Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Hello all!

I've got some Diamond Back tires comin' for the 53 Convertible. I talked to a gentleman at a car show recently who owns a 48 Chrysler. He installed some tubeless tires not too long ago and had some advice for me.

He said he has a super slow leak between the two wheel halves where they're welded together on one of his wheels. He stated that many manufactures back then didn't care about making the rims air tight because they all had tubes in 'em.

He suggested I have the welded wheel seems covered in a sealant of some sort, prior to mounting the new tires, just in case.

What do you guys think? Is this necessary?

-Chris

Yes, if they leak you will need a sealant of some kind. But most of the time it's not an issue. Some people like to go over any rivet holes or seams before mounting the new tires. If you have the tires dismounted it would be a good preventive measure.

Quote:

Thanks Mechagon. Is the tire place likely to have the proper sealant for situations like this? Or should I try to find something ahead of time?

Thank you,

-Chris

What type of sealant would be recommended?

I'm sure the tire shop has proper sealants, but I most often see it done with epoxy based paints or compounds like JB weld. Only an extremely thin, smooth application is needed-in 9/10 cases the original steel rim is sufficiently airtight to not require sealant.

I ended up wire wheeling my rims, then cleaned and primed with epoxy. I sprayed the inside face and areas the tires sit with black epoxy spray paint. Haven't had any leaks so far with my new Diamondbacks, so I'm assuming the epoxy primer did the trick.

-Kevin

Awesome! Thank you guys so much!

-Chris

I think '53 is far enough along to be totally welded. This was mostly a case of riveted wheels, which would've been the case in '48.
Doesn't hurt to protect steel from corrosion in any case.
All else fails put a tube in.

My inclination would be: silicone caulk. I've used and misused it to seal all manner of leaky bits off and on for the last 40 years. Contrary to rumor, it doesn't bond the parts, but it will make them a bit more difficult to take apart should that become necessary, like on those threads that just won't seal.

If it's water-tight, it's air-tight, too.

" Phil Swift here" Spray on Flex Seal