I haven't posted here in a long time, but I still read through the list
digest every day. And I've come to a decision point concerning the wheels
on my '58 TR3A. I'm hoping some of you can provide me with some guidance
here. The wheels on the car are 15"x 4.5" 60-spoke painted. They are way
out of "true", possibly even bent or out-of-round, and the car shakes and
handles terribly. The spokes need adjusting (according to the "pencil
test"), but I'm having trouble getting them to turn without rounding off
the squared ends. I even tried using a vice-grip and some of the spokes
just won't budge. So now I don't know what to do.
I don't drive the car much anymore, usually just a few times a year when
the weather is nice, but would drive it much more if I could. And the roads
here in SE Michigan are crap. Some of the local roads have potholes large
enough to hide the TR3 inside, and most of the highways aren't in much
better shape. So I'm looking for wheels that will stand the bad road
beatings, will feel stable on the highway, but will handle curves in a
manner just shy of autocrossing.
So here are my questions:
1) Are there shops that can adjust the spokes properly, like maybe a
motorcycle shop ? Is this a viable solution?
2) Should I give up on these wheels and buy a new set, maybe chrome this
time? ;-)
3) Should I forget about spokes and get a set of the Panasport knock-off
wheels and wider tires?
4) Other options?
Your comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Jeff W.
Belleville, MI
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