Replacement tires for Ideal Motorific

One of my weaknesses is vintage toys.  I played with Motorific track when I was a kid.  It was a hand-me-down from an older brother and by the time it got to me it was just the track - no cars.  The track worked well as a 2 lane road for my Hotwheels and it was easy to build fairly elaborate roadways.  Flash forward to  adulthood when I started to search for toys of my youth.  I never knew the name of the toy as a kid but was finally able to find it on Ebay.  Now I have a modest collection of track and the cars (and trucks) that run on it.  Problem is, most of these toys were stored in hot attics and the tires are hard and crumbly and don't provide much traction.

Old Motorific tires

Above is a photo of the original tires.  Whatever rubber Ideal used, it doesn't react well to heat and age.  I wanted my cars to be 'runners' so I've searched for replacement tires for awhile now.  I finally found suitable replacements made by American Heritage Models.  It is part # AHM43-801, Automobile tires 1930's and 1940's (3 1/2 mm by 16 mm).  They come 20 to a pack, and I got them from Diecast Direct for $5.95. They are fiddly to put on, but once seated properly they do the trick.

Motorific T'Bird with new tires

I put them on the interchangeable chassis, shown here with the Ford Thunderbird body.  I painted the front tire with white acrylic paint to show the whitewall.  Needs some work, but looks presentable.

While I had the toy out I decided to try Novus plastic cleaner on it.  It cleaned it up nicely.  Unfortunately for me, the toy is missing the rear bumper.  I will need to try and sort that out.  Below is a video with the car running on new tires.

Mororific is about 'O' scale and the car looks good next to the 'O' scale gas station