Ahhhh.......the joys of owner maintinance......

[InfernoRed]

Well,I took the 2001 in Friday morning before work for some general maintinance.Getting the oil and filter changed,transmission fluid changed,tires rotated and brake pads/shoes changed to a dust free type.Overall,it's in excellent shape at just 23103 miles on it.

HOWEVER......the dealer couldn't get the dang rims off.Gave me a call in the morning at work(which my supervisor didn't give me till 2 P.M....NATURALLY)to inform me the center caps which give access to the Lug Nut Beauty Covers are siezed.They didn't want to proceed without permission and do damage to $1500.00 rims...which I can appriciate.So I stopped by the dealer after work an took a look.....oh yeah...siezed indeed.I layed my considerable bulk into the breaker bar...and broke the breaker bar...lol.I asked if by any chance they had considered using an impact in reverse at low power(this with aluminum is considered a no no in just about every case I have ever heard of)and of course they had not for fear of damage.So home I went..Cruiser left there for the weekend....to call Boyd Coddington Wheels for some advice.I called and talked to one of thier reps....he asked how we had approached removal.He laughed and said "No no no,these you work just the opposite of normal.Don't use a breaker bar to pop them loose...use an impact at low power in reverse and keep working it till any internal gaulding/corrosion gives".Hmmm...guess another example of the "exception to the rule" clause.So I called back the dealer,let them know what I had learned(they too were shocked about use of an impact)....and hopefully come Monday after work...I'll have it back.

Inferno Red

[InfernoRed]

Weeelllllll..........yes and no on the completion of "simple" service work.I called the dealer this morning while on first break at work.They informed me that all four rims had been successfully removed....and the brake work was underway....it would be done soon.I was relieved.....I don't have a spare $1500.00 to replace the rims afterall.

By lunch time though........I recieved a call from the dealer.They had informed me that the work was complete BUT(and isn't there always one.......?)while on a test drive to make sure the brakes worked...one of my custom made tires blew out.

Now it will continue to sit yet for more time while a new tire is being waited on.

InfernoRed

[1WEDWUDY]

What's this about custom made tires? Haven't heard of this before.

[MINIMOTOMike]

yeah i read that but it really didnt sink in........ do tell

[JOEM]

Good info on the aftermarket rim removal and the fact you actually researched the topic and found out the right approach from the source (and didn't berate the dealer) makes you a gentleman and a scholar in my book. Sorry it's gonna cost you a tire, though. BTW, custom-made tires? You mean the wide whitewall type?

[PT_Sean]

If/when they get those puppies off, be sure to get them to apply some wheel grease inside to prevent any corrosion from re-occurring.

Damn rust!!

Originally Posted by InfernoRed

.. and keep working it till any internal gaulding/corrosion gives"..

[InfernoRed]

Quick update.....2 weeks for a replacement tire.She'll be riding on the "doughnut" for that time.Picking it up in about an hour.

As to what I refer to as "custom tires"......many of you are probably familiar with Diamond Back Classics out of South Carolina.They make wide white walls and such for cars.They appearently order tires from major manufacturers and then modify them.

When I bought the PT 4 years ago...I had in my mind EXACTLY what I wanted to do mod wise....fairly simple mods that could be taken off and return the car to stock with about 3 hours of work....yet make mine be just different enough to be noticed.Tires and rims are an obvious start.

Remember the "red line" tires on many 60's muscle cars....had the thin red pinstripe instead of a white pinstripe?Was on many many Hot Wheels from Mattel in the 70's....lol.That's what I wanted!!!!!Well,Goodyear makes them.....but not in a size that fits the PT.Than somebody brought up Diamond Back in here back then.I gave them a call...indeed,they made red lines,white walls,and gold lines too.BUT not for the PT....however,they said they could make a set and ship them to me.Within 12 buisness days of my call....4 new "red lines" in the PT size were on my doorstep.Now they offer them as part of thier product line....infact,the gentleman on the phone the other day that I talked to after my tire blew has a PT with red lines as well.

So...I call them "custom" since as far as I know...my set was the first made for a PT.......They look good on an InfernoRed PT though.

InfernoRed

[BlueMeanie]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it was harmful to drive your cruiser on the donut for an extended period of time. Due to the different wheel sizes, it throws off your differential and adds some wear to it.

Dan

[InfernoRed]

BlueMeanie,I believe there is indeed limits to driving with the "doughnut" as you mentioned.However,I think it is more to do with safety related to the doughnut itself.If I remember correctly....being a purely emergency tire,they are only speed rated to 50 MPH and a distance of 50 miles.

I have tested this to the extreme though......Our recently retired 91 Caravan in 1999 on the way to Indianapolis International Airport blew a tire about 45 miles from the airport.We were already running late...and so after installing the doughnut.....promptly took her upto 90MPH the rest of the way.Barely made it in time for our flight.When we got back,we drove all 65 + miles home(normal speeds) and made it.I wouldn't recommend this though .

A local fad has cropped up as well.....local teenagers have been raiding the junkyards where they can buy doughnuts for as low as $10 a pop and turning them into a full set of four tires!!!!Makes the cars look silly.They don't care it's unsafe....it's all about being different I guess.

But we have 3 vehicles (4 if you include the retired one....)so after tomorrow,the Dream Cruiser will pick up the slack for a few weeks.

InfernoRed

[JOEM]

Originally Posted by InfernoRed

Remember the "red line" tires on many 60's muscle cars....had the thin red pinstripe instead of a white pinstripe?Was on many many Hot Wheels from Mattel in the 70's....lol.That's what I wanted!!!!!Well,Goodyear makes them.....but not in a size that fits the PT.Than somebody brought up Diamond Back in here back then.I gave them a call...indeed,they made red lines,white walls,and gold lines too.BUT not for the PT....however,they said they could make a set and ship them to me.Within 12 buisness days of my call....4 new "red lines" in the PT size were on my doorstep.Now they offer them as part of thier product line....infact,the gentleman on the phone the other day that I talked to after my tire blew has a PT with red lines as well.

Yeah, I recall that discussion, too. Coker Tires also has redline and goldline tires that fit the Cruiser (15-inch).