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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / New tires for 1947 super deluxe

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Posted By Discussion Topic: New tires for 1947 super deluxe -- page: 1 2     len47merc 02-16-2015 @ 6:04 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 You're welcome Jim. Others on this site have far more experience, resources and knowledge than I've been able to develop thus far with my '47. For peace of mind I went through the entire suspension upon receipt/before putting it on the road, using only the referenced '42-'48 Shop Manual/Service Handbook and did some of the work myself, leaving the king pins, spring bushings, shocks and rear shackles to professionals experienced in vintage Fords with the equipment to do the jobs safely and correctly. Perhaps others have better &/or more specific documentation and recommendations than that I have referenced to help you go through your suspension analysis and restoration. Good luck - be interested to know what you finally select for your tires and what your thoughts are about them after your first few road tests. Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 2-16-15 @ 6:19 PM barrhavencobra 02-16-2015 @ 5:40 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 31 Joined: Dec 2014 Thanks Steve, I very much appreciate the heads up and suggestions. I have a couple old cars and never sell so I want to spend the time to make them right for the long time. Jim len47merc 02-15-2015 @ 3:17 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 Jim - the Ford/MERCURY 1942-1948 SHOP MANUAL/Service Handbook should give you most all the technical info you need. The reason for the suspension suggestion, beyond basic & fundamental safety, is your investment in tires is likely to be substantial and you do not want to have worn components wearing them out prematurely, or give you the impression you have a new tire problem when a suspension component is at fault. King pins/spindle components, bushings, drag link, torsion & stabilizer bars, radius rod ball, tie rod ends (ball joints), shocks, etc., one, some or all may or may not need work to: 1) Make your car safe and comfortable to drive and 2) Protect your investment in those expensive whitewalls. Depending upon your comfort level and skill set in working with your suspension components/diagnosing areas of concern, and before you make any investment in parts, you may find value in having a front end/suspension specialist local to you who is conversant in classics/vintage autos/Fords to review your '47 and advise you what you may need. This may save you $$$'s in the long-run. Some components require machine shop work &/or special tools to be installed safely, properly & correctly. Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 2-15-15 @ 3:50 PM barrhavencobra 02-15-2015 @ 11:59 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 31 Joined: Dec 2014 Helle Steve and others, I appreciate your comment re rebuilding suspension before I get her on the road this spring, is there a reference where I can go to see what needs to be done? Thanks Jim barrhavencobra 02-15-2015 @ 11:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 31 Joined: Dec 2014 Helle Steve and others, I appreciate your comment re rebuilding suspension before I get her on the road this spring, is there a reference where I can go to see what needs to be done? Thanks Jim Drbrown 02-13-2015 @ 8:04 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 570 Joined: Nov 2013 len47merc .... my '47 is a good driver but would not survive any serious judging. My only readable glass bugs are both rear seat hinged vents which are by Ford and say May '47 and exhibit bubbling along edges. The door glass including their vents are unlabeled so they must be replacements. The curved rear window glass window is labeled Herculite but Herculite did not include a date. The windshield plates are (1) de-laminating undated "Duplate" by PG [Pittsburg Glass] and (2) undated LOF [Libby-Owens-Ford) "Hi-Test Safety". I have not de-coded the embossed numbering/lettering on the fire wall. I like the whitewall look too, especially with a dark maroon body color. You've got me wondering if my Firestone's are one-sided WW. Have only had car 1-1/2 yrs so never noticed. len47merc 02-13-2015 @ 5:56 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 Drbrown - that is a good read/catch and I am neglect for not researching my own copy of the '41-'48 Ford Book before responding earlier. As my plans were then to limit judging on my '47 to 'Rouge Class - Interior' I only skimmed this section and missed this whitewall reference. Luckily, with input from others on this forum I ended up with Firestone 3 1/4" whitewalls, and reading further and closer last night on pages 4-14 thru 4-15 the book goes on to say '...white sidewalls, when available, were one sided only, 3 1/4" wide'. barrhavencobra's potential use (and thankfully mine) of whitewalls on a '47 are a stronger possibility, particularly for cars with window bug date codes of April '47 (initiation of face lift program) and after. Unfortunately for me all my '47's (Merc) original glass window codes are consistently from January of '47, speedo/radio/clock codes are from December of '46, the serial number is one of the absolute last from '46 and it has a combo of '46 & '47 exterior trim that I (and EFV8 Club technical adviser Rusty Davis) perceive are fully original (due to the timing and location of the build) but cannot conclusively validate; hence the decision not to pursue exterior judging and no worries about having to justify any potential whitewall date conflict. In the end, if points are a concern it would appear barrhavencobra should have no worries here if all his window bug codes, critical dates and numbers are for April '47 and after and he uses 3 1/4" whitewalls. The book suggests some flexibility for use of whitewalls may exist for Jan-Mar '47. Personally, I like the whitewall look so much that if the car is submitted for exterior judging down the road I plan to accept any points deduction as the cost of personal preference. Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 2-13-15 @ 6:01 AM Drbrown 02-12-2015 @ 10:31 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 570 Joined: Nov 2013 Re use of whitewall tires, the Early Ford V8 Club book page 4-14 reports no white wall tires until early 1947, but becoming available in early '47 coincident with Ford's "face lift" promotion. Re type, previous owner of my '47 installed Coker Classic polyester 78-15 WW Bias ply. They show little wear because of low use. Only one of them was out-of-balance when checked. I've driven up to abt 75 mph (have OD) and the tires/car drive and handle well. I believe 70-75 mph is beyond the intended/expected speed range for these cars and I normally don't exceed abt 60 mph. However, at regular hwy speeds I notice the front tires and/or steering apparatus "prefer" to follow any groves or edges in the pavement surfaces, much like a rear-wheel drive car resists climbing back up-onto the edge of the pavement along the shoulder of a road. In cars I drive with radial tires I don't notice that habit. Regardless, that characteristic is not detrimental to my enjoyment in driving the car and will not cause me to convert to radials. Perhaps when they are due for change I may consider radials. This message was edited by Drbrown on 2-21-15 @ 3:06 PM TomO 02-09-2015 @ 8:31 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7252 Joined: Oct 2009 I have bias ply tires on both of my Club cars. I have ridden and driven Early Fords with both types of tires. In my mind, I could not justify the extra cost of a quality white wall radial tire with the cost of the bias ply tires. I drive my cars about 2,000 miles a year, so wearing out the tires is not a consideration. They will have to be replaced due to age well before they wear out. I don't know the regulations about tires where you live, but around the Chicago area, it is difficult to find someone to work on a tire more than 7 years old. We don't have inspections. Tom len47merc 02-08-2015 @ 5:55 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 On the whitewalls, though not having done the research personally I trust the previous input from others on this forum that blackwalls were all that were offered from the factory in '47. If points are a consideration you may wish to investigate whether flexibility exists for the judges for your chosen whitewall. Steve

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