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

My Series 526 Packard uses lead washers on wheel studs to allow the wheels to be statically balanced. I'm guessing all Packards of the 1920s (and probably early 1930s) used them. Is there a current source of supply?
Thanks.

Melt down some old batteries and make your own?

I'm not familiar with these cars. How are they used for balancing?

Not sure exactly what size you need, but I know John Deere sells them for old tractors as they were used on engine head bolts to seal them.

Also, if you really can't find what you are looking for, you can buy lead roof flashing, and the use a hole punch set to make your own.

One place that may have what you're looking for.

nuclead.com/leadwashers/

Humanpotatohybrid: In the 1920s and 1930s many makes included wheel balancing weights. My Packard has disk wheels, so the weight units are not visible. Here is a Dunlop wire wheel showing one of the units. There are three units on this wheel, each filled with lead washers. The Packards of the period had six units per wheel.

One balances the wheel by spinning it, letting it come to rest, finding the heavy spot , and adjusting the balance by moving lead washers appropriately. A balanced wheel will come to rest in a random position. For speeds typical of cars of the 1920 and early 1930s, that works fine. Of course the wheel must spin freely. The advantage is that both the wheel and the brake drum are balanced. I remember cars being statically balanced well into the 1959s.

Big Kev; Thanks for the tractor lead. I will probably go that way. The ID is too small, but I can buy the washers and pick up on Humanpotatohybrid’s suggestion by using the washers as templates and adding solder or lead to adjust the inner diameter.

32model901, thanks for the suggestion. I found several sites like nuclead. I’m going to contact them, but I bet they will give me a quote for 1000 or more. Worth a try. If I spin my story of an old car’s requirements, who knows? Anyway, thanks for the input.