What's the difference between these wheels?

[Newc]

Wow: thanks to the photos. I would change the rear drums/hubs, as some folks are looking for the '35 hubs, cause they do work with Hydraulics. Then he could learn about his rear bearings, taper, and key way. I wonder if there are any Early V8ers in Martinez? Newc

[Randy in ca]

Well I guess I should have refreshed my screen before my last post to save pretty much duplicating what Mart had posted and also to learn that you aren't currently running stock wires.

[Solo_909]

Okay so are you sure that the rear drums need to be changed? It seems that most 35/36's run the 40's wheels and I've never heard of anyone having to change the hubs.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Solo_909

I didn't realize they changed the drums too. The wire wheels that were on it were aftermarket.

Solo.......You state that the wire wheels were "AFTERMARKET". Yet, the pic below shows the WIRE wheels that were on the car when you picked it up. Those sure look like '35 wires to me. They would be correct for your REAR drums. By "CORRECT", those nubs on the REAR drum correctly-support the design of the center hub on each wheel. Although the '35 wires WILL bolt-on to that aftermarket front drum, that FLAT surface will not correctly support the center hub of a '35 wire wheel. The wire will bolt-on, but the center hub will FLEX......BAD!!! Never the less, I believe you're going to find that your REAR studs are too short for the solid '40s wheels, plus the fact that they will be improperly supported.

One more question......are you sure that your REAR brakes have ALSO been converted to hydraulics? Is there a hydraulic fluid line going into the TOP, REAR side of each REAR brake backing plate? DD

[Solo_909]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

Solo.......You state that the wire wheels were "AFTERMARKET". Yet, the pic below shows the WIRE wheels that were on the car when you picked it up. Those sure look like '35 wires to me. They would be correct for your REAR drums. By "CORRECT", those nubs on the REAR drum correctly-support the design of the center hub on each wheel. Although the '35 wires WILL bolt-on to that aftermarket front drum, that FLAT surface will not correctly support the center hub of a '35 wire wheel. The wire will bolt-on, but the center hub will FLEX......BAD!!! Never the less, I believe you're going to find that your REAR studs are too short for the solid '40s wheels, plus the fact that they will be improperly supported.

One more question......are you sure that your REAR brakes have ALSO been converted to hydraulics? Is there a hydraulic fluid line going into the TOP, REAR side of each REAR brake backing plate? DD

Okay, so yes they're wire wheels but not original wire wheels ( the ones where the wire bends 90 degrees to go straight into the wheel ) I was told these are aftermarket wire wheels and are not correct for my car because of the backspacing.



About the brakes not sure if they are hydraulic but yes the rear brakes have a line going into the top of the backing plate.

[V8COOPMAN]

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Originally Posted by Solo_909

Okay, so yes they're wire wheels but not original wire wheels ( the ones where the wire bends 90 degrees to go straight into the wheel ) I was told these are aftermarket wire wheels and are not correct for my car because of the backspacing.



About the breaks not sure if they are hydraulic but yes the rear brakes have a line going into the top of the backing plate.

Not sure what you're talking about....a wire wheel "where the wire bends 90 degrees to go straight into the wheel". The picture below is a standard, stock 1935 Ford wire wheel.



The picture you showed above IS in fact, a 1939-'41 Ford hydraulic brake backing plate. DD

[V8COOPMAN]

Is it possible these "bent spoke" Kelsey-Hayes wheels are what you are talking about as being ORIGINAL? Their spokes DO enter the wheel hoop at roughly 90 degrees. But, these are NOT original '35 wheels. They were offered as an aftermarket accessory wheel for '35 model Fords. DD

[Solo_909]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

Is it possible these "bent spoke" Kelsey-Hayes wheels are what you are talking about as being ORIGINAL? Their spokes DO enter the wheel hoop at roughly 90 degrees. But, these are NOT original '35 wheels. They were offered as an aftermarket accessory wheel for '35 model Fords. DD

I appoglies for my lack of knowledge. Okay so then I was speaking about the Kelsey Hayes wheels. I was just told that the wheels I had on my 35 were not the correct wheels and the spare that I have which is a Kelsey Hayes was original.

Anyways that doesn't really matter because I sold them lol. What I'm trying to figure out is which 40's style wheel I want, 16" 4.5" or the Merc 5"

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Solo_909

What I'm trying to figure out is which 40's style wheel I want, 16" 4.5" or the Merc 5"

Well, good luck! The 4-1/2" wide '42-'48 Ford 16" wheels are still easily found today, and should be quite abundant in your area of California at some of the old Ford parts emporiums. But, like I indicated yesterday, those '41 Mercs aren't growing on trees, and they NEVER did. In my playing with this old junk for well over 50 years now, I have never laid eyes on a real pair of 5", '41 Merc wheels!

Just for reference, 4-1/2" and 4" on this Florida 3-window coupe. DD

[Solo_909]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

Well, good luck! The 4-1/2" wide '42-'48 Ford 16" wheels are still easily found today, and should be quite abundant in your area of California at some of the old Ford parts emporiums. But, like I indicated yesterday, those '41 Mercs aren't growing on trees, and they NEVER did. In my playing with this old junk for well over 50 years now, I have never laid eyes on a real pair of 5", '41 Merc wheels!

Just for reference, 4-1/2" and 4" on this Florida 3-window coupe. DD

Thanks! I really appreciate site you and all the wisdom. This is my first 30's ford so I don't know much about them. I just spoke with a gentlemen and I'm
Buying a set of the 4 1/2". I would really like to run some divco milk truck wheels in the back but those are just a rare as the 41 Merc wheels I assume.

Are you running radials on yours?

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Solo_909

Are you running radials on yours?

The 3-window coupe above is not mine, but it IS running 5.50 R16 and 7.50 R16 Excelsior radials, tubeless .......drives and handles super! DD

[Solo_909]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

The 3-window coupe above is not mine, but it IS running 5.50 R16 and 7.50 R16 Excelsior radials, tubeless .......drives and handles super! DD

Nice!! I want to run the same combo but with a 4" drop axle, reverse eye posie in the front and rear.

[Talkwrench]

Originally Posted by PeterC

I run 4 inch rims on my front and 4 1/2 on my rear to accommodate a slightly larger tire in the rear. Hope that helps!

I do as well.

DD you come up with all the good stuff..

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Solo_909

Nice!! I want to run the same combo but with a 4" drop axle, reverse eye posie in the front and rear.

That coupe also has a 4" dropped axle and reversed-eye spring in front! DD

[justold]

Originally Posted by Detonator

Where can I find a set of these wheels with the built-in camber?

Just find curb on a wet day !

[Solo_909]

V8COOPMAN

Oh, nice!! Maybe it's the angle that doesn't make it look lowered.

Here's a pic of the backside of the rear brakes.

[Mart]

Those are 39-48 brakes, can't say if early or late without seeing the adjusters. Do you have an emergency brake?

To fit your flat face 40s steels, you should use 40-48 hubs and drums, which will fit on your axle. If you want to retain those drums, you should cut or grind down the 5 raised nubs to give a flat surface for the wheel to bolt against. The studs will be long enough - but only just.

Mart.

[Solo_909]

Originally Posted by Mart

Those are 39-48 brakes, can't say if early or late without seeing the adjusters. Do you have an emergency brake?

To fit your flat face 40s steels, you should use 40-48 hubs and drums, which will fit on your axle. If you want to retain those drums, you should cut or grind down the 5 raised nubs to give a flat surface for the wheel to bolt against. The studs will be long enough - but only just.

Mart.

Gotcha, yes I do have an emergency brake. I'll try to find some hubs and see what they will cost to replace. Might be worth just shaving the nubs down and saving the money.

[JM 35 Sedan]

IMHO, if you want to run '40-'48 wheels on the rear of your car, replace those '35 hub/drums with '40-'48 hub/drums instead of grinding those 5 nubs off the '35 drums. '35 rear drums were one year only, not reproduced to my knowledge, and getting difficult to find for those who own '35's and run with stock wires. If they measure less than 12.060" dia. at brake shoe contact surface you could probably sell those, buy good '40-'48 rear drums, and have money left over.
As others have already stated, your front drums look good to go with '40-'48 wheels, assuming they do not measure over 12.060" dia. in the brake shoe contact surface area.
Also, I picked up some 16", 5 on 5-1/2" bolt pattern '40-'48 pass. car style wheels, that measure 5" wide in the tire bead area. They were being used on a late '40's to early '50's pu truck that the owner was changing over to 15" wheels. I believe he said they were original factory wheels that came with his truck.

[Fred A]

As JM points out, hate to see any good '35 rear drums butchered to mount '40+ wheels when a ring around the perimeter of the studs will accommodate the flat mount steel wheel. A one year drum vs a six or seven year compatible drum? Those '35 drums at 1 3/4" width allow Ford wires to mount safely without adapter. Figure that. That alone should be worth something. Also incomplete is not to mention the more common 16" pickup wheels, also at 5" width with a slightly different offset and holding the '40 style caps. It did take a while to find five nice matching '41 Merc wheels while sifting out the similar pickup wheels. Stay calm and don't get carried away even though even one more common wheel variation exists but may or may not make selection more accurate. It goes well for the shopper that few seem to know about the variations of 5"-16" wheels. Way often sellers represent 4 1/2" as 5". Measure and doubt! Good Luck: Fred A