Marty,
I also live in Mesa, my 1950 COE is at my cabin and shop near Prescott. I am pretty familiar with the characteristics of these beasts as I did a off frame restoration of mine. One issue you may need to address is the type of wheels you have. Hard to be sure from your pictures but you may have the dreaded Firestone RH-5 wheels, which are especially dangerous. Not all split rims are this dangerous and you should read about this issue in the Tech Tips as well as do a search on this forum regarding this issue. In the meantime, keep your tires aired up and if you need to fill them use precaution.
If you need advice this site is the best!
Kent
