Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I am currently working on resurrecting a '48 Custom Eight Henney hearse and am in need of 4 correct 16" wheels.
The car was rescued from a junkyard 40 years ago by a longtime friend and was missing wheels and tires. They found some 15"Jeep wheels with the larger center holes and 5 x 5.5" bolt pattern in the yard to drive it out of there, but they are in rough shape and look wrong. The hearse wheels don't interchange with production Packards. Have noticed that most of the hard luck survivors I've found pics of on the internet are also missing the original wheels. Not sure why. Anyone have some salvagable wheels around, maybe left over from a resto-mod project? Thanks.

Funnily enough this is a common enough occurrence that Ross was delighted when I have him some spare original 55 Clipper wheels. And he has parted out many cars...

***TOPIC MOVED TO POST-WAR FORUM***

Actually not that hard to find, suprisingly, if you modify your search radar to include 37-38 Super 8 wheels.

I had some for sale for a long time but then decided to revive my 1951 so they got used along with a couple more that I had to buy. Try Mike Chirco at Tucson Packards and note that any 1948-1954 senior and junior Henney-Packard wheel is the same other than those used on the long wheelbase sedans. As already mentioned, several prewar models also use them.

Note also that while many 1948-1950 Wheel covers look like they should fit, not all will. Those that fit have the inner ring that is recessed about 3/8" from the outer rim and yours were probably the type with the Cloisonné emblem, PN 403031, which were used up to 1951. I have one of those and a second with the Cloisonné holes but none mint. Possible some of the non-Cloisonné too but again, none mint.

Thanks for the info Don! I've already received a tip for a possible source of the Henney only wheels. Checked my parts book and confirmed that 48-54 will work, which might make things easier. Looks like you have the same "affliction" as me, dragging these old dogs out of the weeds. The only down side with finding correct wheels is I'll have no hubcaps. With the crappy Jeep wheels on it now, at least I can use later 15" Packard wheel covers. I have a dozen or more 22nd-23rd series caps hanging on the wall with the recessed inner lip that apparently won't do me much good.



Steve

jeep wheels with hubcaps....That'll work. LT tires and off you go...

Be sure the tip on the wheels isn’t from prouddavid as he’s a scammer with a profile that’s a copy-and-paste of mine!

Quote:

I’ve owned Henney-Packards since I was a teenager in the ‘60s and even had a 1948 Landaulet Nu-3-Way for many decades which I bought to save from the crusher. Even though I never did any work on it, I located and bought the missing side-loading table and lots of other missing parts to make it complete, then sold it to the elderly son on the local Packard dealer some years ago. He apparently died and it went into the hands of a car butcher and has been resto-modded! It showed up on Facebook Marketplace a while back. These coaches have a good value when properly restored and maybe value too when resto-modded but with the latter, there is a very limited audience.

I also hate to see these elegant old beasts hacked up into street rods. Small consolation is at least it keeps a few of them away from the crusher. Mine had about every available option from the factory, but all of the funeral hardware had been removed decades ago. A built-in cooler in back and evidence of red paint in the door jambs suggests it may have been used as a football tailgating car or a camper. No doubt it was the pride of someone's funeral home in its prime. I'm re-sheeting the rear with plywood for cargo or a possible rear seat some day. The interior was a racoon B & B with all the upholstery consumed. A very VIVID purple and sure it will take half a football field of fabric to replace. Need to come up with a manual window conversion for front doors and will block rear door glass closed. Restoring the hydraulic system is not in the cards.