> These
> wonderful devices attracted the attention of the safety freaks
> who decreed that
> the little "wings" were hazardous to someone somehow (I never did
> figure out
> why),
Might possibly have been the death of Isadora Duncan, whose scarf tangled in
the knockoffs on her Bugatti, dragging her out of the car and breaking her
neck ... of course that was back in 1927 but Nader's Raiders were never
bothered by common sense.
> so the Brits changed to a giant hex nut and supplied a big
Actually, it's octagonal, not hex.
> "ring spanner"
> that you would whack with the same hammer. When wire wheels went
> the way of
> take-apart soft tops and 6 volt electrics (mostly due to cost, I
> suspect), the
> lead hammers were no longer included in the tool kit that came
> with the car.
Oddly enough, wire wheels are still a fairly common sight on the streets of
SoCA. They seem to be popular with the "low rider" crowd ...
IMO, it's not so much a cost issue (even though they do cost more), but a
maintenance issue. They are a giant PITA !
Randall
71 Triumph Stag - new wire wheels on order
59 Triumph TR3A - wire wheels replaced with steel wheels
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