need help to ID my Willys wheels

OK all, here we go again. I just bought four wheels like this white one, they're 16"x4.5", all alike. Note the hub flange isn't flat, each lug hole has a bump or rise around it. They all have the rounded surface all the way across, no flat areas. The areas where the hub and rim is riveted is 6", and the slots are small. Anybody know for sure what these are? I plan to use 'em anyway because there's four matching.




I also bought this fifth wheel for a spare, also 16"x4.5". It's also rounded all the way across, but the hub flange is flat w/no bumps around the lug holes. The areas where the hub and rim is riveted is only 5", and the slots are a little larger. Anybody know this one? I'm thinking 2A? It should make a good spare. Once all five are blasted and powdercoated who's gonna notice?

 

The white wheels w/ the dimpled lugs are Motor Wheel rims. These were the optional. Willys option not yours, wheel when they ran out of the Kelsey Hayes rims. I've found them on two very early column shifts I had. One was a 1945 2A serial 11590 and the other was one of the last full float rear column shifts serial 13398. In fact of the thirteen column shifts I have had 3 came w/ a full complement of MW wheels. This does not mean they weren't used later, as I saw a full set on a 47 2A too. Pictures have also been seen of factory photos where KH amd MW rims were on the same vehicle. The red one appears to be a regular KH 2A/3A, and just about all Willys jeep vehicles, although you could get optional 15" rims for the 2A/3A and in 16" you could get a 5" for the pickup and 4" for the wagon. 5" may have been standard for the pickup but I'm not too sure. Early 2A stuff I know.

 

Just a thought, this is the kind of information that should be being captured and displayed in the gallery to answer future questions.

 

Good enough, thanks Bill! I'm gonna use these four white rims and the red one for a spare, and be done with it. I'm tired of looking.

So, I've got one M38 rim, three K-H M38A1 rims, four Motor Wheel rims, and the one red rim. All the M38/A1 rims have the mysterious little hole next to the lug holes, and safety beads on the inside. None of the other five have this hole or safety beads. All nine of them are 16"x4.5".

I'll try to get them outdoors into the sun so I can get some good detailed photos of them all for the tech gallery.

 

Sell the M38/A1 rims on G503 and buy the extra rim you need to match the other Motor Wheel rim.

 

Kiowamtp (Kevin) told me about a guy down by Colorado Springs that collects old Jeeps, particularly M38/M38A1's. I need to call the guy and see if he has a good Willys CJ5 tailgate that he'd trade for my three M38A1 wheels.