[Healeys] Wire Wheel Question

[Bob Spidell]

I only see one question in there, and he seems to have answered it himself. I know most of the wire wheel rebuilders don't bother replacing individual spokes; they cut them all out then relace the whole wheel. If he needs to remove good spokes to get at the broken, well, he needs to remove good spokes to get at the broken (remove too many and you'll have to do this on an appropriate jig or the hub might end up offcenter). 

In my experience, spokes break more or less randomly. It could be that one wheel had spokes that came from a bad batch of steel, or they weren't laced correctly or were too tight/loose to begin with. He didn't say whether he had painted or stainless spokes; supposedly stainless is nominally stronger but more brittle--go figure--than 'regular' steel. He might have hit a particularly bad pothole just right on that one wheel (remember that spokes are never in compression--it would have been on the 'downstroke' that the spokes broke). If the broken spokes are all in a group that's likely, if not then it's probably not. 

Is he absolutely certain he had no broken spokes before the trip? If a couple were already broken--you might not notice unless you checked them beforehand--that would have put greater stress on the others. 


Bob 



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Stromquist" <dan at warner-associates.com> 
To: "Healey List" <healeys at autox.team.net> 
Sent: Wednesday, May 6, 2009 7:20:36 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific 
Subject: [Healeys] Wire Wheel Question 

Anyone have some suggestions for Dave's wire wheel problem? 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Dave Knowles <mailto:wmdknowles at gmail.com> 

To: dlee at usfamily.net 

Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 3:05 PM 

Subject: wire wheels 



Dave, 

I hope you will pass this query to the membership. 

I've had Dayton chrome wire wheels for several years with no problems until 
last week. I drove my BJ8 to Chicago and back without incident (can you 
believe that). The day after I returned I was checking the wheels and 
discovered the rear passenger side tire had 9 broken spokes- all short 
spokes that connect to the inner aspect of the hub. The roads that I 
traveled were all very rough (I-90 and I-94) but I think that if it were the 
rough roads that caused the problems there would have been at least a few 
broken spokes on the other wheels. I ordered some new spokes but can't get 
them in unless i remove some other spokes. is this necessary? 

any comments would be appreciated. 



Dave Knowles 

Mankato 

Dave <mailto:wmdknowles at gmail.com> Knowles