Wheel Locks

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My daughter and I are working on assembling our pile of parts that hopefully will resemble a 1930 Model B when its complete

We are interested in locating 6 wheel locks.

We have tried John Cislak, Coker Tire, Dave Murray, Jere Veredone(no reply)

Any idea if they are cast steel?

Can we make out of stainless?

The picture shows what we found in the pile of parts. The rings are getting plated. The picture of the ring shows them before plating.

Any help is appreciated.

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wheel ring

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I think they are cast steel. When smoothing them they didn’t have a dull spark like cast iron. Jim

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Mine were chrome plated brass!

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In the steel industry, there used to be people who went around and spark tested (with a grinder) large semi finished pieces of steel, specifically ingots, slabs, blooms and billets. Since all carbon steel basically looks the same, spark testing was a rough means of identifying the grade.

Below is how to read the Sparks.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_testing

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I have a set, not yet installed, that are cast brass. I believe these were reproduced sometime in the last 20 years.

I realize they should be on the car for safety, but I’ve run the car for over 30 years without them with no problems so far.

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David, the brass ones were being made by a guy in the Studebaker Club. I bought a few sets that I needed and they fit well. About a year ago the casting pattern to make them was on E-bay, I was the back bidder… So I don’t know who has it now. I hope we will see someone using this pattern again to keep the Hobby supplied with locks in the future. I don’t know any other supplier at this time. Karl

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Thanks, Karl, interesting back story, I’d sure get some cast if I had the casting pattern….missed that auction completely!

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I am missing one of these keepers on a spare.

I figured if I ever needed to use the spare I would just move the lock to it.

I would love to have another one so that all my wheels had them.

In my mind they must be needed otherwise so many manufacturers wouldn’t have gone through the trouble to use them.

David said he’s run without them for years but I would feel safer knowing the ring is securely held in place.

Who knows, maybe with modern tube and tire manufacturing processes the locks really are an unneeded relic of the past.

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I have just been through this. A friend of mine is missing the locks on an otherwise nicely restored 31 model 43. I went on the Studebaker driver’s club forum, requested them here, and to the best of my knowledge there are none around. Someone should make these again.

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The locks were fitted to numerous cars of the 20’s. My lancia Lambda has them as did Minerva, etc. Although these ones are of pressed heavy steel with a safety pin type retainer. The primary purpose was that when you had a flat at speed the lock ring did not come off & disappear into the oncoming traffic at high speed!!1 I have had this happen on the Lancia at 60mph! The ring was doing at least 80 mph when it was catapulted off. Fortunately (???) it went under a Semi Trailer going the other way!! It came out the other side looking like a stick of licorice! This convinced me to fit the retainers!!

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Well, shucks, never thought of the ring issue with tire going flat….now I’ll have to dig them out and install, I need to change 3 of the lock rings anyway, I have 3 Pierce rings and 3 Studebaker rings on the car now, and they are different at the open part. I do have three correct rings to go on the car thanks to a great member of the PAS, though!

And no, the Studebaker rims aren’t available, they’re owed to my Louisiana friend Mr. Smith…..

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Thanks for all the input. I did learn that a 1930 Studebaker Commander has the wheel locks similar to the rusty ones in the picture. Seems like a number of folks need them and they seem like a good thing to have on as standard equipment.

Not really sure what holds them in place screw and a washer?

Not really sure what to do with the two shiny ones either.

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Dave,

There is a 5/16 fine bolt that comes in from the tire side and has a parallelogram head so it doesn’t turn as you tighten the nut. I thinned the heads on stainless bolts and cut a taper under the head. If you hold it with a screwdriver between the ring and tire it doesn’t spin. Jim

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