Barry Adams writes:
>Being a neophyte with a TR on wire wheels, I would be very interested
>in learning what constitutes "proper maintenance" for them, lest I
>reach the point of no return through neglect.
One item not to overlook is annual removal, clean the splines and
insides of the hubs to remove the old grease, then replace with fresh
grease. Every year may be a bit much, but I have seen wire wheels
which have had to be torched off the hubs after staying on the car for
lots of miles and/or years and having the grease harden.
You will need tubes, and there should be a big rubber band (gumband
here in western Pennsylvania) which goes around the inner part of the
wheel and protects the tube from the heads of the spokes. When the
tires were mounted we dusted the inside with baby powder (talcum
powder) which lets the tube move about without additional wear.
Cleaning is a pain since most of the dirt collects at the hub between
the spokes. I use the spray car wash place, but sometime worry that
the power of that spray might be slowly taking off some paint. I also
put the spray on a wax cycle to give the painted spokes and hubs some
protection. Again, I question this since that wax is getting the
outside surface of the rotors. I haven't noticed any problems, but
maybe someone has another opinion. (Actually the brakes work as well
but they don't howl as much.)
Hope this helps
Paul g. Wiegman
Pittsburgh, PA
57 TR3 - TS14551L
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