Vulcanizing is a way to make rubber stronger and last longer. It involves a special treatment that helps the rubber hold up better under pressure and heat, which is important for tires.
White wall tires are tires that have a white stripe or band on the side. They used to be popular and seen as fancy, but now they are sometimes used for style in fashion.
Bias ply tires are a type of tire made with layers that cross each other. They are older technology and can feel softer but aren't as stable as newer types.
Radial tires are a newer type of tire that are made differently than bias ply tires. They are better for handling and last longer, which is why most cars use them today.
Period correct tires are tires that look like the ones that would have been on a car from a certain time in history. They help make old cars look authentic.
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Emily BB09: That was good. That was fine.
Rose BB09: And let's be double real in that. We didn't share the question on social media. And so usually we get less responses. We sometimes get responses from people listening to the show, but we didn't get any this week. And, uh, there's been enough going on lately with everybody that I don't know that people are really, you know, that much.
Rose BB09: Okay. I'll go first. All right. So mine, my question was, I believe I, I don't know exactly as I mentioned before, I don't listen to the show, so I don't remember exactly what my question was. I, I believe that the phraseology was, what car did Gene win the America's Most Beautiful Roadster Award with?
Rose BB09: the meat of where the story comes from is that we had postcards, like old postcards that I think a MT maybe made for Jean or something.
Like, or I don't even know. I didn't find out specifically, but I'm,
Rose BB09: there was a note about somebody that hung out around Walt who upholstered it and that he had redone the, seatbacks like three times. Seatbacks, it's like a tub. Maybe he meant the corners, but that he redid it because it just wasn't just the way he wanted it. So he kept re-patterning it and he redid it. Again, it is just such a beautiful car.
Rose BB09: I don't know. Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I do. I, yeah, it's just I love the car. It's a really pretty car. I always liked it. And then that time, that Gene took the time to like, tell me about it and tell me about building it and that, I mean, he loved that car and it's funny to think about. Just how many cars he built that there would just be times where we had to stop and talk about the ones that have sort of gone away. He repainted the car in 2007
Gene would call me and be like, Hey, come up here, do some shirts or whatever. I'd go up to run the power hammer and then he would be like, okay, I want this. Or I'd be like, Hey, let's do something. Let's do a nice postcard or whatever. And he loved that, you know, 'cause we did that postcard of him with the.
Rose BB09: it's just a totally different era of show Rod.
Emily BB09: standing by. Standing by Rose's. Got her Bart phone
I, he didn't tell me the state. I'm not sure. I don't know if I, I don't remember the state. Okay. It was a nationwide project. Okay.
Rose BB09: but he got in a little, further down the chain. Opened a tire shop to change tires. I dunno
Emily BB09: Oh yeah. Yep, exactly. He did have the answer to the, uh, highway versus freeway. Technically a freeway is a highway, but a highway is not a freeway. And the freeway is a road system that only has ramps and off ramps with no traffic signals and highways do have traffic signals and all that.
Emily BB09: I know. I don't know if I've had one where nobody had the answer. Very
Emily BB09: I dunno. Virginia Slims. Thank you very much.
Emily BB09: no. I mean a little bit, but not really., Treason Nails had an answer. He said, I know the brain buster kind of tire rubber used to be more white until maybe the vulcanizing process or some science thing made it darker black. The process was pricey.
Rose BB09: you know, they've always gotta, you know, the, the person checking out, it's like the cashier's gotta do a five minute bit for them, you know? I mean, they've gotta have enough material.
Emily BB09: Yeah. God rose. Listen, people, I'm not gonna do that. I'm the nice one. Wow.
Emily BB09: big What? Thumbs. That's
And then got, um, appropriated by the fashion industry. And next thing you know, you've got ripped up jeans with safety pins for $10,000. That's what happened with white wall tires. They were the cheaper tires, and then they became fashionable and they became more expensive, and all of a sudden the, uh, car companies were selling you.
Emily BB09: yeah, that's not what, let's see, in the 1930s , was when they started doing it where you could pay a few doll, a few extra dollars and then get white walls. That's when it started being popular. It's
Rose BB09: on like on the short one, the coop, Emily BB09: Well, in 1994 cocoa Tires introduced the first wide white wall radial tires because before these, they were bias ply. And then in 2013 they also did a bias look radial tires so people could have like period correct tires. And that's, uh,
Rose BB09: made. That still made it more expensive.
Rose BB09: your question? My question this week, even though my question's never important, my question this week,
Emily BB09: Perfect. Can't wait to hear the answer to that one. 'cause I don't know.
Emily BB09: I kind of get into something that I'm like, oh. I don't know. Yeah. When I was reading about the bias and the ply and the radial and all of that crap, I'm like, you know, honestly, I don't know the difference between, I don't know what these different things are. Okay. So maybe somebody can tell me and then I'll have to also research
Rose BB09: just find out more of the second option there.
About this episode
Loose Ends dives into a casual yet informative discussion about classic cars, focusing on Gene's award-winning vehicle and the intricate details of its upholstery. The hosts share personal anecdotes and insights into the evolution of tire technology, including the transition from white wall to modern designs. With a light-hearted banter, they also touch on the differences between highways and freeways, and the significance of tire types in automotive history. This episode blends nostalgia with technical knowledge, making it a unique listen for car enthusiasts.
