Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Does anybody know where I can get dummies to fill my sidemounts (1940 Super 8)? I remember hearing of somebody who sold styrofoam dummies, and I'd like to reduce the weight on the front end of my car by eliminating the heavy spare wheels - after all it has yet another spare in the trunk. Thanks!

In understand your goal (you will still have the stiffer springs of a sidemounted car). The covers connect by turnbuckle to the arm, which connects to the wheel, so you still need a wheel. I don't see why you couldn't use a lighter 15" wheel from a 120. The postwar wheel is wider.

I have some concerns with crumbling of rigid foam from vibration, but if you want to try to carve an upper and lower spacer, a trip to the junkyard for the impact absorber between the fascia and the bumper beam on a modern car may be a low cost option. It's a chunk of rigid industrial foam.

Removal of Tire from Side Carrier is the article in this service letter
https://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/SC/SL-VOL16NO22.pdf
that tells owners how to compensate for the missing spare and to support the side mount cover, as required by law from Jan 1942.

You were only allowed 5 tires per vehicle. Any extra tires were to be donated to the war effort for the rubber needed.

Maybe this is a too simplistic approach? But......what about just using a sufficiently inflated inner tube to fill the void?

I like your ideas, not sure what I am going to do at this point, Thinking lighter rims and overinflated innertubes...

Excellent idea - maybe I can even get some of the old heavy duty ones that used to be used to inflate casings against new treads as part of the retreading process. I used to get these and use them for flotation devices in the 1960's and they were indestructible. Wonder if they still exist?