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Reworking Wire wheels.

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vping

vping

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I have a few broken spokes on my wire wheels that I am going to replace. Then I am going to sandblast & respray the original silver.
What problems might I face?
Do these need to be "trued" before I install new tires?
Where might I get them "trued"?
 
I'd try to find a good motorcycle shop to true and balance the wheels for you... Trued before repaint (because adjusting the spoke tensions will crack any new paint), then balanced after you have them repainted.
 
I may be mistaken here, but a properly trued wire wheel shouldn't need balancing at all, but it never hurts to double check. As far as getting the wheels trued, like kenny says a good motorcycle shop ought to be able to do it. For the order in which to do it all, I'd ask the shop that's doing the trueing for you. Though the same in *concept* but I'm not sure about in practice, I know many bicycle shops true the wheels with the tire already mounted. I'm not sure the same can be said about motorcycle and automobile wire wheels though.

And for locating a motorcycle shop that can handle wire wheel trueing, I think I'd start with custom bike builders, because they deal with wheels wide enough to be run on a car and may have better insight into which shops are good in your area.

Then again, someone on here might already have a reliable wire wheel trueing source and share that.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Ok... not to be the proverbial floater in a punchbowl...

but...

If the wheels are knackered enough to need a buncha spokes are the splines in any kind of shape to be worth the effort?

Just take a good hard look at them - I'd hate for you to spend a couple hundred on truing the wheels and a month down the road you start spinning hubs.
 
Good point! Check those splines... the one's inside the hub, and the one's on the car.
 
Not sure I even need to true them. It's just an assumption. I have 1 broken on 1 wheel and 2 slightly bent on another. The other 2 & the spare seem fine.
I just came across this article and even if it is out a little, 1/16in., it should not make much of a difference.

https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan3.html

I hope that the blasting just not mess them up too much.
 
I've been here. Trying to save some $$age I experimented with truing up some wires.
First I assesed the splines. as long as they were ok, then I bead blasted the rims.
I started the truing by using a torch to free up the adjusters on each of the spokes (do not quench them as that will make them brittle) A bottle of map gas on a propane torch works well.
I removed each adjuster and applied anti-seize to the threads then snugged it back up before moving on to the next.
Then you need some way to spin the rim. I.E. a hub on a spindle mounted in a bench vise. and a dial gauge to be able to measure up and down and side to side runout.
It all takes a TON of time but can be done.
If the splines are questionable then I would strongly reccomend just replacing the wheels.
BUT if you buy new wheels, they really should be matched to new splined hubs if you can afford it. (this is a ton simplier and cheaper on a Triumph as the splined hub is just a bolt on adapter)
after the wheel is "trued" then it can be painted, the tire mounted, and then balanced just like any other wheel as long as the tire shop mounts the wheel on the balancer using the same surfaces that the wheel mounts on your car.
Best of luck
 
If they only need a couple spokes and some paint then go for it. But as said above, if the splines are worn or if they are badly out of true then they are probably at the end of a long, hard life. In this case it is cheaper in the long run to replace them.

Spin the wheels and check for lateral and vertical runout. If either is off by much then you may have a shimmy at speed. Keep in mind also that many of the spoke nipples may be seized in which case more spokes may snap shile trying to true the wheels. Good luck!

PS... Rob, the only good way to true a bicycle wheel is with tire off. You can do minor trueing with tires on but if the vertical runout or dishing are off, it can't be done properly with the tire in place. Final trueing is always done with the tire on because the high pressure tires bicycles use actually affect the super light rims and spokes and can reduce spoke tension when inflated! I used to do this for a living btw. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I bought four new chrome wires and took them and four new tires to Hendrix Wire wheel in Greensboro NC. All the wheels had to be trued. Not one was passable. You can check your wheels for true by cleaning the outer edge of the wheel, mount it on a front hub and then take a dial micrometer against the rim and rotate the wheel slowly. You'll probably be amazed how much the wheels are out. When should you have the wheels re trued? Everytime you have new tires installed. If you have to replace spokes, I'll bet, those wheels a'int straight! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonono.gif PJ
 
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