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I recently acquired this 1930 Budd wheel and intend to use it after I clean up the welds. There was an 8-ply bias tire on the rim when I got it, but I do not know if it had been previously running on some rig. After cleaning up the rim, there appears to be no other issues. My truck is not a show truck and I am mainly concerned with safety issues.

If had that rim in the first picture, I would prefer to make sure I had a nice weld bead on both sides of the crack. I would be more incline to keep the rim as a spare. Is both pictures the same rim? Inside and outside picture?
Because I drive my AA about 500 miles in the past 2 years so my answer is NO to use that rim.

No

KVO

it surely wouldnt be my first choice, curious how it cracks that huge area but not between the center hole and the lug hole...

if the weld looks good grind it down flush and see what it looks like then. Id then only keep it around as a last resort kinda rim or the spare tire rim.

The two photos are of the same rim, inside and outside. As you can see from the photos, the rims are not rusted out and I too have wondered what may have caused the cracks that required welding. Since it is already in my shop, I am going to clean up the welds and make certain there is nothing else wrong with the rim. Currently I am leaning towards using it for a spare. 1930 rims are impossible to find up here and the cost of shipping anything is very expensive. Thanks for your responses.

You might use it as an interim spare, but I don't see any way it can run true on the front and it can certainly cause a dual application to bend, not run true, may damage the other dual rim, and most importantly, they could come loose with disastrous results. This is why the DOT and every state I am familiar with does not allow weld repaired rims on the road.
If 30 rims are hard to come by, why can't you use a 31 or a 32 or ?? without welds in the mounting face for now? It doesn't even have to be off a Ford.
I have a rim off a BB that I will give you if you pay shipping from Minnesota.
Dave

Thank you dhetch for the offer of the rim. I already have 4 good rims, 3 are 1930 and 1 is 1931. I did grind out the welds on the cracked 1930 rim you saw in the photo. As I ground out the welds, I noticed other fracture lines and decided to give up on the rim. Its a shame to have it end up in the scrap yard, but it is not even suitable for a spare. Thanks for your comments.

That is a shame, wonder what caused that?

I hate to see any model A parts go to a scrapyard, maybe turn it into something or try to sell it for a doodlebug or something.

Personally I say take a torch to it and make it so no one can ever use it again. I would hate to have someone try to put a tire on it and have it come apart and seriously injure or kill someone.

Jim_M,
I maybe should have made myself clearer in my previous response. I suggested you should not use the wheel. If the side ring is Ford and undamaged, and unwelded, I would save the side ring for the next Ford wheel you get. I believe that the side rings of that era are quite interchangeable. I think the wheel is a testament to how rugged the Alaska roads have been since 1930. Maybe the wheel can safely serve as the mount for a bird feeder post. In addition to not wasting the welding gas to cut it up, you would probably end up with a bird feeder that has more history than any bird feeder in the area and is 100% mower proof.
Dave

dhetch wrote:Maybe the wheel can safely serve as the mount for a bird feeder post. In addition to not wasting the welding gas to cut it up, you would probably end up with a bird feeder that has more history than any bird feeder in the area and is 100% mower proof.
Dave

yea thats what i was thinking when i said save it., would make one hell of a birdbath stand! Could also use it to replace the base of a shop floor pedestal fan - theres a fan that wont tip over. Ive seen that done a few times with junk flywheels, pressure plates, brake drums/hubs ,etc.

Suggestion - the outer wheel rim is the normal part which is rusted away on the 1930/1931 wheels. I would keep the wheel if the rim is good. One could remove the bad wheel center and still have a good rim to use for repair if a good 1930 wheel can not be found.

If your truck is a dually and you don't load it up, why not use it as an inside rear wheel until you find something better?

Thanks for the suggestion Neil. The rim outer is in great shape so I will save it for some time when I am able to locate a good rim inner. My welded rim inner will end up hanging on the wall of my shop until I am able to find a use for it. I remember making reversed rims, to change the wheel offset, when I was a kid so I understand checking for runout and other issues when putting a rim back together again. And, thanks again to everyone for their comments on this matter.