Time slides by

[alvin stadel]

I was looking for some thing in my 57 hard top file the other day and came across a invoice for 4 new tires, dated Aug 2003. I know we have had this conversation be for, but I couldn't believe I have been running and running hard on 17 year old tires.  I guess it's time to check out the rest of the stable.  The store I bought my new tires from today said these look great why are you getting new ones, I told him to read the date code.  In the winter I always keep the tires on cardboard as I have been told leaving them on the concrete in the winter can cause issues.  I told the salesman I want my boys to give me my last ride out to the west hill when it's my time and I sure as hell don't want them to have a flat.  I can't say the old E-code runs any better with new tires, but makes me feel better now that they are on.

[CobraJoe]

When I talked to Coker, they told me 10 years on my bias ply WWW, not sure if it was a sales gimmick, but after I got a blow out, I replaced mine.




....the code showed 2006:




Which lead to me to check the date on my 57's WWW and was shocked to find that they were 1987...



If you look after the date, you can see them starting to crack. I will be replacing these shortly, just need to recoup some of the money I spent on the headlight conversion. I think I will go with radials on this one.

[Ford Blue blood]

I can tell you from personal experience, like Joe, that time will indeed slip away.  My tire fail was close to home.  It could have been four months later on the way to Louisville for the Nationals.  My tires never had a long term set-up for winter, we just don't have it down here.  They looked perfect, no cracks, nice even tread wear and rolled smoothly on the highway.

Been here with this once before, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words!

[RICH MUISE]

Alvin.........good move!!

[John Palmer]

It's a great topic.  It's something we often forget about and it's very important.

One thing you need to check is your vintage/original wheels while the tires are dismounted.  What happens is they can rust on the inside next to the tubes.  The rims can become rust pitted and unsafe, yet "look just fine" from the outside.  Just ask the tire guy if you can take a peak at each rim before he mounts the new replacement tire.

On my pre March, 1955 Deluxe "Barn Door" VW bus with 16" original rims, the wheel (inside rusted) rim lip broke and caused a blow out and it took out the rear fender quarter panel with it.  It happened on the freeway, nobody got hurt, but caused a lot of body damage on a very rare bus.

[CobraJoe]

[Jeff Norwell]

A very good Topic.
My shops have always had concrete floors and the climates in the Northeast go from -10 to 95 in a full year.I have always keep the tires in rims on my rides on skates.. Keeps them round,no flat spots and off the concrete surface.Easy to move as well.
Constantly checking the tires and rims.....Blow outs are no fun.

[mustang6984]

My Saleen is parked on a carpet. Keeps the tires from absorbing moisture and the car from "sweating". Before I was able to acquire full length carpets, I used the carpet squares that are used as samples in stores.
I now have my own tire machine, and when I dismount a tire I always do a check of the inside of the rims...which we were taught to do back when I worked for a Firestone store in the early 70's. good way to stop problems fro starting.

[djfordmanjack]

good topic, better be safe than sorry !


a little off topic. John, can you be a bit more specific about your Barndoor. do you still have it and are you a SOTO member or on TheSamba? I am a 'little', just a little  dedicated to the topic, and I find it fun to meet on a totally different board.
I have owned 4 different Barndoors so far, and working on another.

On my pre March, 1955 Deluxe "Barn Door" VW bus with 16" original rims, the wheel (inside rusted) rim lip broke and caused a blow out and it took out the rear fender quarter panel with it.

[Ecode70D]

Alvin and Joe
   I had an old DVD entitled the Worlds Fastest Indian. (No relation)  The old guy built a racing motorcycle and entered it in a race here in the USA.  I order to pass the inspectors exam, he filled the cracks in the tires with Kiwi shoe polish.   Then he went on to break some speed record.  Just making this statement for information, but certainly not recommending it.
   Can't remember where he came from, maybe somewhere in Austria.   
     

[djfordmanjack]

That is correct Jay! Burt Monroe came from a place called New Sea-land. We have plenty of 'seas' over here in Austria.
Also he rode an Indian Scout. No relation either, but I know a guy who is called Indian Fred over here. He must have built that bike for Burt.

[Ecode70D]

That is correct Jay! Burt Monroe came from a place called New Sea-land. We have plenty of 'seas' over here in Austria.
Also he rode an Indian Scout. No relation either, but I know a guy who is called Indian Fred over here. He must have built that bike for Burt.

  Guenter
      Or another reason could be that I made up the Austria part just to see if you were paying attention..
  Ray

[djfordmanjack]

naaaaah, you wouldn't do that!
Maybe Ray ?

[John Palmer]

good topic, better be safe than sorry !


a little off topic. John, can you be a bit more specific about your Barndoor. do you still have it and are you a SOTO member or on TheSamba? I am a 'little', just a little  dedicated to the topic, and I find it fun to meet on a totally different board.
I have owned 4 different Barndoors so far, and working on another.

My son and I have been into air cooled VW's for a long time.  My son, Troy is  "about your age".  You might have talked to him at one of the Euro Bug In's or Bad Camberg, he has made the trip over from California a couple of time with some of his friends.  We are mostly into high performance, yet stock looking Bugs.  We raced  in the Der Renn Kafer Series which started in 2000.  Our best quarter mile run was a 10.83 at 132 MPH in a car that weighed 1650# and was fully steel and street legal.  It was a 1960 euro spec Bug with cloth sun roof and semaphores.  2387cc (is about 145 cubic inches) converted to a roller cam.  Twin IDA's bored to 52.5mm.  We ran a 80 horse shot of nitrous oxide in third gear.  The weak point was the transaxle.  We converted over to a IRS bus box that was adapted to Dave Folts swing axles.  We raced that car for 19 years, before we sold it.

Troys current ACVW street car is a 1965 steel sun roof But with a 2387 and electronic fuel injection.  It's a very nice Cal Look car and he is a member of the DKP club in Los Angeles.  He had a 1954 Sunroof Cal Look but it was just too tight to get a wide stroker motor in and out of the stock engine compartment.

We had the Barn Door for about 12 years.  We collected NOS parts from all over the world.  We sold it "unrestored" for $19,000 in about 2000, and it went to Sacramento, CA.  As you know, a bus like that is a $100K bus in today's market.  Yup, that's one we should have kept.  We were original SOTO members.   
'
Sorry for getting off topic, back to 1957 Fords.

[djfordmanjack]

Thanky you John, very cool stories about your affiliation with VWs! I am keeping this short here, not to go too far off topic. Maybe we can talk about this with pm, if you like. Or I'll start a thread in the offtopic section. In the past 25 yrs, I always had at least one pre 67 aircooled car. Yes indeed I may have met your son Troy, maybe also in 2013, when I was in the LA area and met some DKP guys at several cruising spots. this is a small world.

back to the tire topic. Maybe I have just been very lucky, and I never had any tragic tire problem in 29 yrs. I do have older tires on some of my cars, that don't get driven very often. Since I mostly use bias ply tires, I have been using tubes in those older tires (10yrs+), no matter if the tires or rims are suitable for tubeless mounting. I feel that tubes add a little safety when driving on older tires.