So , my plan is to use 16 inch wires on my RPU . I picked up 6 from a friend of mine and they looked pretty good , no major damage just a few edge dings from ham fisted , over muscled , tire busters. I started by dipping them in citric acid for a couple days then a light sandblast to get them nice and new looking. I was going to take them to a friends place with a spin balancer to check runout but instead I rigged up a spindle and drum in my big vise and gave them a spin. The first one looked pretty bad , about 3/8 -1/2 inch.....uhhh , ok maybe a bad one , try another about the same....another same...WTF!!! So into the house to research a bit , the HAMB has a ton of info about wobbly wire wheels. What I gleaned from all the articles that I read was Ford factory runout was 1/8 Max. A bit more reading and a spacer is mentioned on later drums , ok made some spacers . Another article said to bolt the wheels in place , not just loose on the spindle. So after all this the best I could do is maybe take 1/16 out but still way too much. I went back and tried a few different things still no luck , then I spotted the problem , there are balance weights on the drum and they interfere with the little inner drum on the wheels. I ground the weights down and tried again and I'm in the ballpark now , 1/16 on the best wheels and 1/8 on two so they are useable . My education is ongoing , this time the tuition was free , just a bit of studying. I am grateful for all the Professors at the University of HAMB , I may even graduate one day!
Putting those wheels on later drums can be a dangerous thing if not done properly. Shaped spacers are easily obtained to make the wheels fit properly, i.e '29 to '34 hubs. It takes up the space and profile of the early wire wheel hubs. Without the spacer, the center of the wheel ( hub) will not fit snug to the to the axle hub . To pull it back to the axle hub without support can cause the wheel hub to crack and fail. If it never seems tight enough and you keep tightening, you probably have a serious problem. Invest in the proper adapter spacers. Available from early Ford parts vendors.
I found one can make proper wire wheel spacers from rear Model A drums. Chuck them up in a brake lathe or a regular big lathe and trim off what ya don't need. I have also seen them done with a plasma cutter but I don't like the rougher edges. I also have factory made "adapters" which is a better terminology as the really don't space them as much as support the wire wheels. Used those to compare to the ones we cut. Dave BTW, front Model A drums won't work for this hack.
Here is a nice link to dimensions on Amazonnn. https://www.amazon.com/1928-35-Ford-Wheel-Center-Support/dp/B01NBYMPHN Dave
I've collected a half dozen or so 35 wires over the years but have never checked them to see if they ran true or within specs. Stock 35 drums had the nubs built in to support the wire wheels.
Use the spacers linked above. Also, if you grind the balance weights off the drums, put the drum on the spin balancer and reapply weights where they don't interfere with anything.
I have a buddy that water jets some spacers out for me with the 5 on 5.5 pattern on .125 material. I chamfer the inner opening edge and stud openings to get them to sit flush....then use the Model A lug nuts and torque to 55 ftlbs and re check after 20 miles or so....install hubcaps and dismiss the worry about the shorter thread engagement... I have gone thru many a 16" wire wheel to get a true one... good luck
I’ve found that 40 drums don’t have the balance weights in the way, but 48 drums probably will. A little time with a cutoff wheel will remove it. I had a small one on the rear of my sedan that I removed and never replaced. I can’t feel any vibration.
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