Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[Big Man]

If the wobble feels like it is coming from the front end, try rotating the tyres and see if the wobble is coming from a different source. If yes, I would recommend a dynamic wheel balance from an alignment specialist.

I had a similar problem with a 49 Ford. When the tyre in question warmed up the problem would dissipate. It was also very pronounced at low speed but would also disappear over 40KPH

My wobble problem was solved with four new tires. The right rear tire was coming apart (I have no idea how long that set of tires were on the car). With the new tires, everything is back like it should.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Just out of curiosity, BM, what size tires are you using?

 

[Big Man]

Just out of curiosity, BM, what size tires are you using?

Goodyear 215/70R15. That size is about like the ones that were on the car before. I paid a little less than $70 each. I know they aren't "period" tires, but the price was right and they look good on the car.

 

[scottyrocks]

If there is one thing I would upgrade from 'period' on an old vehicle, it is the tires.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I didn't realize they went to 15 inch rims that soon after the war -- mine has 16. I have a set of 6.50 x 16 "heavy duty" bias ply tires that seem to wear and handle well -- the only drawback is that they make my speedometer inaccurate, since the car was designed for 6.00 x 16.

 

[Big Man]

I didn't realize they went to 15 inch rims that soon after the war -- mine has 16. I have a set of 6.50 x 16 "heavy duty" bias ply tires that seem to wear and handle well -- the only drawback is that they make my speedometer inaccurate, since the car was designed for 6.00 x 16.

My speedometer doesn't work, so that's not an issue with me. Besides, I don't drive fast enough (now) to need a speedometer.

 

[Big Man]

If there is one thing I would upgrade from 'period' on an old vehicle, it is the tires.

If I did drive in's or such, I'm sure I'd want to have some nice wide whitewalls. However, for the use I have for my old car these "modern" tires are just fine. And, did I say, the price was right.

 

[1930artdeco]

Lizzie, I would check your speedo. It might need to be lubed and tuned up. The 6.0-6.50 should not make it inaccurate. Now if you went to 15 or 17" rims that may do it.

Mike

 

[LizzieMaine]

The first seventy-five years are the hardest.

 

[Stearmen]

View attachment 50389
The first seventy-five years are the hardest.

Congratulations Lizzie! You are the only one I know who has captured that moment, all the others managed to go a tenth or more over 00000.0.

 

[GHT]

If there is one thing I would upgrade from 'period' on an old vehicle, it is the tires.

Couldn't agree more. When my car was made the only choice of tyre was crossply. Radial tyres are a much safer option, they sit squat on the road, spread better under braking and give a much better grip. There's a specialist company in the UK that can produce a radial tyre to look like a crossply, but only from the sidewall. I've had them fitted to the MG. However, the wheel rims are original and as such, are not seal proof, so the tyres still need an inner tube. Nontheless, the radials make the car handle far better and I feel a lot safer.
Scotty, I would add that, another safety addition to old cars is, arguably, LED lights. They burn much, much brighter, last longer and for those of us whose car's electricity is from a dynamo rather than an alternator, they use just one tenth of the power of standard light bulbs. Purists however, do tend to froth at the mouth for committing such heresy as changing the original specification.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I may be in the minority, but I've never had any trouble with bias ply tires. That's all I ever used on the first car I ever owned, a '69 VW, and it's all I've ever had on the Plodge, and I've never noticed any issues with handling on either car: on the Plodge I can go down a straight road at 45mph, take my hands off the wheel, and there's no drift or wandering at all. I have no trouble cornering as long as I slow down properly going into the turn. I drive on raggedy pavement most of the time, and I've never noticed any of the issues the radial-tire marketers warn about.

I think the key is first, knowing how to drive with bias tires, which also means not trying to drive an old car like a modern car, and second, having a front end that's properly maintained, tight, and correctly aligned. If you've got a loose front end, the kind of tires you're using aren't going to help you much in the long run, and they might even hurt you by masking the real problem.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Surely, the old cars like the VW Beetle were designed for defensive/relaxed driving, not for modern speeding. So, the old type of tires is surely working correct, I think.

In Germany, every student driver learns: Defensive driving, NOT offensive driving!

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think more lives have been probably lost to offensive/aggressive driving than any other cause, not excepting alcohol or mechanical failure. If one needs to work out their aggressions, one should join the Y. And take the bus to get there.

 

[2jakes]

Surely, the old cars like the VW Beetle were designed for defensive/relaxed driving, not for modern speeding. So, the old type of tires is surely working correct, I think.

One day I got on the freeway & although I was keeping up with the traffic.
Faster speeding vehicles passing by would cause my ’67 to swerve from
side to side on my lane.

I now stay on the back-roads which gets me to where I’m going & I’m able
to enjoy the ride & view the beautiful country-side.

 

[Stearmen]

Surely, the old cars like the VW Beetle were designed for defensive/relaxed driving, not for modern speeding. So, the old type of tires is surely working correct, I think.

In Germany, every student driver learns: Defensive driving, NOT offensive driving!

Every American GI and Airman I have known who was stationed in Germany during the 60s and 70s has a story of doing 80mph on the Autobahn and being past by a VW Bug!

 

[2jakes]

About the only time I recall doing 80 mph on my buggy was on a downhill road
when my brakes went out .

Luckily the emergency brakes were still working!

 

[tonyb]

I may be in the minority, but I've never had any trouble with bias ply tires. That's all I ever used on the first car I ever owned, a '69 VW, and it's all I've ever had on the Plodge, and I've never noticed any issues with handling on either car: on the Plodge I can go down a straight road at 45mph, take my hands off the wheel, and there's no drift or wandering at all. I have no trouble cornering as long as I slow down properly going into the turn. I drive on raggedy pavement most of the time, and I've never noticed any of the issues the radial-tire marketers warn about.

I think the key is first, knowing how to drive with bias tires, which also means not trying to drive an old car like a modern car, and second, having a front end that's properly maintained, tight, and correctly aligned. If you've got a loose front end, the kind of tires you're using aren't going to help you much in the long run, and they might even hurt you by masking the real problem.

In my experience front end "issues" are usually nothing more costly to fix than a bad (delaminating) tire or a bent wheel. Sometimes it's just an out-of-balance wheel.

A tire with a bulge on its business surface will send a hellacious vibration through the car.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That happened to me once in the VW -- I was running recapped tires I'd gotten for $5 apiece from a junkyard, and the tread separated. When the resulting thump caused me to pull over, I saw that the inner tube was poking out of the defect like a giant black blister. I drove over twenty miles that way to get home -- very very slowly.

Do recapped tires even exist anymore?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Recapped tires were popular in Germany, in the 90's, but seemingly not more today. Too much tire-bursts on modern Autobahn-speeding.