Poverty Caps / Wheel question

[Dougie]

I'm planning what path to take with my 62 Lark. I want to keep the Poverty caps, but have read in other posts that they won't work with any other wheel that works on the car. I also read that the factory wheels are weak, so that concerns me. On my spare, it looks like the wheel rim is riveted to the wheel center. Is this what causes the weakness? If so, could a bead of weld be added to the inside to strengthen it? Alternately, could the center be removed and a new wheel made using it and a new rim? I would think the guys that widen wheels could do that.

I really want to keep the look of the original wheels and hub caps, but I don't want to do anything unsafe since I am planning a SBC / 4 speed swap. Any thoughts?

[whacker]

The poverty caps fit on three little metal clips that mount on the wheel disc. I have never tried it, but I would suppose that you could take some compatible wheels and a stock wheel to a machine shop and have them mill the slots in them. Take three of the clips along, and a hubcap for testing. don't know if this would work, but if your really set on the caps you could try it.

[StudeDave57]

The poverty caps fit on three little metal clips that mount on the wheel disc.

Not on a Lark they aren't!!! Those clips went away in 1958.
(or was it 1959...?)

[R3 challenger]

In racing the Plain Brown Wrapper at the Pure Stock Drags, we have tried both of the above suggestions. They both worked nicely. When I told the organizers of the PSMCDR we were having a lot of trouble finding wheels wide enough to work with the street tires they allow, they said "Why don't you have the Studebaker wheel centers removed and welded to wider steel rims?" That gave us the green light to try it. (The rules state that all four wheels & tires must be the same size.)

We've also had a good machinist put slots in wheels to accomodate the early '50s hubcap clips....that worked well, too. Both types have survived many Pure Stock quarter mile runs in the 12s with no problems.

George

[bams50]

In racing the Plain Brown Wrapper at the Pure Stock Drags, we have tried both of the above suggestions. They both worked nicely. When I told the organizers of the PSMCDR we were having a lot of trouble finding wheels wide enough to work with the street tires they allow, they said "Why don't you have the Studebaker wheel centers removed and welded to wider steel rims?" That gave us the green light to try it. (The rules state that all four wheels & tires must be the same size.)

George

I did not know that until Jim Pepper told me at SB this year. I bought the Mopar cop car wheels and tires off his since he was doing just that. Hope the PSMCDR continues on well into the future <fingers crossed>

[StudeRich]

Here is one of the best places to get custom made to order WHEELS!
They will Arc Weld, Center, True and Balance your centers into a 6 or 7 in. Rim.

One of the major things you were reading about Stude. wheels being weak, was not really their design, they are good quality BUDD Corp. Wheels, but mostly rust, age, misuse sometimes causing the centers around the Lug holes to crack or get cornering "flex" from center to rim when thrown into hard turns, from metal fatigue.

http://stocktonwheel.com/

[JunkYarDog]

I used the stock car wheels on my M and many others thou the years and I have the original stock wheels on my 58 E series . I don't know where you got the information that they were weak. I overloaded my early trucks with these same wheels for years and never once have had any problem with them. If they'll stand up to being used and abused on a truck over loaded full of firewood on dirt country roads they surely should do just fine on a car as light as your Lark.

If their "heavily rusted" not surface rust but heavy rust, then Yes they can deteriorate as can any wheel, But if they aren't then good luck on wearing one out I've never been able too.

Check for heavy pitted rust and any cracks around the edge where the tire beads and around the lug nut holes as with any wheel. I owned a shop back in the 80's and back then some places sold cheap wheels made in Mexico and they bent really easy so keep in mind sometimes new isn't always better.

The poverty caps I always considered being the painted ones. Most any lark Ive ever seen has had the small stainless caps or the full cover's. If you keep the wheels you have you can buy brand new clips on Studebakerparts.com

AND.... You'll find plenty of G.M. WHEELS bolt right on perfectly. I have a wide set of G.M. rally wheels on one of my cars. You just have to make sure you don't get carried away on getting to wide.

In their last couple of years Studebaker ran Chevy small blocks from the factory in the Daytona lark style body's.

[studeclunker]

I have heard it said that the old wheels will fail if over-stressed with radial tires. Something about the nature of steel belted tires causes the rims to flex. That said, I've run steel belted radials on all my cars for forty years without a single failure. I've had a Rambler, Cadillacs, Chevys, and Studebakers. I currently drive a '56 Parkview with it's original rims sporting radials and haven't had any trouble with the rims. Neither with my '62 Champ, '62 Lark sedan, '64 Commander Wagonaire, or '63 Daytona Wagonaire either. Then again, I drive rather slow and don't scream around the corners either.

Now, as to the 'Poverty Caps;' In the Larks, they are held on by tension between the 'cap and nubs on the rim. The spring clips were used to '58, I believe, and only on the trucks after that. I really like the look of the 'Poverty Caps' when the wheel is a complimentary colour to the car and 'Beauty Rings' are used as well. Don't much like them by themselves though.

[JunkYarDog]

We used to seek Buick wheels cause they were riveted and you could drill the rivets out and reverse the centers and make them look deep dish an they looked cool ,Rivets never seemed to be a problem.

[Da Tinman]

how did you get GM wheels on the 5 x 4 1/2" (ford) bolt pattern?

[bams50]

You'll find plenty of G.M. WHEELS bolt right on perfectly. I have a wide set of G.M. rally wheels on one of my cars. You just have to make sure you don't get carried away on getting to wide.

In their last couple of years Studebaker ran Chevy small blocks from the factory in the Daytona lark style body's.

As Tinman notes, GM wheels will not fit a stock Stude- wrong bolt pattern. Most period Ford and Mopar wheels will fit though.

[COMMANDERPINK1]

As Tinman notes, GM wheels will not fit a stock Stude- wrong bolt pattern. Most period Ford and Mopar wheels will fit though.

You guys beat me to this one, 4and 3/4 dont work on 4and 1/2 stude bolt patterns
Tom

[Dougie]

Thanks for the good advice. My wheels are in very good shape and I'm encouraged that they shouldn't be a problem. I'm going to contact Stockton wheel about widening the rear wheels to 7". I love the look of the original wheels with the little caps. Ron you are right,. I checked and the caps are held on nubs on the wheel center.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Be VERY carefull when dealing with Stockton Wheel.

I know several people that have problems with them. Of those several, I absolutly trust three of those people.
From wrong rim widths, to wrong offsets, to not using the wheel "center" that was hand delivered to them, a chroming problem.

Deal with accordingly.

Mike

[Dougie]

Thanks for the heads up. I also found a company called Weldcraft Wheels in Michigan. Has anyone heard of them? I emialed them this morninig and they responded within 10 minutes.