Kelsey Hayes Bent Spoke 40 Spoke Wire Wheels

Bent Spoke or 40 Spoke are common terms when referring to early Ford 16 inch accessory wheels made by Kelsey Hayes. Kelsey Hayes has made a lot of different wheels throughout the years. Some of them were wire spoke wheels. In fact a lot of them were, in the 1930s. Probably most of the standard wire wheels on production cars where contracted out to Kelsey Hayes. Even the wire wheels on the 1950s Buick Skylarks were made by Kelsey Hayes. The 15 X 5-1/2 inch original accessory artillery wheels that I have on my 1937 Chevy Pickup Truck were also made by Kelsey Hayes.

Ford guys seem to have adapted the terms, Kelsey Hayes, bent spoke and 40 spoke as their own, however you can see a very nice example of those wheels that were made for Chevrolet as a genuine accessory wheel in the early 1930s. They have the bow tie stamped in the center that signifies Genuine Accessory. Comparing the design of the Chevrolet wheels opposed to the Ford wheels of the same type, you will notice a much more pleasing appearance of the center design. They just seem so much more balanced in design appearance.

I had collected these wheels thinking that I would some day build  a teardrop trailer to pull behind my 37 Chevy pickup, but I'm realizing that I probably won't get around to it in this life time. If you are interested in the wheels, you can contact me through the Contact Doug link on the top left of my site here. I also have a nice period correct hitch for the trailer, and possibly a light. THESE WHEELS ARE SOLD

General Jumbo Wheels on 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck

General Jumbo Wheels made by Cleveland Welding or Cleve Weld Wheels that were used for the General Tires and equipped with General Hub Caps give the 1937 Chevrolet Pickup a very unique look. When I first saw this combination on my truck, I thought "nasty". The tires are Good Year Collector Series tires because they are the only tires reproduce in this size that are period correct for the wheels. I now have some custom made Good Year Caps that fit and I have the wheels, tires and hub caps all for sale. Update: My truck has the red Kelsey Hayes artillery wheel back on it now.

2011 Silverado Towing 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck

My 1937 Chevrolet Pickup Truck is quite a compliment to the new 2011 Chevrolet Silverado. I'm hopeful that this filming of the new Silverado towing the 1937 Chevy in the Cascade mountains of Washington, will actually make it to national television advertising. It was an interesting afternoon spent with the filming crew. We hooked the trailer to the new Silverado about noon and finally disconnected it about 8:00 pm. Though it was raining off and on, filming continued through the afternoon and into the evening, during the summer daylight hours. The crew that did this, was involved with a number of different themes for the national Silverado advertising campaign throughout the week here in the northwest. Keeping my fingers crossed for Superbowl Sunday! Gotta dream right?

1937 Ford Pickup Truck Brakes

Alex wrote:
Where and how do i put brake fluid in my 1937 ford pickup?
Thanks,Alex

Alex obviously is new to vintage vehicles, and that's okay. We all started there at one time. It's good to see new people interested in the hobby.

My answer to Alex:

Alex,
If your 37 Ford is original, you don't have brake fluid. It is a mechanical connection from the pedal to the brakes. Ford did not go to fluid brakes until 1939 and I am not positive that the trucks had fluid yet then. Usually commercial vehicles were a little behind the cars in technology. Mechanical brakes can work great as long as you keep them in good condition and adjusted properly. They do require more adjusting and maintenance than hydraulic brakes do.

A popular conversion is to use the 39 juice brakes on the earlier models, but as you can imagine, it is usually a bit of a hunt and when you find the stuff, you will need a pretty good chunk of change in your pocket to do some serious talking.
Doug