The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Do I have widow makers?

I was looking at the tech page and shop manual and not sure if I have the three piece widow makers. Check out the images on the link if you can tell me?

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Ibs2LFo3bsWi

Those are 3 piece semi drop center wheels. In my opinion they are probably the safest 20 inch tube required wheel made. Make sure that they are all alike. People bought what they could find during the years.

Hy Super55, what crenwelge said.

Thanks I'll check out the rest. I want to have the tires taken off and clean up and paint the rims one day. I'll probably need new tires, the ones on the rims now don't match and are probably pretty old. There is some weather cracking.

Those are good wheels, same ones that were on my '54 GMC.

Widow makers don't have a "ring", they split down the middle of the wheel rim,
Scott

I checked all of my rims ( 7 of them ) and they are all good. That's a relief. I noticed Les Schwab tires has a powder coating service. I wonder what that would run?

Super55,

I think that other people have reported good prices and quality powder coating from Les Schwab. Please let us know what they charge (if you found this out).

All Les Schwab powder coating is supposedly done in Prineville, OR (their home/central production center).

Thanks,

Tim


Tim

55, I hope you have better luck than I getting the tires off the wheels.
The seven wheels I bought looked good on the outside but when it came to getting the tires off I and the guy at the tire shop thought dynomite might be the only thing that would get them off.
Rust and old age on the inside made it a problem and I only have tires off of 2 wheels and the inside of the wheel is 10 X rustier than the outside.
Dan

I plan to avoid powder coating as Id hate to spend that money only to chip then when reinstalling the lock rings. A good coat of paint can be plenty durable and is much easier to touch up.

Les Schwab powder coating is somewhere in the area of $40-50 per wheel. Last time I checked was at least a year or so ago, and it may be more with larger rims.

Jeff

glasman, have you lubricated tires? RuGlyde is especially made for this purpose, but soapy water will work too. Knock the bead down a little, pour in some lubricant and knock it down some more. Using a whole gallon of soapy water won't hurt anything. Most of them that haven't been dismounted in a while are really rusty, but they come off. Is the guy at the tire shop a young kid that has little experience with semi drop center wheels?

If they carry a product in your area called PB Blaster I would spray the ring and let it sit for a few hours then spray them again. The PB really cuts through the rusted metal parts. I had some really rusted nuts & bolts on my trailing arms that would not come loose with my 1/2" air wrench and after soaking they came off.
Don

Rustednuts,
Does that stuff chip easy? I used to work at a fab shop that made high voltage equipment. We had some trailing cable plugs that were to be used in a caustic environment. You couldn't chip them with a ball peen.

Cren, The guy at the tire shop was good and put a lot of effort into trying to break them down.
Ruglyde,soapy water was used along with a huge slam hammer breaking tool.
The problem is the rust inside the wheel keeps the tire locked to the wheel.
When I got home I put trans oil on one which had loosened a little and two weeks later I was able to get it apart,but then I was looking at a wheel with heavy rust on the inside wondering if it could be used again.
Dan

We have run nothing but tubeless tires for over 30 years ago, but I still have a large Ken Tool tire hammer that is about 50 years oldo, and it does a lot better than a slide hammer. If they are really rusted and the tire, tube and flap are junk, Diesel is the quickest solvent I have used. The old wheels had a large margin of safety and can be really rusty and still be usable. The only wheels I have ever rejected are some that someone burned the tires off them. The wheels will be crooked. Hit the rust with a hammer to knock the rust off. Wire brush them or sand blast them depending on how you are equipped. Then apply a generous coat of this stuff. http://www.freylube.com/ Next time you change them, you won't have any trouble.

Super55 I have no experience with powder coating, but Im pretty sure that they will chip unless your extremely careful. Id rather not risk it, so I'll stick with paint.

Dan, if you have the lock ring removed, take a sawzall and cut a ring out of the tire face. Pull the tube and that rubber ring. You'll have full access to the rusty inside and can hit the rust off with a sledge turned sideways. I had to do this for a few of my wheels. Didnt take much persuasion after that.