Re: IML: ventilated wheels on 65's/Longevity of Our Beloved Imperials

[RandalPark@xxxxxxx]

You make many good points, but you won't convince me that the manufacture intended for our cars, or any others, to last 40 plus years. If they did, parts would not be pulled off the shelves and discontinued after 10 years.

What the manufacturer planned and what we Imperial owners do are two different things. That said, keeping a 40 year old Imperial on the road isn't easy. After the first 5 or 10 years, it has a lot more to do with the owner than the manufacturer. Parts, including wheel rims, wear out. This happens from age, mileage/use, and exposure to the air. The last one of these is the one that we have the most trouble with.

I'd say if our car's creator planned on them lasting this long, they would have done a lot more to keep them from rotting away due to exposure to the atmosphere. The cars were warranted for 5 years or 50,000 miles. For me, that pretty much tells the story.

Paul



In an email dated Sun, 13 3 2005 11:44:13 pm GMT, amynstevec@xxxxxxx writes:

>Hi there,
>I have to respectfully take issue with Paul's response to your wheel cracking problem. First, let me tell you that I worked for Firestone Tire & Rubber for 10 years so this is not not just an "off the cuff" response. Paul is correct in telling you that the stresses of running radial tires probably cracked the wheels. This happens because the wheels on your Imperial were not made to be subjected to the pressure that radials put on the center of the wheel. Later rims were reinforced so this would not happen, but it has nothing to do with the idea that the "cars were never meant to last this long." The truth is, they WERE! The mentality of auto manufacturers at the time was overkill, if anything. The rim's age has nothing to do with these problems (there are cars out there 100 years old on their original wheels) it's the radial tire causing issues. ?Remember, in those days, cars went out of style, they were not disposable. Paul's comment about the leaking rims because of rust happens on Subarus that are 5 years old or less. ?One solut
>ion here is to find a later model car (preferably a Mopar) with the same lug pattern, width and size as an older car. You will find that most companies kept these dimensions the same for years and thus, will fit an older car. AS a result, you will have the same wheel, really, but it will be made for a radial tire. I have a '68 Impala and a "66 Pontiac Catalina that I wanted to put radials on. For the Impala, I simply ordered 4 wheels for a '78 Chevy Nova, ?(made for radials) and they were the same width, size and bolt pattern as the older Impala. For the Pontiac, I went with wheels from an 80's Grand Prix. Hope this helps!
>Steve Coan, '58 Crown hardtop
> 
>-----Original Message-----
>From: RandalPark@xxxxxxx
>To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Sent: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 22:38:46 -0500
>Subject: Re: IML: ventilated wheels on 65's
>
>
>This has been discussed before, so others have had the same problem. Some say 
>that it happens due to the stresses of running radial tires.
>
>My experience has been that corrosion from "fix a flat" or just moisture in the 
>tire has damaged the rim from the inside and caused it to leak. I also had one 
>corrode behind a balance weight and make a leaking hole. Try to remember that 
>the cars were never meant to last this long.
>
>You should have your rims checked for structural integrity. If they check out 
>okay, clean them up good and install an inner-tube. The vented rims are 
>necessary to properly cool the brakes. If you have to run without them, try to 
>at least keep vented ones on the front where you need them the most.
>
>Paul
>
>In an email dated Sun, 13 3 2005 2:06:45 am GMT, Cebuisle2@xxxxxxx writes:
>
>>Has anyone but me experienced trouble with the steel wheels on 65's? I have ?
>>had several crack in the center while in use, releasing all the air, of ?
>>course. Two cracked on the same trip one time, had to abandon the car and ?rent 
>a 
>>car to get home to pick up extra wheels, and then return to claim the ?car. 
>>Never had this happen with the wheels from my 55, ended up installing ?earlier 
>>wheels on my 65 convert before parking it eight years ago-
>> 
>>Was there a bad batch of wheels? I think they were Budd manufactured-
>> 
>> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
>> ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Ted
>>
>
>
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