ClassicCar

drivergo2

Are stepdown rims marked in anyway to tell if they are hudson, Are they stamped hudson or anything. Thanks JOHN

Hudzilla

The area that is sometimes stamped is on the outside flat area where a tube would go up against. It is marked upon occasion 'Motor Wheel Corporation' - not much help. The thing that may help you are the design of the smaller wheel cover retaining clips. Nash, Kaiser and Hudson all shared the same clips. Providing the are the same diameter and width, they will all interchange as well..

46HudsonPU

'Motor Wheel Corporation' was a major supplier of steel rims/wheels for just about all automobile manufacturers.

'48-'54 15"X5" from 'Motor Wheel Corporation' would be marked 'X-40100', if they were marked at all...
'48-'54 15x5 1/2 would have been marked X-40101;

** You will find that the 1946-1951 Nash Ambassador 60 also used the 'X-40100' rims.**

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Also -

1955 - 15x5 would have been marked X-40103;
1956 - 15x5 1/2 would have been marked X-40104;
1957* - 15x5 1/2 would have been marked X-40050;

*There was also a 14x5 1/2 for 1957, which would have been marked X-40002

drivergo2

Thanks you guys for the help, John

DocHubler

Wheels from the 40s cars prior to stepdowns anyway, are the same as Chrysler/Dodge/Desoto/Plymouth. I had some broken hubcap retaining clips on some of my wheels and got the exact replacements from Andy Birnbaum, a Mopar supplier out of MA. It's not surprising since the Budd Corp. used to make wheels for all of these manufacturers.

RL Chilton

Lance and Rick-

That's fantastic information, guys. Thanks for posting.

SuperDave

So where would a guy go to find new hubcap clips for the stepdown? I found a great wheel with 5 broken clips.

Tallent R

Andy Bernbaum, a Mopar supplier out of MA.
oldmoparts.com

48Sed

I was told one of my stepdown rims was a 1940's Chrysler rim with a safety step built into it to keep the bead in place during a blowout.
My Hudson rim has no step and is smooth which allows the use of a beauty ring.
Both rims were made by the 'Motor Wheel Corporation'
Any thoughts on this

53jetman

Each auto manufacturer had their own specs that Motor Wheel was more than happy to comply with - for a price!

46HudsonPU

@48Sed - In the late 40s, manufacturers were moving toward tubeless tires.The picture on the left appears to be the profile for a 'tubeless' rim, whereas the one on the right is more like earlier tube-type rims.

That does not mean that one cannot put a tubeless tire on a tube-type rim. Just that there is more 'contact' of the tubeless tire on the tubeless-type rim.

And, as you indicate - it also gave a bit more protection in the event of a blowout, and it was much less likely that a hard bump or contact with a curb (or other obstruction) would cause the tire to unseat - not a good thing for a tubeless tire...

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