Dayton Wire Wheels have been manufactured since 1916. Dayton is one of the world's largest manufacturers of wire wheels which are used on a variety of cars, including hot rods, lowriders and vintage sportscars. Dayton wheels are installed with an adapter and are fastened with knock-off covers that are tightened with a lead hammer.
Loosen the vehicle’s wheels with a lug wrench. Use a floor jack to raise the vehicle and place it securely on jack stands at all four corners. Remove the wheels and set them aside. Spray brake cleaner on the hub and brakes. Wipe them down with a clean, dry towel. Ensure that there is nothing that will obstruct the wheel adapter from seating fully against the hub like rivets or balancing weights.
Dayton wheels are fastened to the car with adapters. Before installing adapters, check the length of the wheel studs. They must be 1 1/8-inch or less in length. If the wheel studs are longer, install shorter studs, use a wheel spacer behind the adapter or cut the studs to the proper length. Install adapters onto the hubs on the proper sides of the car. The adapters say left and right, and the left side adapters have a white plastic mesh cover, while the right have a red plastic mesh cover. Do NOT install the adapters any other way. Ensure that the hub adapters fit flush against the hub or brake drum. If they do not sit flush, determine what is interfering before continuing. Also, ensure that the adapters rotate freely with the hub. Remove the red and plastic covers on the adapters. Put a light coating of grease on the adapter’s threads, the back of the knock-off and the knock-off cap threads. Install the lug nuts and torque them to the settings with the provided instructions for your specific vehicle.
Place the Dayton wheels on the adapters and push firmly until the rear of the wheel is even with the back of the adapter. Rock the wheel back and forth until the saw tooth drive engages. The wheel should sit firmly on the adapter. Install the knock-off caps onto the adapter. Use the marks on the caps to determine the proper tightening direction. Use the caps marked left side on the left and right side on the right. Tighten the knock-offs with the supplied lead hammer by tapping the knock-offs until they are tight.
Once the wheels are installed, test them by spinning them on the hub. Ensure that they do not rub on the brake components. Place your hands at three and nine o’clock, and ensure that the wheels are properly seated with no looseness. Lower the vehicle to the ground and tap the knock-off caps with the hammer until they do not move, no matter hard you hit them. Re-check the tightness of the wheels after 25 miles. Continue to check the wheels every 100 miles for the first 500 miles and then every few weeks after that.
