I would rather invest in radials If I could find some that have the Right look! I have not. Sent from my SM-N900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Anyone ever try no balancing? Both my car and dads 40 have had no issues. 4.50/4.75 16s up front and 7.50 16s in the rear. Sent from my SM-G955U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If its been setting on the tires that long, tires may be flat spotted beyond repair. But anyway, get out phone book start calling places that do big trucks.May have truing machines. Then again, there are the excelsiors (sp) radials!!!!! Keep us posted.
I had mine balanced at one time had issues had them rebalanced had issues at different speeds. Knocked weights off and problems gone. Haven't balanced these type of tires since. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket Sent from my SM-G955U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'm trying to take them off in a reusable state. I am outlining the location and noting the weight of each to reinstall if it is worse after removal. I don't want to mess up the wheels too much in the process either. I believe the removal tool hooks into the hole on the weight and it is pryed outwards from the rim. Hope it works.
You know, I did not have this bouncing tire thing on my car until I tried to balance them also. It all started when I tried to get it a little better. Since then I have balanced the tires 3 times tried to shave the tires myself, replaced king pins, made a toe -in adjustment tool and bought new tires. Thought it was good to go but last weekend it started the bouncing again. I'm running 26 psi in the tires but have been reading some guys have some luck with less pressure.
I think the pliers will stretch them out a little also, I reuse weights but give them a little squeeze with some channel locks before reinstalling. This does make some marks in the lead but my weight are on the inside of the wheel and you can't see much of them. You know, every site that I saw about the balance beads says to remove the wheel weights. I ordered a kit (balance beads) last night so I may be good next week. but I'm not making any bets.
Just had my new coker bias ply 5.60x15 tires shaved last week. It was like night and day the difference. Had it up to 85 mph this past week-end and no shake or shimmy at all.
That's encouraging! Did your new tires seem that far out of round from the start? Did you have to remove much to make them round? How bad were they before shaving? Sent from my SM-N900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I think the Bias plys on your car are very fitting and are one of Cokers bigger sellers. I was amazed at all their Bias ply offerings. The good thing should you decide new is you will have a warranty. There is way more good press on these tires then bad and there may even be an alliance discount as well depending on where you order them...
@car doctor are your shaved tires weight balanced as well. If so was it done before or after shaving?
Good question! I'd like to hear the answer to that! Sent from my SM-N900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I saw a youtube awhile back with a guy that made his own tire shaver using a circular saw. Had a spindle and hub mounted to an angle iron framework that held the wheel off the ground. Attached to that was a rack that the saw moved on, perpendicular to the tire. I think he had something that spun the tire slowly, took light cuts and moved the rack in as he went. Probably not something anyone not in the biz would want to do but I give him credit for the ingenuity.
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