1918 Bearcat - Brake Drum Removal

Hi folks,

does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the rear brake drums on the above car? I'm presuming that we'll have to make up a puller of some description, but any tips or pointers will be gratefully received.

All 1918 Stutz cars had Houk wire wheels so this will apply to all body styles.

Remove hubcap and wheel, remove the cotter pin and axle nut, remove rear hub, this is where it may become a problem but since Stutz has such a short and steep taper between the hub and axle it should come off readily. If not....Houk did make a hub puller and here is a picture of one.

It has right hand threads on one end and left on the other. Without one you can loosen the axle nut to where there is a gap behind it and replace the cotter pin. Put back on the wheel and hubcap and go for a very short drive and the hub will most likely be loose when you return. Brake drum simply unbolts from the hub.

Hoping this helps.

One of mine came off fine, I have never managed to shift the other - my 1917 Roadster has Buffalo wire wheels, would the same puller and instructions work for my car too please?

Semantics can be a difficult issue!

Maybe a bit of history is in order on the Houk/Buffalo thing.

Stutz in 1913 offered as an option McCue brand wire wheels. During that year the McCue brand was purchased and redesigned by no other than a group lead by Mr.Houk. About 1918 the Houk Manufacturing Company was reorganized as the Wire Wheel Corporation of America,in Buffalo New York. During the next few years they introduced many new wheel designs under the brand name Buffalo and started manufacturing the Rudge-Whitworth Wire Wheel under license. Soooo... is a Rudge wheel a Buffalo? Not to my thinking. Is a Houk wheel an Buffalo? Certainly not before 1918 and even after that the Wire Wheel Corp. called them Houk.

1914 thru 1916, Houk was offered by Stutz as an option. 1917 thru 1924 all the 4 cylinder cars carried Houk ( except 1919 which used Rudge). The new 1923 6 cylinder cars for sure had Buffalo wires as they were not the Houk design.

1917 pieces should be identical to 1918 except for rim size and spare wheel carrier. Same instructions will apply.

Layden, my model 'R' car was built in the early part of 1917 (with the Winsconsin Engine) so according to the Stutz book, before April and with the longer 56 inch rear springs.

It has Houk style wire wheels with 35 x 5 tyres, held on by threaded centre caps marked No5 Buffalo N.Y. Wheel Corporation of America, the attached picture is of a spare wheel nut I picked up from Ebay (they are handed left and right hand thread).

I believe these wheels were fitted from new, perhaps as factory options as hinted at, in the various catalogs I have seen from the time - do you think differently? Your message says about 1918, I wonder if the Houk Manufacturing Company was reorganized as the Wire Wheel Corporation of America, in Buffalo New York in 1917?

Semantics can be a difficult issue!

Maybe a bit of history is in order on the Houk/Buffalo thing.

Stutz in 1913 offered as an option McCue brand wire wheels. During that year the McCue brand was purchased and redesigned by no other than a group lead by Mr.Houk. About 1918 the Houk Manufacturing Company was reorganized as the Wire Wheel Corporation of America,in Buffalo New York. During the next few years they introduced many new wheel designs under the brand name Buffalo and started manufacturing the Rudge-Whitworth Wire Wheel under license. Soooo... is a Rudge wheel a Buffalo? Not to my thinking. Is a Houk wheel an Buffalo? Certainly not before 1918 and even after that the Wire Wheel Corp. called them Houk.

1914 thru 1916, Houk was offered by Stutz as an option. 1917 thru 1924 all the 4 cylinder cars carried Houk ( except 1919 which used Rudge). The new 1923 6 cylinder cars for sure had Buffalo wires as they were not the Houk design.

1917 pieces should be identical to 1918 except for rim size and spare wheel carrier. Same instructions will apply.

In looking at original pictures and factory literature I have come to believe that all the 1914-1918 wire wheeled cars had octagon hubcaps. This example is made of aluminum ( a short lived not successful substitute for brass) and dates from 1918 as far as I can tell. Note that it says Houk Manufacturing. 1919 cars carried Rudge and with the change back to Houk in 1920 they all have the flush type caps you pictured.

Layden, I guess what you are saying then, is my wheels may have been added at a later date i.e. after the 1917 build date? Does the tire size (35 x 5) give any clue.

Some information I have seen would lead me to believe this size is not standard. I am guessing wooden spoke wheels lasted less time than wire spoked wheels when in service and could have been replaced?

This is a picture of one of my wheels

1917 Stutz R series cars all had 25" Houk wire wheels. 1916 was the last year of wood wheels on 4 cylinder cars.

From the shape of the lock ring groove and just the tip of the lock ring latching ends showing thru the rim in the very upper left corner of the picture I can tell that you have the style rims that Stutz used ( Stanweld Lever Locks). It is just the hubcap that appears to be 1920-1924 style. The tire size of 35x5 is just slightly over size to the original 34x4 1/2, goes on the same 25" rim and may actually be closer to the physical size of the original tires due to differences in manufacturers dimensions.

Layden, are the two types of wheel retainers interchangable then please - i.e. the one you have pictured and the one I have posted?

Yes the 2 types of hubcaps are interchangable. Different wrench required for each of course.

Hi folks. Thanks for the responses. We got a long enough hub puller in the end and got them off like that.

This guy makes fabulous and inexpensive hub pullers

Contact George McMurtry at 308-586-1930