John S's Journal
Home Page: John S
Eugene, OR, USA
| Total Posts: 182 | Latest Post: 2026-03-25 |
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I’ve been pondering what to do about the wheels and what kind of tires.
The old Rostyles are showing the ravages of time and I’ve been tire shopping. Lots of General Altimax recommendations on the forum and also Vredstein. I was looking into purchasing at TireRack and having them installed by one of the shops that they contract with so I made a few calls to check on costs for removing and disposing of the 4 old tires. One of the shops is only a half mile away so I started there and got a quote and then mentioned my plan to go with TireRack. He said since I was going to sandblast and powder coat the wheels and then have the tires delivered to their shop, he’d waive the unmounting and disposal fee. I told him I was looking into Vredstein and then the boss showed up and weighed in on the situation. I didn’t realize they were cross-ply tires and decided to explore other choices. He clued me into the equivalent radial tire size today for the car would be 175/70R14’s and said that Hankook makes a good one that would fit. He said the cost to buy them from TireRack sounds appealing but when you factor in free flat repair anywhere there is a Goodyear store and free rotation, then the cost savings disappears. And he can have them the next day after ordering. The Hankook’s look to be a good all around tire for the PNW and the style of driving that I’ll be doing.
After they got rid of the tires, I dropped them off to be sandblasted and powder coated in gloss black. With the stainless trim rings, center caps, and new lug nuts, I think it will be a nice look with some new shoes. Supposed to be done by Friday hopefully so we’ll see.
Got a couple more minor things done. A little PB Blaster on the diff fill and drain plugs while I cut the muffler off. That thing was Swiss cheese and belched rust every time I started the car so off it came. Still exhaust system shopping so that is on the list.
Got the diff fill plug backed out first with a 3/8” drive ratchet. A little sloppy but it turned out just fine. Same thing for the drain plug so it is going to drain overnight and get some fresh stuff tomorrow. Getting closer to a first test drive.
The old Rostyles are showing the ravages of time and I’ve been tire shopping. Lots of General Altimax recommendations on the forum and also Vredstein. I was looking into purchasing at TireRack and having them installed by one of the shops that they contract with so I made a few calls to check on costs for removing and disposing of the 4 old tires. One of the shops is only a half mile away so I started there and got a quote and then mentioned my plan to go with TireRack. He said since I was going to sandblast and powder coat the wheels and then have the tires delivered to their shop, he’d waive the unmounting and disposal fee. I told him I was looking into Vredstein and then the boss showed up and weighed in on the situation. I didn’t realize they were cross-ply tires and decided to explore other choices. He clued me into the equivalent radial tire size today for the car would be 175/70R14’s and said that Hankook makes a good one that would fit. He said the cost to buy them from TireRack sounds appealing but when you factor in free flat repair anywhere there is a Goodyear store and free rotation, then the cost savings disappears. And he can have them the next day after ordering. The Hankook’s look to be a good all around tire for the PNW and the style of driving that I’ll be doing.
After they got rid of the tires, I dropped them off to be sandblasted and powder coated in gloss black. With the stainless trim rings, center caps, and new lug nuts, I think it will be a nice look with some new shoes. Supposed to be done by Friday hopefully so we’ll see.
Got a couple more minor things done. A little PB Blaster on the diff fill and drain plugs while I cut the muffler off. That thing was Swiss cheese and belched rust every time I started the car so off it came. Still exhaust system shopping so that is on the list.
Got the diff fill plug backed out first with a 3/8” drive ratchet. A little sloppy but it turned out just fine. Same thing for the drain plug so it is going to drain overnight and get some fresh stuff tomorrow. Getting closer to a first test drive.
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