Our LRDG Chev

[motto (RIP)]

I have found that old hardened tyres are relatively easy to cut through with a bow saw, it's like sawing wood.
One of the problem tyres I encountered was a run-flat with sidewalls about 1-1/2" thick. It was on a Dodge Weapons Carrier and would not hold air. I travelled a thousand miles on it before replacing it.
The only way to remove it was to cut it off. First off I cut a wedge shaped piece out of it with two cuts starting about 3" apart and coming together near the bead.
Opposite that I removed another wedge but didn't bring the cuts together, I chewed the fabric and rubber out between them with an electric drill. This left a gap that I used to chisel through the wires.
Lastly I hooked chains on either side of the cut out and pulled the tyre open which I could do because of the wedge section removed earlier.
The whole operation didn't take long and wasn't very strenuous.
One of the wedge sections removed was laying around for years as a curiosity. It's probably still around somewhere.

David

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by motto

I have found that old hardened tyres are relatively easy to cut through with a bow saw, it's like sawing wood.
...
The only way to remove it was to cut it off. First off I cut a wedge shaped piece out of it with two cuts starting about 3" apart and coming together near the bead.
...
Lastly I hooked chains on either side of the cut out and pulled the tyre open which I could do because of the wedge section removed earlier.
...

David

This is what I was about to suggest. Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ.

[Andrew H.]

Thanks for that. So cutting the bead is absolutely essential - we will focus on that next time. Incidentally, our tyres are about 1.5 inches thick, but I don't think they are "run flat" because there is no "RF" written on the tyre.

[leo tomaiolo]

i like to use a sawzall to cut around the tire and let the rim drop out. if you cut it out close to the rim it's easier to cut the cable in the tire. i use a air tool (die grinder) with a 2" cut off wheel to get in close to the cable but not to damage the rim. plus with the tire cut of in this way you would have good access to the split between the rims. your truck looks great. can't till i'm able to start mocking up the body on my ford.

[Lynn Eades]

Andrew, Run flats usually have a collapsable (jeep is not) steel ring in them. They can rust to the rim as well.
R.H. in Hamilton had some halftrack runflats that were solid all the way through with a soft red rubber inside the tyre (permanent in the tyre, non inflateable)
Run flats were identified by type RF1, RF2, RF3. I cannot recall the differences.

Can you try setting the wheel up on solid ground,(concrete?) park the tractor on one side and then drive the digger onto the otherside as close as you can get to the rim. You will probably have to relocate a few times.
Be careful!

[Andrew H.]

Thanks Lynn,
Yes that will be our next move, in a few days time.

[Grant Bowker]

Another tool sometimes used for the rubber cuts.... chainsaw. I'm basically lazy so I then use the angle grinder for the rubber and wire left in the bead area rather than a cold chisel. Using a thin cut-off wheel can reduce but not eliminate the smell of overheated rubber. With a little care you can avoid any nicks in the rim.

[motto (RIP)]

One and a half inches thick in the walls and extremely heavy, sounds like runflat to me whether marked RF or not.
I would also be curious to know where they were made and if they were intended for American or British wheels. If they are American it would go some way to explaining why they are so difficult to remove.

David

[Andrew H.]

We bought the wheels from a local collector here. He has a very large collection of ex WWII military vehicles, so we don't know which one they came off.

[Andrew H.]

Lately we have been working on the front bumper. First we found that the correct military style bumper is straight (with two distinct bends) but the original civilian bumper is curved throughout. So we need to make a new correct LRDG bumper. However, the correct dimensions are different from standard sizes of channel steel bought over-the-counter, so we had to have a new one folded up. Then we discovered that the original dumb-irons as used on the civilian Chev make the bumper hang far too low. The bumper has to be high enough for the crank handle hole to align with the holes in the grill and radiator apron. First we made up a plywood template (see pics) to get the angle of the new dumb-irons right and the bumper to hang at the right height. Then we made new dumb-irons out of 12mm steel (work still in progress - no photo of that yet).

We also discovered that LRDG trucks used the same kind of D-shackles on their bumpers as the Blitz trucks of that era. Modern D shackles are the wrong shape so we are now looking for two original WW2 D-shackles. Can anyone in NZ help us out with this? See pic of correct D shackle attached.

[motto (RIP)]

I have some of those towing shackles Andrew. One is identical to the one in the photo and the two others very similar except the mounting plates are straight rectangles instead of having that bulged appearance.
I may have a cheap way of getting one or two to NZ.

David