Register now to get rid of these ads!

Technical Anyone had good luck with Portawalls?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by BigO, Aug 19, 2019.

  1. I would like to put wide whites on my '47 Ford but it has new black walls on it and a new set of tires is out of the question. Has anyone had success with attaching portawalls and them staying on? Thanks in advance.
     
  2. you will need the help of the easter bunny...you dreamer...spend the necessary coins,you tight ass..
     
  3. Petejoe
    Joined: Nov 27, 2002
    Posts: 12,264

    Petejoe
    Member
    from Zoar, Ohio

    Sell your new blackwalls and buy the whitewalls.
    Should be easy to sell, Most people like the Blackwalls.
    Take a pill wbrw32.
     
    BigO and kidcampbell71 like this.

  4. Hahaha :). Wish I could but a lot of my money is going to cancer treatment, that's why I was asking about portawalls, always heard they never stayed on but was hoping someone had found a way. :)
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  5. Thanks Petejoe, good idea, and wbrw32 was just fun'in, I think. :)
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  6. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

    As nice as whitewalls are and I've had them on my car for a long time, it certainly isn't nice when it comes to cleaning them. Still, I bought this set for my deuce project cause the price was too good to pass up. I guess I like the struggle.
     

    Attached Files:

    BigO likes this.
  7. wicarnut
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 9,055

    wicarnut
    Member

    We used them as kids back in 60's, No, they are junk IMO. If you never drive your car they sort of work. I've read on here HAMB about painting tires, read and give that some thought.
     
    BigO likes this.
  8. Send Barry a PM and ask him how well they have held up on his camper, they looked good last time I saw it, I believe he told me he used some sort of adhesive to keep them in place, it's been a few years. HRP

    ratrod0
     
    BigO likes this.
  9. Used them twice for low buck projects. Now this goes against anything you'll read anywhere but both sets of the damn things did just fine and never peeled or had issues. But it could've just been flukes, we did do a lot of prep work and glued the ever living shit out of em.
     
    BigO likes this.
  10. jeepster
    Joined: Nov 17, 2005
    Posts: 1,068

    jeepster
    Member
    from wisconsin

    They dont work well with radial tires because of the sidewall buldge.
     
    BigO and Atwater Mike like this.
  11. Don't mean to hijack the thread...but I like your 2 tone wheel treatment
     
  12. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    We had a set that were different, they were 'thick', and had like 'beads' cast (vulcanized???) around the inside circumference, just outside the rim.
    There was also a 'bead-like' edge around the outside circumference, very heavy, and 'pliable'.
    Took some care in inflating/fitting, but if careful, came out tight (bias-ply tires, this was 1957!)
    They weren't 'stark white', just a little bit off-white, but looked quite believable.
    These were on my bud's channeled shiny black '30 'A' Coupe, were still on there when the second owner 'shipped out' in '62.
    I had the car for a year, kept it up, drove it a lot. Those Port-a-Walls came from Grand Auto, we got 'em on sale. (last 2 sets...)
     
    wicarnut and BigO like this.
  13. Graystoke
    Joined: Mar 23, 2010
    Posts: 437

    Graystoke
    Member

    I know a guy who runs a real beater and he has them on. He said he used Flex Seal glue and they are holding up well.
     
    BigO likes this.
  14. They work great if ya don't drive the car.
     
    wicarnut and BigO like this.
  15. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,615

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    A friend has used them and likes them BUT than again he likes the Mexican Chrome in a rattle can also.....................................
     
    BigO likes this.
  16. scrap metal 48
    Joined: Sep 6, 2009
    Posts: 6,079

    scrap metal 48
    Member

    Don't do what I did 40 years ago.. I put porta-walls on full wheel covers then popped them on the wheels.. Drove 25 miles to a local cruise-in and as soon as I pulled into the driveway, one popped off and rolled along and hit a girl in the back of her leg.. To embarrassed to go pick it up and drove off with everyone laughing....
     
    BigO likes this.
  17. uncleandy 65
    Joined: Jan 14, 2013
    Posts: 4,140

    uncleandy 65
    Member

    Don't waste your money on that crap.
     
    OLDSMAN likes this.
  18. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,916

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    When I was a lot younger back in the '60's, they were sometimes all we could get. There was a guy who worked at "Ben's Standard" on main street that had some secret method of installing them that kept them snug against the sidewall. I don't know how he did it, but the rumor was that he used a rubber mallet on them while setting the bead.
     
    gtoeasy64 likes this.
  19. southerncad
    Joined: Feb 5, 2008
    Posts: 949

    southerncad
    Member

    To install the correctly, you need to find an old dude at a tire shop, and he will do like Tubman said and use a rubber mallet on them while setting the bead...did it many times.
     
    egads, 302GMC, BigO and 1 other person like this.
  20. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,802

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I did a ton of them back in the 60's Tubs right about the guy with the mallet. You drive those things in with a rubber mallet as your inflating. Remember these were tube tires so you could stop inflating as the bead was coming up. When they were done right with all those siration lines were down in the rim by beating them in they looked great. Hell it was harder to clean off the black marks from the mallet than putting them on. Had to steal some of your moms SOS pads that still had soap on them and add some AJAX to get them really white. If you didn't take care of them they turned yellow.. Ahhhh Those were the days....
     
  21. jimgoetz
    Joined: Sep 6, 2013
    Posts: 517

    jimgoetz
    Member

    What he said. Had them on my first car in 1963 and they worked fine.
     
    egads and BigO like this.
  22. Thanks wicarnut, I'll take a look. ;)
     
    wicarnut likes this.
  23. That makes sense, and of course I have radials...:(
     
  24. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,442

    goldmountain

    Found mine on the other side of the highway. However, a friend gave me a can of whitewall paint that I haven't tried yet.

    Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    BigO likes this.
  25. It may be, once again, my West Coast bias, but they were referred to as Mickey Mouse whitewalls and were NEVER hep. Save your money for real ones while wearing the blackwalls out.
     
    BigO likes this.
  26. s55mercury66
    Joined: Jul 6, 2009
    Posts: 4,335

    s55mercury66
    Member
    from SW Wyoming

    We had a math teacher in 1973-74 who had a set on his '55 Plymouth. I am certain he was running bias plies back then, but he had a 30 mile round trip to school at 55mph every day, and they never flew off. They were the only set we had ever seen, so naturally we had to tug at them every time we walked past, and I don't recall seeing any glue holding them down at all.
     
    BigO likes this.
  27. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,609

    ramblin dan

    They were painted like that to match the car they were on which I bought them off of. I did see the car up for sale on Ebay a few weeks ago and it is one sweet Deuce roadster.
     
    BigO likes this.
  28. Hdonlybob
    Joined: Feb 1, 2005
    Posts: 4,115

    Hdonlybob
    Member

    I have used them in the past, as well as recently.
    I like the look of them on an older car.
    It takes two to really get them right, plus a lot of patience..and a rubber hammer.
    Get them in place on the tire, not the rim...then inflate gently while tapping the not correct spots with the rubber hammer..
    May take a few times but will work nicely..
    On occasion a little soap lubricant will work..
    Here is a '49 I built a bit ago using them
     

    Attached Files:

    BigO likes this.
  29. chrisp
    Joined: Jan 27, 2007
    Posts: 1,048

    chrisp
    Member

    When they stay on they tend to dig in the tire wall, some people had blowout because of them. Mercedes classic refuse to service cars with them, I don't know if they still do but they used to.
     
    BigO likes this.

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.