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Old 08-09-2015, 01:35 PM   #1
pgerhardt
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Default They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Now that getting back on the road is in sight it was time to remove tires from my crappy painted yellow wheels so that I can put them on powder coated black ones. I watched all the you-tube videos on how to change model A tires. Most did it on the car with the wheel mounted on the rear axle. But my rear wheel wells are newly painted and beautiful (picture 1) and I did not want to risk damaging them. So I created a tire removal station by mounting a spare tire carrier to one of my deck posts (picture 2).

The videos make it look easy. Just push the tire beads down into the wheel groves, and the bottom will pop right off. Huh - NO! After two hours of struggle and a liberal use of PAM I did get the first one off (picture 3). It was NOT easy!

Now I must admit that much of my struggle was due to the fact that I did not know what I was doing, and was learning (Actually relearning since the last time I changed a model A tire was in the 1970s.) as I went.

I highly recommend that if you are going to change a model A tire and are not sure of the procedure get the help of someone who has done it before. There is quite a bit of technique involved. My next one will go much easier. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble getting the help of someone who already had knowledge of the procedure.
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Old 08-09-2015, 02:32 PM   #2
Tom Endy
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Tire mounting can be made easy with a mounting board. For an article on how it is done, go to the web site of the Santa Anita A's of Arcadia, California at www.santaanitaas.org. On the home page put your cursor on "Technical Reference", my name will appear below, click on it.

A menu of technical articles will come up. Scroll to the heading steering, and then to tire mounting. The article is a pdf file that you can down load and print out.

Tom Endy
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Old 08-09-2015, 03:38 PM   #3
Brentwood Bob
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Put a little air in the tube after you place it in the tire before mounting.
Also there is a device that has a 6 inch cable end that screws on the tube stem to thread thru the rim to help locate the stem(assuming you are using the rubber stems).
Talc dusted in the interior of the tire also helps avoid wrinkles in the tube.
By placing the rim of the tire into the recess in the center of the rim you can work the outer rim of the tire onto the steel rim with very little effort.
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Old 08-09-2015, 04:59 PM   #4
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Thanks everyone for the tips. As I said knowing the correct technique makes all the difference.
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Old 08-09-2015, 05:41 PM   #5
pgerhardt
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Endy View Post
Tire mounting can be made easy with a mounting board. For an article on how it is done, go to the web site of the Santa Anita A's of Arcadia, California at www.santaanitaas.org. On the home page put your cursor on "Technical Reference", my name will appear below, click on it.

A menu of technical articles will come up. Scroll to the heading steering, and then to tire mounting. The article is a pdf file that you can down load and print out.

Tom Endy
Tom,
I went to your tech section of the Santa Ana As web site. what a great web site and a great resource! I am wondering what is the advantage is of mounting the tires hub cap side down (requiring the stand with a hole in it) rather than hub cap side up which would not require the stand?
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Old 08-09-2015, 05:43 PM   #6
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

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it should be like changing a bicycle tire when we were kids but on a larger scale. It'sall about leverage.
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Old 08-09-2015, 06:47 PM   #7
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

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Originally Posted by Ed View Post
The main advantage of doing this from the back side of the rim is you do not see any marks or scratches that might be made during the assembly process.
You're correct. You should be able to do both mounting and removal from the back side. I might add that mounting, in particular, can be achieved with little or no marking (no scratches) if done patiently and very gently using a rubber hammer. A couple of 2 x 6's placed parallel under the rim to keep it off the floor with something soft in between (scrap rugs, etc.) to protect it from scuffing. Also, after the tire is mounted with the tube in it, fully inflate it, follow by completely deflating it to 0 lb's, and finally fully inflate it again. This will insure that pinching of the tube will not occur.
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Old 08-09-2015, 06:59 PM   #8
jeep44
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Not to rub it in, but of all the vehicles I've changed tires on by hand, from 8N tractor tires to jeep tires, and down to motorcycle tires, I thought mounting the 19" Model A tires were the easiest I ever did-I had them off and on in minutes, without breaking a sweat. The secret to mounting all tires is to keep the beads in the center "well" of the rim as you are levering the tire on or off. Have a couple blocks of wood for the tire (but not the rim) to rest on, and you may have to stand or kneel on the tire as you lever. If you try to remove a tire with the bead up against the outer edges of the rim, you're trying to stretch the bead itself, which has steel wire inside.
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Old 08-09-2015, 07:13 PM   #9
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

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Not to rub it in, but of all the vehicles I've changed tires on by hand, from 8N tractor tires to jeep tires, and down to motorcycle tires, I thought mounting the 19" Model A tires were the easiest I ever did-I had them off and on in minutes, without breaking a sweat. The secret to mounting all tires is to keep the beads in the center "well" of the rim as you are levering the tire on or off. Have a couple blocks of wood for the tire (but not the rim) to rest on, and you may have to stand or kneel on the tire as you lever. If you try to remove a tire with the bead up against the outer edges of the rim, you're trying to stretch the bead itself, which has steel wire inside.
agreed try mounting repro clincher tires on old rims with a ton of paint that's hard !! my model a tires were the easiest tires i have ever mounted
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Old 08-09-2015, 07:17 PM   #10
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Lay the back of the wheel on a carpet, put the a garbage can liner over the wheel, put a little air in the tube, extend the valve stem about 6 " with a wire, chain, bolt or whatever, add enough air to round out the tube. Baby powder the garbage can liner, pull the stem through and push it on by hand one side at a time - no tools needed. Pull out the garbage bag liner (hardest part). There is a Utube video somewhere showing this 10 minute job- scratch free.
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Old 08-10-2015, 01:02 AM   #11
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Removing old hard tries are a pain as you know first hand. When the rubber is so hard that it will not collapse enough to fall into the drop center it needs help.

I removed the valve stem, placed the wheel on a rug, stepped on the tire to break it away from the rim. I placed 3 c-clamps on the tire one at 12:00 one between 1 and 2:00 and one between 10 and 11:00. This allowed the tire to drop into the wheel so i could pull it off from the bottom.
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Old 08-10-2015, 08:49 AM   #12
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

didn't tires in Model A" days have more natural, and less synthetic, rubber in them, which made them more flexible and easier to change?
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Old 08-12-2015, 04:13 PM   #13
pgerhardt
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

I mounted two tires on the powder coated black wheels. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. Mounting was easier than unmounting. I built a "mounting platform" (Thanks Tom) and found that the use of clamps to keep the bead from coming out on one side while I worked on the other very helpful (Thanks Mike). The method that worked the best for me was to install the tube after the first bead was over the rim, but before slipping the second bead on. Without the tube in the way the first bead could go all the way into the drop center and I could get the first bead on by hand. The second bead took the use of the irons, but with the use of the clamps to maintain progress, it was pretty easy.
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Old 08-14-2015, 02:05 AM   #14
Marshall57
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Endy View Post
Tire mounting can be made easy with a mounting board. For an article on how it is done, go to the web site of the Santa Anita A's of Arcadia, California at www.santaanitaas.org. On the home page put your cursor on "Technical Reference", my name will appear below, click on it.

A menu of technical articles will come up. Scroll to the heading steering, and then to tire mounting. The article is a pdf file that you can down load and print out.

Tom Endy
Just looked up your club, as it was mentioned in another thread about carb problems. Good bunch of stuff, just wanted to tell you what a good job it is and to thank you for the effort.
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Old 08-14-2015, 07:29 AM   #15
barkleydave
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Our local small town tire store does lots of tractor and wagon wheel tires.

Said they would unmount and mount by hand for 10 bucks a wheel.

Getting new tires.... sounds like a deal to me!
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Old 08-14-2015, 02:42 PM   #16
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

putting a model A tire on is a walk in the park compaired to dismounting a 60 year old model T tire.
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Old 08-14-2015, 02:46 PM   #17
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Default Re: They make it look MUCH easier than it is!

Everyone has developed their own tricks. I have tried the garbage bag thing with talc and it works ok although once we had to tear the bag to pieces to get it out.

Two tricks I learned... didn't have a board with a hole in it, so I opened a 4' wooden A frame ladder and laid it on its side; then I laid a piece of carpet over the ladder and laid the wheel face down on it.

Then I use a binder strap and chinch down the tire into the recess to hold it there. Then it pops on and off easy with no chipping of the paint.

JackD
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