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Proper way to remove and reinstall wire wheels?

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rggav

rggav

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I was putting on new Moss wire wheel knockoffs and realized I really didn't know the correct procedure to remove and reinstall my tires with wire wheels. I searched the web and saw a Dayton wheel PDF that said you should spin the knockoffs tight with the car jacked up and them lower it and hit the knockoffs with a lead hammer as hard as you can. If that is the proper way to reinstall them then what is the proper way to take them off.......the reverse? The article said they must be very tight and you should whack them as hard as you can every so often(every 100 miles) to make sure they stay tight or you will wear out the splines. Any suggestions on what works best?
 
that sounds about right, you want them tight. I remember suffering with worn splines. what do you put on the splines nowadays? I used to coat them with axle grease.
 
That's mostly correct, but there is no need to tighten them every 100 miles. It's generally advisable to check them after the first drive, some say after 500 miles. Once tight, the only way they will come loose on their own is if the hubs are mounted on the incorrect side, if the splines are very worn, or if the hub tapers are damaged.

They should be tightened in the air, not on the ground. Once you place weight on the wheel, you are placing a side load on the outer taper and this will create friction, which in turn reduces the ability of the nut to further spin on the hub threads. Some people believe that hitting the knockoff ears hard while in the air can damage the hub bearings. Others including myself do not believe that it is possible to do damage to a set of wheel bearings with a little 5-pound lead hammer. I've been doing it this way for 20 years with no ill effects to the bearings.

You don't want to over-tighten them anyway, because this can damage the inner hub taper. Hit the ear of the knockoff with good solid blows until the ear moves less than 1/4" after a hit. That's plenty tight enough. If you have problems keeping the wheel from spinning as you hammer, you can either lower the car just enough to touch the ground with the tire, or put your shoe between the tire and the ground to act as a wheel chock.

Removing the wheels is exactly the reverse of putting them on. Raise the car, hammer it loose and spin it off.
 
Steve, you hit it squarely IMO (pun not withstanding). Weight (load) off the hub, lead hammer, whack it 'til the thing stops rotating with moderate blows.

A good bearing grease with moly-b-dam'd for hub/spline lube. Nothing worse than finding the rust mites have been busy when you try changing a tire along side the highway.


In about 1969 I got my first MGB, asked another more experienced owner how tight the knock-offs should be.
His response was: "Tight as you can make 'em... otherwise they'll only come off one more time." :shocked:
 
I try to *loosen* mine every few months. With all the salt, sand and freezing temperatures up here in the winter, they tend to get stubborn if not exercised occasionally.

I knock them loose on the ground then jack up the car, and remove each wheel. Then I throw a little grease on the hubs, put the wheel back on and have at it with the hammer. Once that's done, I lower the vehicle and I'm good to go ( except for the other 10 problems I'm currently experiencing).

I've had one wheel that's gotten stuck to the hub and it took a team of mechanics about half an hour to free it.
 
No matter what you use on the splines, grease or anti seize, take and smear a bit of silicon over the hub ends of the spokes at the knockoff end of the wheels. Use one of those types that doesn't harden up so it'll move as the wheel flexes. This will keep the grease from running down the spokes as the car runs.

Less cleaning to do....
 
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