Wheels and tires for repro

Please, can you help?

Need 32"x4" wheels and tires for exacting Spirit of St. Louis
reproduction to take flight in 99 days. and subsequent departure for France. No this isn't the Rhinebeck effort, but has been in the works for ten yrs.
Is there a Metric equivalent?? Will use 30x5's on order as back up if we have to. We can make wheels, we need the tires!

For those interestd, we not using Morrow's drawings but Donald Hall original notes, drawings and photos. Look for full press release in a few days.
thanks
Charles Neely

Have you contacted anyone at Rhinebeck to see where they are getting theirs?

Ken Cassens claims the Rhinebeck Spirit will be the most accurate replica yet, I'm guessing they must have a source for proper tires.

Not wishing to step on any toes, as Rhinebeck has their own , program etc. for the 75th anniversary of Lindbergh's flight. I am also well aware of the claims made at their website and press releases. Unfortunately Ed Morrow's drawings have been used on all known Spirit repros (including theirs) except the local effort. Donald Hall's data was shunned by New York effort (as I understand it) in the name of expediency.

As it happens, I am privy to the Hall data and can assure you that the Morrow drawings, while herculean in their scope and attention to detail (he was a dedicated Ryan employee who worked on the Spirit), his effort was produced largely from memory and limited known photos and is simply not accurate overall. Aside from MOST dimensions being off by 1"-3", his details do not match published photos of the airframe under construction!). On the other hand, Donald Hall drafted several surviving drawings, scketches, and took photos of everything!! His works, including a three view once regularly offered by NASM (which contradicts many features shown by Morrow) have proven to be accurate over and over.

If accuracy is the name of the game, I would think going to the original source, if possible, is paramount in any truly historical context. I suppose it all depends on where you put the "good enough threshold".

Just so you know, Morrows drawings call out 30 x5, those on the Spirit, as it now hangs in NASM are 30x5, but the wheels and tires which flew the Atlantic (also at NASM) are 32x4.

Also for your consideration, the above opinions are my own and not the official policy of any group or other person. I say this because the "official" history surrounding Lindbergh's epic flight has fallen under the shadow of varied political undercurrents promoted by certain special interest groups and just who's repro they will ultimately favor. Anyone read "History by Contract"?

Charlie Neely

Thanks for the info Mr. Neely. As you obviously guessed, I don't know much about the Spirit!

Good luck on your quest for proper tires, it must be frustrating to go through the trouble of building an exact replica only to have to compromise on something like tires.

[Dave_Watts]

Hi Charles,

This has always been a problem for German replicas and restorations as well. Many require 760mm X 100mm, which converts to 30" X 4". As you stated, 30" X 5" tires are available from Universal Tire, but not 30" X 4". Mikael Carlson of Sweden was successful in getting Continenal Tire of Sweden to remanufacture the 760 X 100 certified tires. I bought three sets.

Have you or your group approached Firestone, Goodyear, or whoever made the tires originally. Normally they would get behind remaking the tires for such an historic project as the Public Relations and free news coverage would more than makeup for it.

There will always be a liability concern in these litigious times we live in, but other than that you should be a go.

I can hook you up with Mikael, but these are the wrong size for you.

Best,
Dave W.

[Dave_Watts]

Hi Charley,

I have quite a few wheels I have collected over the years, what are the exact dimensions on the wheels, and what are their design? There are a lot of different wheel designs, such as the Camel, to Neiuport, to Fokker!

Best,
Dave W.

Dave,,

Thanks for reply. your 's reminded me that when a certain wheel/tire size is called out or specified, its not always a simple matter of diameter and width, as one might tend to ASSUME(don't know about you, but I have been an ASS on more than one occasion). Sometimes its a mystic formula known only by the manufacturer or other's in the know, especially it seems among American manufacturers of the early 1900's. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that WWI types had tires which are simply dia. x width. If not, would appreciate an education!
Thanks
Charlie

[Lufbery]

may be wrong, but it seems to me that WWI types had tires which are simply dia. x width. *If not, would appreciate an education!

I'm curious about this too. Today, when you buy a tire, it gives three dimentions: diameter, width, sidewall height. I wonder if the same thing was done then too.

Regards,