The Dodge Challenger Message Board

This picture is my original spare which has sat in various garages over the past 30 some years. I have never used it but it appears the previous owner had by the slight tread wear. I'm wondering the best approach to restoring it. My thought are as follows

a). Clean it up as best possible and keep as riginal as possible.

b). Touch up the rusted and chipped areas.

c). Sand the entire wheel and repaint. (Though the warning sticker will be lost which is in good shape).

d). Pull the tire and have the entire wheel blasted and powder coated. (Bye, Bye, sticker again)

Also wondering the what would happen if the tire were to be inflated. Could be problems getting it back in shape or the rubber splitting? If I decided to go the cheaper routes it would be a lot easier to cleanup the sidewalls fully expanded.

The car is an occasional driver however, the spare will never be used. Replacement of the tyre is not being considered unless it is destroyed in the process (Heck, I don't even know if a replacement is available).

All ideas are welcome.

Thanks

jon,i would leave it as is.by the time you put the hardware on top of it-it wont look bad and these days untouched original stuff is well respected the way it looks.

if your car is a show car then make sure they have a repro sticker,sand blast the rim,repaint and make it look new again.i would keep the tire though as it is original and i dont think they have a repro space saver tire.

tire cleaning tip-- to bring that tire back to life use sos scrubbing pads with a little water then rinse.it will come out looking real nice and black.

another option would be to sell it to "airfueleddie",he shure needs that spare.

Keep as original as possible. That is what restoration actually means. It has nothing to do with replacement of original parts or paint if at all possible.
Something that seems quite lost on most "restorers".

Thanks Danny! I think with my original 14" Magnums I wouldnt 'qualify' for it. I agree with both Danny and Dave. I would leave it alone. It looks remarkably nice and original.

Thanks guys, i am leaning that way also. Maybe touch up the rust to stop it from spreading.

Eddie, a 14" spare just sold on ebay this afternoon, I missed the final price. There is another coming up but the tire looked pretty checked.

I think that would be a wise thing to do Jon, thanks for the 14" tire tip on the bay. At the moment I am too broke for even spark plugs. I need to pay off some debt. At least now I know what to look for thanks to you guys:frown:

While cleaning up the spare tire today, I noticed the size is 7.75x14. The rims on the car are 15". Were all space savers 14"?

Yes, they were for the E-body cars.

JackT wrote:

Jon wrote:Were all space savers 14"?

Yes, they were for the E-body cars.

I forwarded Jack´s answer to a fellow ebayer who had a 15" space saver for sale. Here is his reply:

"No offense to your incorrect input but First let me say responses are for serious bidders only not chatting or harassing. I never asked you anything! I have owned and documented over 100 E-Bodies mostly 6 pak cars and if this was documented for these cars it would have stated that! The part number and date is CLEARLY stated and pictured in the description for any one to see. I never said they didn't come with 14 from the factory but 15 was most certaintely optional!! You need to re-read the description! It states...COULD BE used for any 1970, 1971, 1972 ... it does NOT say it WAS! Thousands of e-body owners have 15 inch spare tires in their cars i see them at shows and cars for sale all the time even in 100,000 dollar Hemi cars. Many people put them in and don't care what it came with! I hope this clears up any confusion and if you are interested in questions concerning this item for sale ask any questions you like, more than welcome"

Am I beeing too nosey? Shall I quit making such comments? Any suggestions?

Background: Why did I do it? I dislike seeing people get cheated so I try be helpful when I can. I started that when I by mistake was bidding on a non-Challenger part when I believed that it would fit. Another e-bayer informed me about that and I was very grateful for the information he gave me.

I trust you guys. I dont trust e-bay. (Chris, You did nothing wrong at all!)

more proof on the space saver tire.this attachment is right out of the 1970 dodge data dealer book.notice how is says "only" in 14" size.

Christer, I've seen those spares going from $200 to $1000. It seemed to have started with one a while back that sold for $1,100. Everyones in on it now.

It's buyer beware as usual.

Christer, I was fighting off the flu when your post with the seller's reply went up and missed it. If I were you, I would have replied to that seller that I was indeed a serious eBay shopper/bidder but was looking for the correct spare, not whatever would fit. Who was the seller?

JackT wrote:Christer, I was fighting off the flu when your post with the seller's reply went up and missed it. If I were you, I would have replied to that seller that I was indeed a serious eBay shopper/bidder but was looking for the correct spare, not whatever would fit. Who was the seller?

Hi Jack! I have sent you a PM with his nick-name. From time to time I have been thinking of some kind of "black list" where we could list less preferred ebay sellers. I don´t know if it would be a good idea or not though.

This particular seller uses private listings. I think it is a way of hiding things. I have chosen not to bid on such autions myself.

I recently got my hands on a 14" Mopar Rim and a (looks brand new) spacesaver tire (off rim).
The rim needs some work- will have it blasted, primed and re-painted factory semi-gloss black.
2 Questions-

First, is there any particluar make of valve stem I would need to use or can I go with a generic one.
Second, where EXACTLY does the decal go on the rim? Any particlular location?

Thanks!