Burtbaccarat Posted June 15, 2022 Report Posted June 15, 2022 So I’m at the point where I’m trying to rid my 53 of the bias ply and put radials on. So I take it to the tire shop and course they can’t put valve stems in that seal… 2 of the tires had tubes and 2 did not….the two that did not seemed to have normal valve stems in them, but I’ve read and can see these holes are oblong/oval….. where the hell do I find oval valve stems without waiting days for a delivery? just call every tire shop in the area? Truck service centers? I’m assuming there’s different sized ovals, so where do I look to find the appropriate part? Honest to god this car wants to fight me on every single step…lol…I guess that’s the fun though… Quote
plymouthcranbrook Posted June 15, 2022 Report Posted June 15, 2022 The place I bought the tires for my 52 found them at a truck tire sales and repair shop. Quote
Burtbaccarat Posted June 15, 2022 Author Report Posted June 15, 2022 1 minute ago, plymouthcranbrook said: The place I bought the tires for my 52 found them at a truck tire sales and repair shop. Is there a particular size? Or is my best bet just going there and bringing the wheel? I’m assuming the latter is probable easier Quote
plymouthcranbrook Posted June 15, 2022 Report Posted June 15, 2022 I guess calling around first would be good. Certainly taking the wheel along will help. The truck place they found was just about a mile away from them so I did not get involved with it. I think someone here also has suggested a suppler that sells them but I cannot remember either who posted it or where the place was. Still I bet a local truck stop near you will either have them or know where to get them Quote
LazyK Posted June 15, 2022 Report Posted June 15, 2022 My local NAPA store had them on the shelf. In fact had a couple of sizes to choose from 1 Quote
Doug&Deb Posted June 16, 2022 Report Posted June 16, 2022 If I recall tractor stems are slightly larger and will fit. Tire shops have sealants that will help if needed. 1 Quote
rallyace Posted June 16, 2022 Report Posted June 16, 2022 They are available at most NAPA stores. You may have to wait a day if they have to get them from the warehouse. A decent commercial tire shop, not a chain store catering to cars, can get them or may have them in stock. My tire guy got them in a couple of hours from one of his suppliers. If you run full wheel covers, get the ones with metal stems. Wheel covers will 'walk' and pinch the stem. 1 Quote
Burtbaccarat Posted June 16, 2022 Author Report Posted June 16, 2022 1 hour ago, rallyace said: They are available at most NAPA stores. You may have to wait a day if they have to get them from the warehouse. A decent commercial tire shop, not a chain store catering to cars, can get them or may have them in stock. My tire guy got them in a couple of hours from one of his suppliers. If you run full wheel covers, get the ones with metal stems. Wheel covers will 'walk' and pinch the stem. I’m going to hit an old timer shop on my way home, and if I strike out there I’m going to do Napa which is a couple blocks from my house….I’ll update with my luck Quote
Los_Control Posted June 16, 2022 Report Posted June 16, 2022 iirc, years ago there were only 2 sizes of rubber valve stems. The standard size which you are seeing on your other 2 rims, then there was a fatter one that should work for you. Although they are made for a round hole, I have read where they have worked for the oblong holes for others. Technically your wheels were made to be used with tubes and oblong was the norm. If for some reason the large stems do not seal for you, I would not put any sealer in them to help seal. When I was working with passenger tires 40 years ago, the products sold would work, they just created a mess inside the tires. Would almost be impossible to clean them enough to add a tire patch if needed. Would also cause rust & corrosion on the wheels ... just created a mess. Who knows maybe the products sold today are better? I do not know. I use slime in my bicycles & riding lawnmower tires .... would not use it in my car or truck. Just my personal opinion. Possibly if the large stems do not seal for you .... I think they will. I might entertain the idea of welding the holes closed or just smaller, then drill them out to the size for smaller stems you could purchase or get at any tire shop. For the simple reason the large stems available are short & fat, they are made for trucks or tractors with no hub caps, you can use a extension cap on them to get through a hubcap ..... I'm just thinking if you need to spend time working on it, fix it right so you do not need to mess with it again next time. Quote
soth122003 Posted June 16, 2022 Report Posted June 16, 2022 Hey Burt Go to Wal-mart and get the larger sized vale stems. They are rubber and will mold to fit the oval hole. Did that on mine and they worked very well. That was about ten years ago and all are still working fine except one and that was the beauty ring slipping and cutting the stem causing a slow leak. Joe Lee Quote
kencombs Posted June 16, 2022 Report Posted June 16, 2022 (edited) Depending on the long dimension of the oval, you may be able to drill or grind it to the size of the larger standard, 5/8". A tapered rotary file in a die grinder would make quick work of that. Edited June 16, 2022 by kencombs Quote
Burtbaccarat Posted June 16, 2022 Author Report Posted June 16, 2022 1 hour ago, kencombs said: Depending on the long dimension of the oval, you may be able to drill or grind it to the size of the larger standard, 5/8". A tapered rotary file in a die grinder would make quick work of that. That is kind of the issue….I’ve been using 5/8 stems and they are still kind of loosey goosey in there….put a fat Milton stem in today, pulled though hard like it was supposed to…held air….then after 10 mins I sprayed it and it was leaking out of the base of the stem Quote
Burtbaccarat Posted June 16, 2022 Author Report Posted June 16, 2022 1 hour ago, soth122003 said: Hey Burt Go to Wal-mart and get the larger sized vale stems. They are rubber and will mold to fit the oval hole. Did that on mine and they worked very well. That was about ten years ago and all are still working fine except one and that was the beauty ring slipping and cutting the stem causing a slow leak. Joe Lee I’ve got some oval ones coming tomorrow…tracked down a single oval bolt in today and it seemed like it would work swimmingly….but of course unless I wanted to drive an hour each direction I would only have the 1….i could start a small tire business with the number of stems I’ve bought and have stock of in the past 24 hours…lol Quote
Sniper Posted June 16, 2022 Report Posted June 16, 2022 When one of my rear tires delaminated on me I took the rim to my local Firestone dealer for a new tire. I knew about the issue, but didn't think to mention anything as I had already replaced to two front stems due to a slow leak. Anyway, the manager of the shop got involved as I guess the tire tech had no idea what he was looking at. The manager zipped off to his house and got some he had for his tractor. Been going there with my personal and work vehicles from then on. When it comes time to do an alignment it will be interesting to see if anyone in town can do it Quote
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