Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
San Francisco circa 1919. "Roamer touring car at Historical Society (Whittier Mansion)." Our second Roamer in a row. 5x7 glass negative. View full size.
The hole provides access to the grease fitting at the front end of the leaf spring at the rear of the car. You can see a similar one on the exposed front leaf spring eye.
I keep seeing this hole in a lot of late-teen to early '20s cars. What is it for -- lubrication? Some body mounting bolt?
His Majesty Serene? Hope Might Stay? Help Me Someone? I wonder what it means?
[Owners often had their initials or monogram placed in that spot. -tterrace]
Ahh! OK.
The wheels are likely Houk or possibly Hayes wire wheels. The six rounded protrusions, seen on the center portion, are locating pins that are part of the hub. The wheel is slid onto the hub and matching holes in the center are aligned with these pins. The hub cap, which is, actually, a heavy brass nut, is then securely tightened to hold the wheel on the hub
Nope, those 'wheel nuts' are either large rivet heads or carriage bolt heads... at any rate, nothing to be taken off from outside. Presumably the wheels fit on splined shafts and are held on by the central nut.
I wonder if anyone was deceived ?
Real hub caps! Out of necessity, the wheel nuts bear against the inside flange and are accessed through the spokes.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5