need help to ID my Willys wheels

Speaking of wheels, I have four 16x4.5 steel Willys wheels, three matching and one oddball. The white one was the spare on my '56, the other three I found at a 4x4 shop in the sticks, source Jeep unknown.

Note that the center of the white wheel, where it meets the rim and is riveted, is curved or radiused all the way to the rim. On the black/O.D. wheels, this curve stops just short of the rim, and the rivet areas are flat for about 1/2" just before they meet the rim. Kinda hard to see in the photos.

Anyway, can anybody tell me which kind is the correct type for my '56?
Should I have 5.5" width instead of 4.5"?
Are the 4.5" rims for 6.00x16 tires, or will 7.00x16 work also?

The black ones have "K-H" stamped on the hub, BTW. The paint's too thick on the white one to tell yet.

 

Looks to me like you found yourself rims for a m38a1 for sure ..You are correct 600 and 700 also 750 16 tires will mount on these rims..I have asked before what is the proper tire size did not get any response..Went to tire shop they got me the correct original size for mine ..

 

I see you have two M38A1's, so these are the kind of rims on your A1's? What about the white one, is it a CJ5 rim? If I'm going to go looking for some, I need to know what kind to look for.

 

Assuming they are all 16", the white one could be a M38/A1 rim if 4.5" in width, early pickup if 5". The black one is early 5/3B, wagon if 4.5" or pickup if 5"
Not sure if the 3A got the early or late 16" rim.
Rondog you need to delete some PM's

 

All military wheels had one little hole near the lug holes. I see you have that. Civilians never had the hole. The M38 wheel center curved the whole way out like the white wheel. The M38A1 wheels had a little edge at the end, like the other wheel you have. The military wheels also have a safety bead at the tire edge. Civilians did not. Therefore, little hole, safety lip, and curve all the way ..... M38. Little hole, safety bead, and center not curved all the way .... M38A1. Hope that helps.

 

P.S. - M38 wheels are becoming scarce. I have seen good ones sell for $150 each. I would clean the white wheel up (Paint strip, no bead blast), leave it unpainted, and sell on E-bay for $100 reserve. Perfectionist restorers should be all over it. Just my 2c.

 

The little hole was also occasionally found on 5" wide civi pickup rims. I've had a few sets like that.
I'm not sure about the A1 rims and the little edge. I got to pay more attention to the later stuff. Also I wasn't sure if that was a hole or spec of dirt.

 

Great info guys!!! Keep it coming!

Yes, all four of my wheels are 16"x4.5". And all four of them have that mysterious little hole. So, I have one M38 wheel (the white one?), and three M38A1 wheels (the black over olive drab), correct? Looks like I've got some shopping to do, and I can use these for trading.

Come to think of it, the M38 I have my eye on has wheels like the white one on it, I believe. Both backs look like that, hard to tell about the fronts. I gotta get back up that way soon to check it out and see if it's buyable.

 

Oh Lord have mercy Howard, I just looked at Maggie! How on Earth did that poor Jeep get that bad? I hope you got it cheap, REAL cheap. As in they paid YOU to haul it away. Nice looking frame laying next to it though....

 

Cee Jay, what is this "safety bead" you're talking about? What does it look like? Does this wheel have it? This is one of my "M38A1" wheels.

 

I can see that rim has it. Where the bead of the tire would sit ..... there is a little raised portion inwards of that. It helps keep the tires from popping off the bead when running at low psi.

 

The area circled in white is this bead? And this is only on military wheels? Interesting, I'm learning a lot from this thread too.

 

You got it Rondog!

 

We can all learn from your post too! Nice tip to look for when buying 16" rims.

 

I'll tell ya how it got that bad. Look where Howard lives. In Nova Scotia, if you want more salt on your food, you open a window and hold your plate outside for a minute. We get a similar but not as extreme effect here on the coast in Maine. Somebody probably pulled a fishing boat out of the water a time or two with it too.

 

Born and raised in Oklahoma, it's hard for me to comprehend vehicles rotting like that. We get snow and ice here in Colorado, but they don't use salt, just some other hideous stuff that kills the grass and trees alongside the roads.

I've worked in Michigan, and saw a lot of rotted cars there too, actually bought one up there for $500 to use for awhile. It was a nice car and ran/rode good, just rusted all to hell. Gave it to a friend of mine back in OK, and he drove it until the back seat actually fell through the floor one day. It also had fenders that flapped in the breeze. No kidding!

 

Howard, interesting back doors for Maggie, the only set of that type I have seen.