Four wheels on my wagon
Katy gets new rubber for her hickory stick corners
The Ford Model T is the epitome of a vintage car. For starters, it has the right proportions and general look. And a lot of this is due to the antique appearance of the large wooden wheels – Henry Ford decided the cars would be equipped with 30inx3in front wheels and 30inx3½in rear wheels.
They would all be made with hickory wood spokes and fitted with beaded edge tyres (clinchers in USA) relying on high pressure to keep them in place. About 15 million Ford Model Ts were produced over a 19-year period, of which all but the last had 12-spoke wheels. The spokes had to be cut from the hickory planks in a specific way to get maximum strength from the grain direction.
I think it works out at about 720 million spokes being produced, excluding wastage and replacement wheels, plus the hundreds of accessory types also made. I use my old spokes on the barbecue. True 100-year-old hickory smoke – plus woodworm and paint – are good for flavour!
Dakota Katy had the correct original wheels fitted along with the most incredible treadless tyres – some of which were worn through to the canvas. PC plans to auction these for charity at the Beaulieu Spring Autojumble, so come along to the stand in Green Field if you’re interested.
The front two wheels looked very sound, with no visible rot or woodworm, but the rears were so worn the gaps could be seen when pushing the old girl around. I was worried they might collapse.
I had purchased some beautifully steam-bent outer felloes (the outer rim of a wheel, to which the spokes are fixed) from an auction years ago and entrusted Daniel Garner to totally restore the wooden wheels for this project, replacing all of the wood. Daniel and I are both second-generation
restorers and have a great working relationship, encountering some very diverse challenges.
The rims were checked for trueness, adjusted where necessary and Daniel then set about waving his magic wand and creating four amazing restored wheels. The wheels on a Ford T remained generally of this configuration until 1919 when the car was drastically improved and was available with four demountable rims held on metal-rimmed wooded wheels with four bolts – similar to modern designs.
A spare rim was generally carried should a puncture try to spoil the day. Up until then the wheels were non-demountable, as was the case with most cars of that era – so a puncture resulted in a ruined outing, expensive recovery home or mucking up your best suit while changing a tyre and tube by the roadside.
I had an original 1916 wheel stud kit so I instructed Saunders Motor Works to create a set for Katy... more brass to polish but less grief should the inevitable happen on a rally. Wheels restored, hubs refurbusbed, original ball bearings used for wheel bearings, albeit with new balls (later and better taper roller bearings are available new), and all ready for tyres and tubes.
Suitably tyred
Beaded edge wheels and tyres have to be dealt with by someone who knows what they are doing. The rims rust over the years and become thin and, should an expensive set of tyres be fitted to sub-standard rims, it could spell disaster for the safety of all passengers. Most vintage car people have experienced a beaded edge tyre removing itself from a rim while driving. Very dangerous, very scary and very expensive.
I entrusted the expertise to Vintage Tyre Supplies at Beaulieu, Hampshire. I have known these guys for years – and they really know their stuff. Formed in 1962, the firm currently holds more than 20,000 tyres in stock, from the earliest veterans to the latest classics. Managing director Ben Field, once upon a time PC’S technical editor, invited me to visit Vintage Tyres with Katy’s wheels so that he could supply me with a new set of goodquality tyres and tubes. After checking the rim conditions I got the green light. Paul Town fitted them. Watching him dealing with a set of vintage, Edwardian or classic tyres is masterful and the finished result always fills me with confidence – my main business Tudor Wheels relies massively on the expertise of these guys. Tyres on, new period adapted hubs installed – now it’s the moment to fit those wheels to Katy. How exciting is that? My favourite thing when restoring vintage cars is the stage whereby I can grab the chassis and roll it – this goes back to my Airfix model days. Dad always asked why I didn’t fit the body to the vintage car model – it’s because I love the rolling chassis, dad, that’s why! As my mentor he smirked with total approval.