Re: IML: ventilated wheels on 65's/Longevity of Our Beloved Imperials

[henry ford <fordsfairlane@xxxxxxxxx>]

I would like to say something on this topic.

I have had vehicles that I have owned and a few that members of my family own, and I have only seen one wheel crack . and it was a aftermarket aluminum wheel,

 

and I have also seen a complete set of factory dodge truck wheels rust so bad that all 4 wheels had to be replaced.

the dodge truck is a 4x4 farm truck that is almost always covered in mud and dirt, I don't think the truck has ever had a bath in the past 18 yrs, is what I believe had caused the rims to rust .

 

I keep old car wheels laying around my shop, I use them as jackstands and just in case I need a spare at hand, the wheels range from riding lawnmower wheels to old dump truck wheels, and have only managed to bend a couple but never crack one, maybe I have been lucky.

 

as for steal rims cracking , I would suggest you find what caused them to crack in the first place, so that it can be prevented in the future,could be that the wheels came off somthing else, and couldnt handle the weight of your car and thus caused them to crack.( read futher down)

my general rule is for what ever the reason something cracks, wears out, or is broken you must investigate to find the cause, and make repair or adjustments to prevent it from happening again.

 

at one point in my life I learned the hard way,I spent thousands of dollars on building hotrods and race cars and knowing what I know now ( lets just say I grew up). I could have fully restored many imperials by now.with the money I threw away.  .

 

some of the things I have learned is that not all cars or its parts are created equal , every single part of a car will wear out unless certain preventative maintence procedures are followed on a regular bassis. all vehicles use variouse metals, plastics, and rubber. back 40 years ago automanufactures didnt have the environmental people breathing down there necks as we do today, example> overfull landfills, and salvage yards full of old used car tires polluting up the world the government along with other agencies around the word have demanded that tires be manufactured so that they will rott away faster, ( less than a few million years ). along with all plastic and ruber parts on cars,

 

so my point is that the vehicles built before the government got involved were in fact built to last longer than a car built today, it doesnt mean that a 2005 model car that has a 10 yr 100k mile warranty was ment to last 40 yrs. because if they did the Environment Agency would be all over there butts.
and a car built in the 40s may not have a 40yr warranty, nor did the manufacturer intended the car to last this long , but most parts on these old cars used products that took longer to deteriorate, at that time it wasnt a big deal. as it is today.( newer radial tires will dryrot much faster).

 

more and more each day I read or see on TV that people are into the old , and not just cars, could it be because things were made better back then?

 

  Im proud to own a classy imperial, built when factory workers took pride in the products that they sell , the craftmans ship shows on our imperials , I dont think chrysler would have allowed its flagship to roll off the dealers lot if the car was anything less than perfect. this is why I dont think your wheels cracked because of something chrysler had done or didnt do,

 

wish you all luck and safe motoring.

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