| okydoky | -- 02-16-2013 @ 12:21 PM |
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Can anyone tell me WHY there was a wheel style change from 39 to 40 fords? Were the 40 wheels cheaper to produce, were they stronger or stiffer or what? Can't see Henry making a change like this without good reason. I have a 39 5w coupe standard. I have been told that I should make the change to the 40 wheels, but no-one has given me a good reason to do this. Thanks. Nick
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| 42merc | -- 02-16-2013 @ 1:05 PM |
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Noise & vibration, the '39 style wheel was a very rigid design, the '40 & later wheel was more compliant & transmitted less noise & vibration.
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| CharlieStephens | -- 02-16-2013 @ 1:55 PM |
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Try asking the person that told you. I can't see any reason to make the change. Charlie Stephens
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| CharlieStephens | -- 02-16-2013 @ 1:55 PM |
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Duplicate post. If someone tells me how to do it I will delete it completely. I can't find the right button. Charlie Stephens This message was edited by CharlieStephens on 2-16-13 @ 2:25 PM
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| supereal | -- 02-16-2013 @ 3:46 PM |
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I suspect it had something to do with the competition of the day (Chevy, Plymouth) using the small bolt circle for style. In my stock car racing days, we always used the wide circle rims, as they held up better to track abuse. We often used the 3/4 or 1 ton pickup wheels so we could mount really big tires for the dirt tracks. One drawbck today is that most tire shops can't mount or balance the tires without an adapter.
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| Stroker | -- 02-16-2013 @ 4:50 PM |
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I like Supereal's answer, as it is the only one that really makes sense. The 36-39 "wide five" has more lateral stiffness, which is why it is still used today in some dirt track venues (World of Outlaw sprint cars, etc.) It "multi-tasks" the brake drum/hub assy. to reduce weight; much as the Dayton 20 inch truck wheels did before the adoption of aluminum Budd style wheels. But... like Supereal say's, everyone else was making wheels with small bolt centers that could accommodate small, fashionable hubcaps, so I expect fashion trumped function. If it was such a lousy idea, why did Porsche and Volkswagen continue with them up until the 70's, and why did Pontiac resurrect the concept in 1966 for their full-size performance line?
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