Henry J wheel replacement

[Terry T]

I once heard that there are wheels from other vehicles that can be used on the HJ's that are stronger and not prone to tossing hub caps--which I have experienced several times.
What cars and years are appropriate?
Thanks..

[HJ-ETEX]

Terry:
The HJ uses the same bolt pattern as a MOPAR or a Studebaker and those wheels can be found in 15" diameter with narrow width sizes. As a matter of fact, a 14" Studebaker rim is rather rare. I would suggest a 63-66 Studebaker rim because those cars came with disk brakes and there are claims the rims were stronger to go with the brakes.
Another idea would be to go to a large trailer supply & repair place like Southwest Wheel in Dallas Texas. They can find a generic replacement wheel in the dimensions and bolt pattern you need. In fact, a fellow was buying wheels from Southwest Wheel and reselling them through the Studebaker Drivers Club as new replacements.

[Jim B PEI]

Yes, the 14" Studebaker rims are 1958 only, and even then you could option 15" rims like other years. I have seen exactly 2 Studebakers on the road outside of International Meets with 14" rims, a 58 Silver Hawk and a 58 Commander 4 dr sedan. Rare...

That being said, the 15" Studebaker rims are easy to find. Don't bother to search out for (63 disk) 64-66 all Studebaker rims, as any should be fine for the much smaller and lighter Henry J. If you are driving a HJ with non factory power as in V8, then I would suggest looking for the Ford LTD/Mercury Marquis 15 inch rims up to 1992 (when they went to 16 inch), and especially if you are using radials. Cheap, and since they fit Studebakers, then I suppose they should fit Henry Js as well. IF you use Ford rims, you MUST use the Ford lug nuts, as the Studebaker lugs are fine for Studebakers, but TOO small for the lug holes of the Ford rims to be safe.

Just thought of this--would the HJ caps have clips like the Studebakers did? I take you mean caps and not wheel covers which are a different beast. The modern rims are a bit different and might not be suitable for either). I do know that my 50's Studebaker rims have the slots for hub caps even though all my 50's Studebakers came with Deluxe full size wheel covers.

The trick is likely not the rims, but finding radials that are tall and thin enough to be a good fit. Modern radials are too short and wide. I suppose if you can find something like a 205/75/15 that would be close, but a 215/75/15 might be better if you could find one. Back when 195 size tires were available, they were much closer to the width of an HJ tire, which was pretty skinny. Do a circumference test of an OEM bias tire on the rim if you have one, and see how much less the circumference is with a 205/75 or 215/75. Do the math to see how close, smaller or larger it is than OEM percentage-wise and you can figure out what sort of percentage your speedo and engine revs will change.

[Fid]

If the concern is that the wheel covers fly off, there is a fix and it works. I don't know the number of the KF Service bulletin but it says to bend the "clips" or "hooks" on the wheel covers out so they are almost at a 90° angle. Then use a rubber mallet or a hard "judo chop" with your and to fasten them in place. I did this on my J and my dad's J, both have original wheels and both are driven on and at hiway speeds pretty regularly and I've never had one come off in over 10 years of driving.

[Terry T]

Thanks to all.
I have 165 R radials and full wheel covers.
I have tried bending the tabs to no avail.
My local tire shop claims I have 2 wheels that are slightly bent--blame Route 66 for that!
That is why I am looking for stronger wheels.

[HJ-ETEX]

While we are talking HJ rims, it is time to relate what happens when you use full size Kaiser wheels on a HJ.
They are the same diameter and bolt patterns, but the big Kaiser rim is wider and will have wider tires.
You can even put the big rims/tires on the HJ rear, but it will require 2 jacks or 1 jack plus a jack stand.
However, if you put the big rims/tires on the front, the left front tire will rub against the clutch arm when you turn left.
The initial result is the clutch pedal is pinned in the up or down position until the wheels are straightened out.

[kfnut]

I got a good tip from a KF member at a national about how not to lose a hubcap . It works . Apply a dab of silicone to three or four of the tabs on your cap , then install it and let it set long enough for the silicone to set . It gives the cap that little extra gripping power and will let the cap come off when necessary .