Restoration of 1937 ME31 30 cwt Dodge.

looking really great
thanks for sharing
Jim

The original spider rims on the Dodge were all rusted, so as 20 x 5 inch wide spider rims are difficult to find, we removed the centres from disc wheels to get some rims for the restoration.

May I ask how you got the centres out? I have tried this recently, to no avail. After drilling all the rivets out, cannot move it 1 mm. It seems the rim is also shrunk on.

Thanks in advance,
Jarrod.

well the ones I have dont just drop out I did a rim only few nights ago block of wood and a big hammer they come out
then clean them up real good and hammer them with the block of wood into where they need to be
Then I bolt them back up and put a dial indicator which I think is over kill and use a porta to gently shift it till its running straight
I then tack weld them then check the run out again and fully weld them back in

I think they heat the rims in the factory to grow them a bit then just drop the centers in

Paul

Thanks Paul. I tried flogging them with an FBH without result. (Inter 120 6 stud singles)
Was going to try tractor bucket next, with besser brick under the centre. I have some with good centres and some with good rims.
I don't think the dial indicator is out there, although I just use a rod clamped to a screw jack and watch for a gap (damn Inter shimmy) at the rim edge and tyre.

I must have another go.

Jarrod.

Firstly we tried drilling a 3 mm hole through the rivet and driving it inwards. It worked but was hard going, we now grind off the rivet heads and drive them outwards quite easily. This works well and we now believe the rivets are tapered. We are able to knock the centre out with hammer in the photo.

Geoff.

The Fargo is getting a pair of late model bucket seats.

geoffa wrote: Firstly we tried drilling a 3 mm hole through the rivet and driving it inwards. It worked but was hard going, we now grind off the rivet heads and drive them outwards quite easily. This works well and we now believe the rivets are tapered. We are able to knock the centre out with hammer in the photo.

Geoff.

Thanks for that. I must just be weak, or something!

Cheers, Jarrod.

Jarrod I dont have a press or anything flash like that but I find with Trewhella jacks and porta powers etc and big trees and big lumps of machinery if I can put lot of force on what ever it is I am trying to shift if it still wont budge I push as hard I can with the jack then hit it as hard as I can with a big hammer almost all things come apart
I think the jacks take the spring out of it so the force of the hammer is a lot greater dunno if thats true or not but it seems to work for me
And some rims I have done take a lot of hammering just to get them to move

Paul

Some more old pics of the 1937 Dodge.



My father the haystack builder.


My sister and I. Photo taken about 1949.