18 inch wheels

[Ron W]

A good Model A friend died last fall and, among other things, his widow has 4 good, sand blasted but not painted, 18 inch wheels ('32?) for sale. Any idea what they might be worth? Thanks. Ron W

[QGolden]

I gave 300 for 4 nice '33, 17 inch wheels that had good tires on them, and I gave 125 for two real nice 16's with brand new Lesters on them.

I should think they would be in the 250 to 300 range. Although, I think most folks who want the Ford Spoked Wheels look for 16's. I am not sure what the demand is like for 18's.

[DougVieyra]

Not A clue. The 18" diameter wheels were standard for a great many cars, particularly in 1932. (Cars such as the '32 Ponitac, '32 Chevy,'32 Hupmobile, etc. - and yes the 1932 Ford). Some of these cars had six holes for mounting to the brake drum. Some had 5 holes (Ford had five). Besides the number of mounting holes, there is the consideration of distance between the holes. If you have a Ford Model A brake drum handy - you can see if your 18" wheels fit on it. Check hole/stud fit very carefully. If it looks good, then it might very well be that what you have is a set of 18" wheels for the 1932 Ford. Putting on a "Ford" or 'V-8" hubcap to check fit of center lugnut access opening will also help to confirm. Be aware, that even though they will fit on a Ford Model A, they are not factory correct for a Model A.
There is very little demand for the (1932 Ford) 18" Ford wheel, just as there is very little demand for the ('33-'34) 17" Ford wheel. The biggest demand for the 'V-8- wheel is from the Model A drivers who want a softer, easier handling, easier to obtain - 16" Ford wheel from 1935. The 16" is the last wire (steel spoked) wheel made by Ford. The 18" and 17" wheels do not offer the kind of improvement that the modern Model A 'Driver' is looking for, and hence, do not command any demand.
On-line and swap meet prices have been running about $25 - $30 per wheel, IF it is in good shape.

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by DougVieyra

Not A clue. The 18" diameter wheels were standard for a great many cars, particularly in 1932. Cars such as the 1932 Ford. Some of these cars had six holes for mounting to the brake drum. Some had 5 holes. Besides the number of mounting holes, there is the consideration of distance between the holes. If you have a Ford Model A brake drum handy - you can see if your 18" wheels fit on it. Check hole/stud fit very carefully. If it looks good, then it might very well be that what you have is a set of 18" wheels for the 1932 Ford. Putting on a "Ford" or 'V-8" hubcap to check fit of wheel opening will also help to confirm. Be aware, that even though they will fit on a Ford Model A, they are not factory correct.

I'm confused by your statement that 18's were not factory correct. I thought all 32 Ford passenger cars came with 18's.

[Randy in ca]

Originally Posted by 700rpm

I'm confused by your statement that 18's were not factory correct. I thought all 32 Ford passenger cars came with 18's.

I think he's saying that without a picture (or much more of a description than was given) you can't even be sure that the 18" rims he has are indeed Ford, and even if they do fit on the Model A hubs they are not factory correct for Model A's.

[DougVieyra]

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Precisely - 18" rim size IS CORRECT for the 1932 Ford. It is NOT correct for a 1928 - 1931 Ford Model A. The '28-'29 took a 21" rim, and the '30-'31 Ford took a 19" rim. So, the 18" rim would NOT be correct for a Model A.

[Rowdy]

I had a set of 5 that I sold on e-bay about 10 years ago. They were not sandblasted and I got $250 for them. They were in nice shape, just needed cleaned up and painted. Sorry no current info on their value. Rod

[Barry B./ Ma.]

I had a set of 17" (33/34) wheels on my 30 roadster.They looked good but made for slightly harder steering but gave a good ride. They are a bear to mount on the brake drum(same for the 18's and 16's) because you can't see the lug holes when mounting and the lug wrench doesn't line up well inside the hub. In my opinion the 17s look better than the 18s as they are closer to the looks of 1935s but the 1935s are tough to clean because of the short spokes. Best to stay with 19's on 30/31s in my opinion unless you are building a hotrod..

[ronn]

100. each on the low side and 125. on the high

they are hard to find in nice shape when you need them.

other question- are they stock or KH? KH seems to bring a few more dollars....

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by Ron W

A good Model A friend died last fall and, among other things, his widow has 4 good, sand blasted but not painted, 18 inch wheels ('32?) for sale. Any idea what they might be worth? Thanks. Ron W

Ron,

Since your friend was into Model A's there is probably a good chance that the wheels are from a 1932 Ford and will bolt right onto a Model A. If "good" means they are true and ready to go to the powder coater then they are probably worth about $100 each. As a rule of thumb must '32 parts are worth several times the price of the same Model A part. This unfortunately is not the case for wire wheels. Most of the '32's ended up hot rods and there seems to be a lot of extra wheels around. Without a picture the following questions come up. Where was the 18 inch measurement taken? The tire diameter is measured at the bead and if the measurement was the overall diameter then the bead diameter is probably 17 inch meaning the wheels, if Ford, are from 1933-34. The wheels could be from another make of car (Chevrolet with 6 lug nuts) affecting their value. The wheels could be bent spoke aftermarket wheels from Kelsey or Motor Rim and Wheel making them worth quite a bit more. How about some pictures? Another factor that will affect value is location. There is less market in central Mexico than there is in Southern California. You should add your general location to your profile. A good place to advertise them for sale, after you figure out what they are, would be the newsletter of the local Early Ford V8 Club Chapter (assuming that they are Ford). A local sale is good due to the hassle and expense of shipping. PM me if you need the contact numbers for a local club.

Charlie Stephens

[kelley's restoration]

I like the 18's for the rear on my cars and 16's on the front. The bigger diameter helps to affectivly reduce the rear ratio with the bigger tire. But I also like my cars to appear stock until you really look at it. I sell/buy the for around $50-$75 each

[Purdy Swoft]

I like the looks of the 17 &18 inch wheels better than the 16s because you see more spokes. I would think that the 18s would command a higher price. Ford only made the 18s in 1932 . People with original 32 models probably sometimes have problems locating correct wheels. The fact that the wheels are already sandblasted should add value. If they were mine, I wouldn't let them go for less thad $125.00-$150.00 each. If they didn't sell, I wouldn't care.

[Ron W]

Thanks for all your comments. As suggested, I've updated my info. Ron W

[steve s]

FWIW, here's some manufacturers' data I gathered a few years ago. Interesting that the tread width of the 18" tires is a bit wider than the !7" that replaced them.

Steve