artillery wheels

[Jim Benjaminson]

The wheels on the 39 Plymouth were steel wheels with a solid steel disc and rim.  There were 4 open "slots" between the disc and rim - not spokes.  This particular 16" wheel was used thru the 1947 model run before the switch over to 15" wheels that year.  The bolt pattern is the same on all these wheels, from 1933 to the late 1950's (and probably beyond) including the 14" wheels of 1957.  The only thing to watch for is that the wheels have the "extra" holes to mount the wheel to the brake drum.  Wheel studs on Plymouths were not part of the brake drum and there is a guide pin on the brake drum to slide the wheel/tire into place and hold it there while the wheel bolts are put in place.  Some Dodge wheels did not have the holes for the guide pin.  When purchasing wheels for your car, I'd look for 1941 or later wheels, as they have the "Safety Rim" bead that holds the tire to the wheel in case of a flat or a blowout.  The earlier wheels did not have this feature.  To determine if the wheel is a safety wheel, you can see a distinct "valley" in the cross section of both inside and outside of the rim (not visible with the tire in place) for the bead of the tire to settle into.

[Wm Steed]

Artillery type wheels are not correct for the DCPD cars after 1936.. The "Artillery" type of wheel was a common replacement for the '34 and earlier wood/steel spoke wheels..
OK, that said I will try to shed a little light on the recent "fad" of using artillery wheels on '38 and later cars, especially by the "Low Rider" types on their Chevy's...
GM and other truck manufactures offered heavy duty 15" wheels for their 1/2 ton pickups starting in '37.. The GM style is a six lug wheel, International and Dodge used the five lug pattern... The 15" "artillery" style of wheel was also used on the larger Buick's & Pontiac's.. They are five lug 15" x 6...
The artillery wheels are the wheel of choice by the "Low Rider's" because they fit the six lug bolt pattern that GM used on the Chevy's through '48.. The wheels are HD 15" and will accept the stock Chevy hub caps... The 15" HD artillery wheels can be found in widths from 5.5" to 6"..
If a person is looking for the same look that the Low Rider cars have, International wheels will have to be used, i.e. Ford. Mopar, Int. is generally the same bolt pattern...
I believe that the majority of '35-36 artillery wheels will be 17" in lieu of 16"....
Of course if one looks through the old car books it can be noted that many cars of the mid '30's, Studebaker, etc., also had the artillery type of wheel.. Ford went to the "wide 5", 16".. artillery style in '36 to improve handling, and a five pound per wheel weight reduction, 5x5 = 25#.. Big bucks on the number of cars that Ford was building...
Fortunately for us Mopar types, we don't have to search out antiquated wheels from the '30's if we want 15" wheels/tires on our cars.. If one wants wider 15" wheels for use with radial tires, a '41 or later Chrysler wheel does the job... Bill

[Lew]

Some of come up on ebay from time to time.
If you want 35/36 wheels, there were 17" wheels for the business line and 16" for the deluxe series. The Dodge wheels were a similar design. Also, if you find some, you may want to test for trueness by spinning the wheels to check for crosswise out of round/ wobble. I've seen some with the mounting hole area bent, for lack of a better term.

[DENNIS P NOLAN]

OK- 10 Spokes is perfect- a complete set- in good condition-Thanks, D

[bigaadams]

would you believe the areas that are not holes are the areas that are spokes........

in the picture below the count is 10....

[DENNIS P NOLAN]

The latest issue of the bulleting shows a number of '35 Plymouths- with these wheels-steel wheels-SPOKES-?-I am looking to know where I can get them-?? Thanks, Dennis

[bigaadams]

my earlier comment was not to question your year application of 1939 but asked for the spoke count because OTHERS have these wheels on other year cars and will not know the exact application of the ones they have..again, there are 10, 12 and 14 spokes wheels that I am aware of..it would benefit you to list your spoke count..

[DENNIS P NOLAN]

Thanks for the reply- I am loking for the steel wheels with the holes around the sides-sorry if I used an incorrect descrition for these wheels-these are 16" wheels that I will get powdercoated the Aviator blue that the car is-Thx. Dennis

[bigaadams]

these wheels find their way to other makes...year application is often lost...are these 16" and how many spokes do they have...I have seen 10, 12 and 14 spokes..

[DENNIS P NOLAN]

I have a '39 P-8 and am looking for 4 artillery wheels- anyone have any-? Thanks, Dennis- Arizona