I don't think it would be worth your time, or necessarily even be a good
idea, to totally respoke a wheel. I might have the one with the good hub
sandblasted, replace any broken spokes with new ones, and paint it.
Basically, I doubt you can salvage any sizable number of spokes intact from
a rusty wheel. And if you price spokes from Moss, you will find that for the
cost of one wheel's worth, you could buy 2 or 3 new wheels.
For 72 chrome spokes, the Moss price came to $1100, for example. Not a
viable economic proposition, for me...
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
on 9/20/05 7:37 AM, Matt Trebelhorn at matt.lists@trebelhorn.com wrote:
> I have 4 good, new chrome wire wheels, on new hubs.
>
> I don't have a good spare, but I have two old wheels which have
> between them enough decent parts to make a good wheel. Like I said,
> this will be a spare -- used minimally, if at all.
>
> These two old wheels are, of course, rusty; one has a broken spoke,
> one has a hub that's in bad shape. I want to unlace them, clean them
> up, and put together one good wheel.
>
> My initial question: would it be a reasonable first step, as far as
> loosening the rusted spokes and nipples, to have a radiator (or
> similar) shop soak them in their cleaning tank for a day or two?
>
> I assume I ought to use a proper spoke wrench -- is the version sold
> by the usual suspects the way to go?
>
> Any other tips or notes on disassembling/reassembling old wire
> wheels? FWIW, these are both painted, not chrome.
>
> Thanks to all,
> Matt
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