How to mount wheel discs on a 1935 Packard senior car

[1935Packard]

I had a prior thread asking for advice on how to mount wheel discs on a 1935 Packard senior car.  I was able to figure it a way to do it, with some help from @alsancle, so I figured I would delete the old thread asking for help and instead write up the answer so others can benefit from what I learned.   I don't know if this is exactly the way it was done originally, and this is from new hardware, so consider this the "looks good and works" approach rather than the "Pebble Beach authentic" approach.

 

Ok, here's what to do, for each wheel: 

 

1.  Get valve stem extension Napa part NTH 90330: https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NTH90330. 

2. Get a 5/16" Fender Washer with a 1-1/4" Outside Diameter.  I liked the look of stainless, like this:

3. Get a 5/16" rubber fender washer of roughly 1 in or more outside diameter (exact outside diameter doesn't matter).

 

4.  Get a 5/16" external tooth washer. 

 

5.   Take the valve stem extension and remove the nut and the big clamp. Toss the clamp, you don't need it.  Now put the external tooth washer and the rubber washer on.  Then insert the end of the valve stem extension on the inside of the wheel disc through the hole.  On the other side, the outside, put the fender washer on and then the nut.  At this stage, the valve extension is connected to the wheel disc.   It will look like this on the outside:

 

 

And it will look like this on the inside: 

 

 

To mount them, start by attaching the valve stem:

 

 

 

Then fit the wheel discs on by lining up the nubs with the wholes, pressing them on, and pushing the three hinged connectors on. 

 

 

 

Finally, put on your hubcap, which now connects to the wheel disc.  Note that, if you have reproduction hubcaps, they may be a little bit too deep to initially fit on to the wheel disks.  The clips that seal the wheel disc to the wheel stick out a bit, and the hubcap won't go all the way on.    To fix this, just take a pair of pliers and gently taper in the deepest part of the hubcaps in the parts that don't have the semi-circular extenders that connect the wheel disc to the wheel.  That way, the hubcaps will go on easily, inside the clips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by 1935Packard (see edit history)

[Grimy]

Thanks, but do you need to rebalance the wheel?  There used to be a tire place on Mission Blvd in Hayward with one of the old machines to balance wheels mounted on the car.

[1935Packard]

I'm getting new tires shortly, and I may try to have them balanced with the covers on.  But the valve extension is very light; I'd be a little bit surprised if it throws things off balance.

[alsancle]

Nice job Orin. I will need this when I go to put the disks on my dad‘s 35 Packard.