James,
When I was in high school (in the early 1980s) I had no money and would find tires for my car by the side of the road. If it said E78-14 on the side and had more tread than the worst tire on the car, it came home. I could change a tire by breaking the bead using the bumper jack on my Sister’s Dodge Dart. Flip it over, break the other side. Remove from the rim with a pair of tire spoons that my Father had, then repeat in reverse to get the new tire on the rim. To seal the bead, put some soapy water on the bead, then use a rope and a broom handle to put a tourniquet around the tread, the tighten the rope. Once it’s about sealed, I could pump it up with a hand bicycle pump to seat the bead, then check pressure. Took about a half hour, cost nothing. Best Regards, – M.A. in Florida
Letter Re: Truck, Auto, ATV, Motorcycle, and Bicycle Tire Repair
