• Rear spokes for Model TT truck 1926 June 30 - 5:39 am

Is brushing Kwik Poly on the wood spokes a good or bad idea?

BAD IDEA in my opinion!

Several years ago I had used Kwik-Poly 2000 on a few restorations trying to save the customer some money on wood-infrastructured bodies. You probably know this already but K-P actually makes the wood strong by making it brittle with the resin yet after time, the wood was starting to loosen in other areas. It would crack in the areas that had the resin applied.

IMO, spokes need to have "elasticity" to them. My son & I recently were repairing a set of wheels on a project, ...and the more I looked at them AND my son, I started to realize that not spending $500 for new spokes would seem awful petty if he/I (or someone else) were ever hurt because I was too frugal to spend the money to make those wheels safe. I challenge you to think this through too.

If your spokes are bad enough that you need quik poly to repair them then they ought to be replaced.
If you are just trying to make them pretty, then strip them with aircraft stripper and coat them with clear or black polyurethane.

Spokes are your lifeline to the road. Patching your lifeline doesn't make sense, buy some new ones.

It's not too easy to tell what the original poster's intentions are. Many people treat new spokes and new wood bodies, with Kwik-Poly in order to seal them and to make a nice, smooth surface, (after sanding), to apply paint to. Theory is that it helps to prevent splits and cracks appearing later, especially in the case of wood bodies.

Applying Kwik-Poly with thoughts of "strengthening" weak spokes however is not a safe option. Creating what you feel is a preservative or a pre-paint surface conditioner is arguably a valid use.

Thank you for the advise. My spokes look good I was just wondering if it would make them better. Sounds like a bad idea. I have always been a little nervous about spending all this time restoring my 25 T and using my old wood spokes. Is it standard practice that old spokes are replaced when you restore?

Unless the old spokes are rock solid, not rotten or heavily weathered, and tight, most people replace them. Of the two T's I have that use wood spokes, one has all new spokes, the other is all original. Just depends on condition.

The Kwik-Poly isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just not a miracle cure for bad spokes. Like most products, it has its legitimate uses and its limitations.

If original spokes are in good condition and tight, then there's nothing wrong with using them. In my opinion, it's very easy to tell the difference between a good usable spoke and a bad one. Brent is right on as safety is first, so if you're not sure then replace them. Spokes are under a lot of stress and if they break while you're on the road then the car will be come near impossible to control and a crash is almost certain to follow.

Just a note on spokes, make sure you use the hickory spokes and not oak spokes. The wood spokes on all model ts were hickory. Ford did exhaustive testing on various woods for spokes and it was hickory that provided the best durability since it was strong and could take shock better without breaking.

Mark

Joe, You have received some very good advice in the above responses. If your spokes are tight and seem ok, you may still want to ask some of the local T owners in your area to give you their opinion on the condition of your spokes. Always weigh in on the side of safety.

Good luck with your restoration and we hope to see you on tour in Rapid City South Dakota this summer.

My husband is trying to find a place he can buy wooden spokes for the rear tires of his 1926 TT truck. Anyone know of a place?

When I restored the TT truck that the foundation raffled off, the good folks at Brownies Custom Wheels made the rear TT spokes. I don't have their phone number, but here's their address:

Brownies Custom Wheels
7602 N Kennedy Road
Milton Wisconsin, 53563

Restoration of Mod
el T & TT wood wheels

Manufacture of original style TT Rear Hub bolts

After experience with 4 T's which all had lacquered spokes, I can only give this recommendation: When the T is for use and not only for show case, the lacquer will be hurt sooner or later; the incomming water is retained by the lacque and thus leading to wood damages. Especially clear lacquer is easily flaking so that water can creep under it. Everyone has already seen this grey spotted spokes... So: scratch off all that lacquer down to pure wood and coat the spokes with linseed oil. The oil also helps to get rid of the obstinate lacquer remnants. Well dryed spokes suck the oil like a sponge and will be waterproofed for the next 100 years.