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After 14 months, the new Firestone 7.00-20 blackwalls for my '29 have arrived. The car is currently wearing a set of the same size repro Goodrich Silvertowns that were put on back in 1999 when they started the resto and they're hard as a brick, aside from being technically incorrect for the car. I've changed the tubes in two of them already from being in Louisiana and picking up roofing nails, so will be putting the new ones on with my spoons and screwdriver in my own carport.

Big question! I've used balancing beads in the past in some of my antique cars but it has been a LOOOONG time ago! I really don't think there is any kind of balancing done on the tires currently on the car, no weights seen, and as I said, I changed the tubes in two, and it doesn't vibrate or shake at all, have had it up to 65, regular cruising speed is 45-50. So have you guys used the balance beads inside tube tires before and if so, does anybody have a particular favorite brand? Anybody noticed a major difference with them? I'm hoping to only have to do this once so I don't want to mess with unmounting them again!

The Firestones are a little bit "puffier" than the Silvertowns, they have a slightly bigger footprint (half an inch), but they just have a more rounded profile and look better on these cars - just want them to roll good too and not shimmy and shake!

NO tire stores down here, not even the truck stores, will even look at my snap-ring wheels, they act like they're staring at the eyes of the devil, but these guys are thinking of the old multi-piece truck wheels that were genuinely "split rim" wheels rather than "snap ring" wheels. I worked on a lot of big car restorations back in the late seventies and early eighties, we did these tires all the time ourselves and once that ring is snapped into place, it IS NOT coming off. All that's said simply to say no shop is going to help me with this, so I have to do it all myself. So, which beads to use? Anybody got suggestions as to how many ounces of beads per tire 7.00x20s, tubes, flaps, wire wheels. Any advice before I start messing about with this is appreciated, it's hot down here and this is a miserable job, don't want to have to do it twice! Thanks!